We’re back on our skis and having fun! Just over two weeks ago, whilst descending from Mont Rosset in the Beaufortain, I fell in heavy snow and twisted my knee and ankle. I managed to get down the mountain performing a vey inelegant snowplough and that has prevented me from skiing for a while. Fortunately, we had already planned a trip to England to see family and friends so my poor old joints had a rest.
We managed to return to the Alps just before all the terrible storms hit the UK. We spent a few gentle days back on the slopes of Ste Foy, Tignes and Val d’Isere and then had a heavy fall of snow on Monday, the tail end of all the dreadful weather to the North. We headed up to La Rosière the next morning and, whilst the resort was very busy with families skiing on piste, we had all the off piste to ourselves. After making fresh tracks, we took the same lift back to the top after each descent and found ‘our’ slope untouched by other skis – hence the photos with ‘all the tracks are ours’. On Wednesday, with a lower avalanche risk, we joined Wayne and the Alpine Experience team for a short skin up Mont Roup and some fantastic descents in lovely light snow.
Our friends Ros and Godric have been in Vallandry this week and we joined them for a few days of skiing in Les Arcs, where the new snow had remained lovely in very cold conditions. In fact we were so cold on Friday that we had to adjourn for a long lunch at the wonderful Goyet restaurant in Le Prè.
Happily the sun returned this weekend and we had another marvellous 900m ascent up the Dome de Vaugelas, although the descent in icy trussed up snow was more of a challenge than a reward. Keen to get in shape for our forthcoming ski tour in April, we did another lovely 900m skin today from Villaroger through the forest and up to Les Arcs. We were all alone for most of the climb set in the forest. It felt like Narnia – with shafts of sunlight streaming through the trees and the snow glittering like diamonds. The narrow track we followed had had prior visitors, a trail of small cloven hoof prints, perhaps some chamois or even Mr Tumnus the faun? A magical day.
