Val D'Isere for Christmas

And so we headed to Val D'Isere in midwinter, at 1,850 m in the heart of the Alps, one of the coldest places, I believe, outside of Antarctica.

The Boss was keen to stay here on the main street but this igloo was very popular and already occupied.

So we stayed in a quieter apartment instead.

The scarily-freezing view from our window.

The other direction was no warmer.

Mercilessly, the boss promptly dragged me out into the -20 C -ish weather (with wind chill). 300 km of runs awaited us, over a series of mountain ranges connected by ski lifts.

We skied between a series of alpine villages, such as Tignes here at 2,100 m.

The hamlet of Le Fornet at 1,930 m.

We didn't always take lifts. This funicular train was a surreal twist on our familiar London underground! It took us up the inside of the mountain to Grande Motte.

The bottom of one of two summer glacier ski areas. It was utterly freezing up here!

But the views everywhere were seriously cool.

It was also a chance to indulge my passion for extreme ironing. Combining the thrill of a danger sport with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt, ironers have now conquered the skies and ocean depths! World championships have recently been held.

Ironing at 3,032 m at about -20 C.

Practicing my survival skills, I later ironed in a blizzard (ok, snowflakes) in the wilderness (or what passed for it, behind our flat). Seriously extreme...

I do sometimes ski as well.

D4 Andrew skiing in deep powder1 by JdeB

Although not necessarily well. I'm far better at lazing around :) At least, this remains my ambition.

The boss here is a far more sensible skier. Here she's above another summer glacial ski area - Pays Desert, again at around 3,000 m, again in unbelievable cold.

We skied all over the ranges.

Awesome walls!

Col De L'Iseran close-up

Off pister skier

Aiguille Percee West

Aiguille Percee West JdeB