Tag Archives: skiing

More photos from the slopes

The weather on Wednesday wasn’t so nice – it was cold and very windy. Paul and I had intended to ski over to Meribel again in the afternoon, but when we got to the top of of the lift that would take us there, we found that most of the lifts that we would have wanted to use on the way back were closed. The wind was strong enough to make standing up tricky, and fine snow was blowing hard into our faces. So, we did the sensible thing and turned back, and spent the afternoon skiing on the other side of the mountain, running down to Courchevel 1650.

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Blowing a gale

On Thursday, Simon, Paul and I had decided to make the most of the (not inconsiderable) investment that we’d made on the full 3 vallées ski passes and head out towards Val Thorens. We’d booked a “piste picnic” from the hotel the night before, so that we didn’t have to come back for lunch. Due to a leisurely pace and also in no small part to our ineptitude in reading the piste map, we didn’t make it as far as Val Thorens, but got as far as Les Menuires, which was still a distance of just over 40 miles, there and back. The weather was very good, and the scenery stunning!

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Simon in his ridiculous hat

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Me!

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“Piste picnics” being consumed

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View down the valley to Meribel

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Arriving back in Courchevel

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Proof of our efforts!

The weather today (Friday) wasn’t so nice – very cold and low clouds with very fine powdery snow, so we stuck closer to Courchevel 1850 and 1650 for most of the day, spending the afternoon skiing with Simon’s younger daughter Amie.

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Simon arriving

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Amie arriving

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Courchevel Altiport runway – only for the brave!

More photos from Courchevel

Here are a few more photos from my trip to Courchevel. These were taken yesterday, when we made the most of our 3 valleys ski passes and skied over to Meribel.

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Simon and Louise on the slopes

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View across the valley

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What to do when you’ve taken your ski boots off, but haven’t got your shoes with you…

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Nice wide piste

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Lots of peaks

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View down the valley towards Meribel

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Looking across the trees back towards Meribel

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Getting cold in the shadows

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Sunset over the mountains

Courchevel 2012

This year’s ski trip sees the same people returning to the same hotel (who says we lack imagination?). The conditions on the piste couldn’t be much more different though – last year was horribly icy – we’d have been better off with skates than skis most of the time! This year though, there is loads of snow, so conditions should be really good.
The journey here was something of an adventure – the uk being in the grip of a cold snap, with the accurately forecast snow arriving the night before we traveled, exactly as predicted, completely catching the authorities on the hop in the morning. The drive to the airport was pretty hair-raising:

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Happily, the flight managed to get off after a delay of just over an hour, which wasn’t so bad,all things considered. The roads in France were completely clear even though they’ve had a lot of snow over the last couple of days. As I write, we’re still waiting for the rest of the party to arrive as they were on a different flight which was delayed with technical problems.
We’ve been out for a quick ski, just to see if we can remember what to do, which seemed to go ok, although it was very cold indeed. I shall have to wear more clothes tomorrow.
Here are couple of pictures of the view from our window:

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One of the chalet girls gave me a present to take back to Sarah:

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The sun continues to shine in Courchevel

We’ve had another day of fantastic weather here in Courchevel – clear skies and bright sunshine. There hasn’t been any more snow though, so the problems with runs being icy continue. I got caught out by a patch of ice I hadn’t spotted today, and took a bit of a tumble. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big one, and I got away with it. Most of the time we can pick our line as the slopes aren’t too crowded this week – there’s plenty of room for everyone.
It’s the staff night off in the hotel tonight, so we’re off into town for dinner for a change.
I leave you with a couple more pictures from the slopes:

Courchevel day 2

The first day of skiing went well – I was a little worried that I wouldn’t remember what to do, but it seemed to come back reasonably quickly. One or two wobbly moments served as useful reminders not to overdo it on the first day!
Conditions are good – the sun has been shining all day (I’ve got the bright red nose to prove it!), but it is cold (see the picture of the weather conditions according my phone this morning). Some of the runs are very icy, so we’re having to be properly careful.
Courchevel is certainly living up to it’s reputation as one of the most expensive resorts in the alps. We were charged €28 for 5 coffees this morning!
The scenery though is stunning – we’ve had some great views today.

On the piste again…

As if I hadn’t had my fill of snow this winter, I’ve come to France for a week of skiing. It’s been 3 years since I last took to the slopes, so I hope that I can remember what to do! I’ve joined two sets of friends, their families and another mutual friend on the trip. Happily, I’m sharing a room with Paul, the other lone male in the party, rather than either of the families! (those that know me well will have heard of “The School Ski Trip” of 2008, which, I fear left me permanently scarred!)
The others have gone out for a short ski, in search of the free lifts (our ski passes are valid from tomorrow), and I have elected to stay in the hotel for a bit of a rest. I leave you with a couple of pictures taken from the balcony.