2.08.2010

Snowboarding the French Alps

Bonjour! I recently took a trip to France to ski one of the premier resorts in the French Alps. Weeks before, I found an incredibly cheap flight to Grenoble which I knew to be a gateway to many ski resorts. I booked it without having any other plans, and waited until just days before my departure to finally figure out where I was going to go. After some advice from a French colleague, I was lucky enough to find a place to stay in one of many villages that make up the ski area of Tignes and Val d'Isere.

Pics Here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bribergey/Tignes?feat=directlink

This was a solo trip for me, which is always good and bad. I don't mind travelling on my own, especially when skiing, because it means I can do what I like at my own pace. However, it also makes you realize how tired of yourself you can get after a short period of time. It is relaxing in a way, and after landing in Grenoble I made my way through Grenoble and towards the higher peaks in my rental car. My introduction to Grenoble was a tiny airport that comprised of a glorified shed. We actually had to queue outside, in the freezing flurries, to get through Passport control. However, I did luck out with a rental car that had only 5km on it!

Tignes is not the closest ski area from Grenoble, but since I had the flexibility of a rental car and the entire afternoon, I didn't mind the 2.5 hour drive up the mountains. I passed through a number of towns and villages (and typical French toll-booths) until the winding one-lane road abruptly switch-backed up the side of a cliff until we reach a narrow canyon cutting through the jagged peaks. The canyon eventually opened up to a large lake and the staggered villages that were part of the ski area. The village where I stayed, Les Breviers, was the first of these villages.

The village itself was very small; it was basically one road with a parking lot on either end. A number of chalets and cabins surrounded the village and everything in the town was within a 5 minute walk or less. I stayed in a small Chalet that was completely English-run, although I did not know this when I booked it, and found that all of it's guests were either English or Australian. The accommodations were rather hostel-like, but I did have my own room and breakfast and dinner were served each day and included in the very affordable rate. This social environment made it really nice as I was on my own. I spent the late afternoon taking care of my stuff and hung out in my room until dinner, which was served each night at 7pm. Dinner was always served with a starter, a main and a dessert; and although it wasn't gourmet, it definitely did the job!

The next morning I was up and ready to go to get on the first lift of the day after a hearty breakfast of oatmeal. I could see the lift outside my window, which was about a 2 minute walk from the Chalet. The weather was cloudy, but the sun would peak through at times. There hadn't been any fresh snow for a few days, so I wasn't sure what I wanted more...a nice sunny day or a dumping of snow. Unfortunately, the first part of the day didn't bring either. Visibibility was pretty bad since the low clouds and fog made for very flat light. When skiing, this means that you pretty much can't see a thing...even a bump in front of you! But it did make for a decent day of exploring the mountain. I made my way across the mountain to one of the furthest points opposite where I started, and then slowly made my way back. I was happy to discover that I found the best part of the mountain to be the area closest to where I was staying. As the day went on, the temperature slowly dropped and snow showers started building. I had heard rumors of heavy snow that night and it was shaping up to be true! I took a lunch break at a chalet on the mountain and pushed myself as long as I could and finally stopped around 4pm. I spent the evening relaxing and enjoying dinner with the other guests in my chalet before watching a movie and hitting the hay!

When I went to bed, it had been snowing heavily for hours. When I woke up, I saw that it hadn't let up all night. Anywhere between 6-12 inches of fresh snow fell over night depending on where you were on the mountain and it was incredible! So incredible that the lifts actually opened about 45 minutes late in order for them to do some avalanche control and prepare the lifts. I did some laps on the drag lift that was operating until the main gondola opened and I headed up. I spent pretty much the entire day doing laps on one lift, and somehow I had fresh tracks in places all the way through the last run of the day. The snow was incredible and no matter where I went, I found stashes hidden off-piste and was pretty happy with myself when I found a great route down through pockets of trees and off-piste areas. I ventured up to the very top a couple times, but the weather was so cold that I didn't find it worth it. However, the second half of the day cleared up and provided a bluebell sunny day. I honestly could not have asked for better snow conditions or weather. It was one of those days you just don't forget! I breaked for lunch at my chalet before heading back out on the slopes for as long as my legs would carry me.

I had a similar night as the night before knowing that I had an early morning the next day. I was also a bit worried about the drive back due to all the snow we had that day. I got up and left by around 6am hoping to spend a few hours in Grenoble before catching my flight. Fortunately, the road was pretty clear and the drive went quick. I arrived in Grenoble and had about 3 hours before I needed to get to the airport. Since it was Sunday, I found that pretty much everything was closed, as always in Europe. However, I enjoyed walking the empty streets, crossing the many bridges over the river and visiting a number of markets that were open in some of the squares. I bought some fresh croissants to bring back for Nat and took plenty of pictures of the city and the nearby mountain views. Although I didn't really get a good feel for what Grenoble was like, it was a beautiful city in a stunning surrounding. I enjoyed walking around for a while, but was happy to leave since it was fairly boring and freezing cold.

Overall, it was an excellent trip. Although I'm not the biggest fan of France, mostly because I don't understand the language at all, it was a great place to go for a ski trip. I lucked out with a good place to stay and people to talk to even though I was in the middle of the French Alps, and I was lucky to find great deals on a flight and car rental which made the trip pretty affordable. Another succesful trip in Europe!

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