This is the view from the top of the range at Les Menuires, a ski resort of the tri-valley region of France, site of the 1998 winter Olympics and some of the world’s very best skiing. Three valleys and several alpine towns are interconnected by miles and miles and miles of ski runs and lifts …
We were unbelievably lucky to have three days of perfect blue. It cleared just before we arrived. It got up to 15C on the last day and the snow was melting. Despite heavy suncream we got heavy tans. Sunnies were obligatory for anyone wishing to avoid snow-blindness. I ditched my jacket and even saw one guy (probably Scottish) skiing in shorts.
All those tiny little lines on the valley wall are the trails of ‘wild’ skiers and snowboarders. A major ski run is visible beneath.
There is something special about the high country. It’s a different world. Dare I say it, and only by the smallest of margins, it’s even better than an Australian beach. The sky, at least, was just as blue. I will always want to be back there.
It’s a special world, higher, brighter, more tranquil and remote. It’s wilderness – you can look and see nothing but snowy peaks to the horizon – no signs of humanity at all. And it can be deceptively dangerous if the weather changes. But it’s impossible not to fall in love with the mountains.
With wild snowboard trails.
It took us about 15 mins by a combination of lifts to climb from the resort at 1,800 m to the summit at 2,800 m, and 30 mins to ski back down without detours. We did it about 5 times a day. There were all sorts of lifts from fully enclosed cable cars all the way down to simple pole lifts - no more than a disc you sit on hanging off the end of a springy cable, that drags you along, so you ski up the mountain (without falling off half way up the mountain miles from anywhere Jasmijn – but I’m not allowed to talk about that :)
A lot of people just lay back in the deckchairs outside the summit restaurant behind Jasmijn and simply soaked up the sun. There were bright colors everywhere - skiers are a colorful lot.
You may not be able to tell, but that is a near-cliff about 50 m down. It’s a ‘black’ slope = very difficult. Some lunatics actually ski down these things. I did one in America that was about 10 times easier. Here, we couldn’t even handle the ‘red’ (difficult) slopes. Although not for lack of trying … ... ... !
Poor Jasmijn had to buy these massive shade things to hang off her glasses to avoid going snow-blind. We didn’t come prepared for sun!
Note heavy use of leg muscles to avert beginner-crash syndrome. (The pros merely balance and glide …) After five vertical kms of skiing on day one I was near delirious with exhaustion.
