2011/1 There’s No Time Like Snowtime

Arriving in England at 2 degrees celcius, we wondered what on earth we were doing leaving the NZ summer behind. But out with the Alaska jackets –our BIG investment 2 years ago on the Alaska cruise, stored in England, and now all warm and cosy.

Had a great 2 days in London with Laura (Joanna’s niece and goddaughter) and Tane, plus new addition to the family – Bella-Rose. A bit of baby-sitting (a bit scary, we are very out of practice, but she was great), attended the Christchurch memorial service at Westminster Cathedral, and a bit of London sightseeing. However after that pleasant interlude, back to packing up Stan and discovering all the sneaky things that weren’t working after several months of inaction – mainly the gas heater. Maureen and John have done a great job caring for Stan over the winter – we are so lucky. We found places for the skis, poles and all the other ski paraphernalia that play havoc with your baggage allowance. Still no luck with the heater, although David and John spent hours on the job.

Never mind - we had a schedule to stick to (Joanna) and got the ferry to Calais on Monday morning. Braced ourselves for a night in sub- Arctic conditions until David had a go at the heater and, “Voila”, it worked and has done reliably ever since. We are now cosily ensconced in our little house.

Using our “cheap places to stay in camper vans” guide and a bit of altitude due to the poor snow season , our starting point was Flaine; a modern, purpose-built resort,( modelled on the Soviet-inspired, practical, concrete block stuff of the 60’s) but with a camper van park within 50 metres of the lift(True) and a cosy, Brit-styled pub with free wifi (Joanna , ignoring the expensive drinks) and rugby (David). Happy campers. We have had 3 very happy days exploring the vast ski terrain here. Enjoying the mountain tops and skiing through the trees. The highlight probably the 14km Cascades backcountry run to the village of Sixt. We are quietly pleased with our fitness level.( Smug ) Only minor aches and pains. Probably thanks to preparing for walking the Banks Peninsula track the week before we left NZ. Getting into the spirit of it all we had a vin chaud the first afternoon – very disappointing. Off to the local shop to get ingredients for our own. Thanks to many years of making great urns full at the Ruapehu Ski Club – Joanna had a variety of recipes in her head and was able to come up with a goodie.

Next ski area is St Gevais – Megeve, just across the valley, tucked under Mont Blanc. A big contrast to Flaine as is all based around towns and villages. We love skiing through the little hamlets and stopping at the numerous restaurants for yet another cafe noir. Lunchtime skiing is brilliant in France because the French don’t break their long lunch habit just because they are skiing – on the contrary – all the restaurants are chokka for a couple of hours and the lifts are empty. Go the Kiwis.

It has not been a good season for snow in the northern Alps and we keep getting advice as to where to go. It is all a bit confusing and although it is not the best – it is still OK for us and we are getting some good skiing in. We have invested in a set of chains, but really don’t want to have to use them,especially as they are not the exact tyre size. Those of you that have put chains on will  understand. However better to be sure than sorry, when caught in the snow on a high mountain pass.

A few days of bad weather have sent us scuttling to the valleys  – namely Grenoble, where we have friends and a place to have Stan serviced and  all  sorted. Several days of socialising. David has many good friends from his time here many years ago. We have spent hours eating and reminiscing. All of it great – especially for David, who has been overwhelmed with the hospitality of his old friends. Also spent a couple of days with Francois Ferrer- Laloe, who works with David in Auckland but used to work for SOGREAH  in Grenoble –David’s old firm in France, and is over here on holiday.The world of electrical engineers is a small one. Spent two days with him and visited among other places the weird and wonderful sculptures of the Postman Favel who spent 40 years with wheelbarrow lime and an inventive mind (crazy?)

But now the weather has improved again, so we are back in the mountains and ready to hit the slopes again. We try to be prepared, arrive early and study the trail maps the night before. You need to – they are so complicated. Most resorts link with several others. The whole thing is so exhausting we  just pour another vin rouge and hope for the best. Have now completed 3 brilliant days at Alpe d’Huez. The skiing goes very high – up to 3300 metres, so the snow is good. It is huge – have explored all over. Francois joined us for a day.  Today was more leisurely and enjoyed a long French lunch in a little restaurant we had spotted the day before. We are camped in the small village of Vaujany, which has access to Le Grande Domaine d’Alpe d’Huez. As usual the French are not only tolerant of camper vans, they positively encourage them. We are in a great spot, near the lifts and even have free access to the local Sports Centre, with swimming pool, spas and great showers. The great discovery when we arrived is that David can ski free here. Usually in France you have to be over 80! Probably not many takers. Will be looking carefully where we go next.

We now know that that best snow is in the southern part of the Alps, so a day or two off for R and R, then continue along the Oisan valley, in search of the best spots.