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Masevaux

March 28, 2009 in europe spring 2009 by Stephen | No comments

Based on our experience coming into the Rhone Alps, the alarm has been set for 0730. We’re on the road an hour later and manage to miss all the ski traffic. If we’d waited another hour, we’d have been stuck for an extra two . or more.

We’re heading to Germany to get the boiler fixed. Heating is fine with electricity, it’s no use with gas . which really stops us parking up wherever we want at this time of year, taking all the random fun away we’ve enjoyed previously.

We’re aiming to get near Mulhouse, since it’s somewhere we keep passing as we travel around the continent. It also happens to be around halfway to where we need to be in Germany.

It’s a long haul. We stop off at around 250km for lunch but it isn’t until 1700 that we arrive at Camping de Masevaux.

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The warden is Scottish (despite Therese thinking the accent is Welsh). We shore up just off the main road on the site, since it’s been raining for three days and we don’t want to stick in the mud again.

Some Germans have taken a slightly more basic approach and blocked the road to the remainder of the campsite.

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Never mind, along with us, all the remaining residents have joined a pact to raid them at 2AM tomorrow morning and steal their children to keep as slaves for the next 25 years.

5075 maseveuxWe go for a quick walk around the town of Maseveux in the evening. It’s small and pretty. There’s a surprising number of bars, one Italian restaurant and, of course, an Alsace place.

OK, we didn’t camp in Mulhouse, but we did end up close .

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Day 10 of Skiing

March 27, 2009 in europe spring 2009 by Stephen | No comments

We are knackered. We crawl to the chairlift and get to the base of Meribel around 1030. Enough energy is mustered to get up to around 2800 metres and I’m encouraged down my first black. It’s pisted, but it’s a black none the less.

We cram in a few more mixed reds, then down to Meribel. Since it’s our last day skiing, we decide to splash out on lunch. Two pizzas, some chips and a couple of soft drinks later, we’re stunned when the bill arrives, leaving us almost no change from 50 euro.

Lunch is worked off with another hours skiing – but by then 10 days have taken their toll. We’re looking ridiculously healthy with all this exercise, good food and next to no alcohol. However, our legs are totally stuffed.

We chill out for a couple of hours then have dinner and watch the most recent Indiana Jones film. The reviews are spot on . the first half is good.

Tomorrow . no skiing.

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The button of doom

March 26, 2009 in europe spring 2009 by Stephen | No comments

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5074 meribel Today the weather is much improved. Despite another few centimetres of snow overnight, the sky is clear and the temperature pleasant.

Many of the pistes haven’t been touched since the snowfall, so we spend a lot of time cutting through fresh snow, or some mess left by snowboarders.

 

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We stop late morning for a coffee (me) and hot chocolate (Therese). This is the same place we stopped off at yesterday, halfway down the David Duillard run.

That time we only managed one drink. I only had three euro in my pocket and the nice waiter knocked 30 cent of the asking price of a coffee.

 

Early afternoon we look for some different runs to try and arrive at one of those horrible button lifts. There’s a sign warning it’s around 750 metres long, has inclines over 50% and is generally “difficile”.  However, it doesn’t explicitly state that it is “the button of doom”. It’s more fun than expected thanks to the extra 15 centimetres or so of fresh snow lying on the path.

Somehow around three quarters of the way up, one of my skis pushes a little too far into the snow. I spin around on the button. Still, there’s a fair amount of bounce and give on the pulley, so I hope it’ll move up enough so I can move back round into a more dignified position. After another 50 metres or so I give up and slide off into the fresh snow.

I can press down around 30cm before the skis sit in the snow. I amble back down off-piste, loosing one ski once (and digging it out the snow), meeting back up with Therese a few minutes later back on piste.

After a few more runs, it’s time to return to the motorhome. Given the recent snow, we’re actually able to ski straight back through the forest, ending up just across the road from where we’re parked. Nice.

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Mouse

March 25, 2009 in europe spring 2009 by Stephen | No comments

No snow for the beginning of the day, so it’s onto the slopes around 1000.

As we catch the first lift, we see the forecast for the afternoon and tomorrow is more snow. Better get in as much skiing as we can.

The sky is evenly overcast and the details on the piste difficult to pick out. We can see the poles and the incline (usually) but not much else.

Still, we manage to get down a few without too much trouble. Most other people on the slopes, like us, are going much slower than usual.

For our picnic, I transport a little bit of Scotland to the French slopes.

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Well, the bottle. The contents are whatever comes out of the tap around here.

Much like yesterday, by mid afternoon the cloud comes down and the snow starts. Though I agree a mild exfoliation can do wonders for the skin, being on the receiving end a couple of days in a row courtesy of a mild blizzard means we look for the quickest routes down. Not so the mouse we spot scurrying across one of the runs.

We’re back around 1430, have a quick run back into Meribel for some bread then hold up for the rest of the day as the snow continues.

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Snow

March 24, 2009 in europe spring 2009 by Stephen | 1 comment

We heard the pitter patter of snow during the night. Around 0800 we slide open the top screen and sure enough, we can see from the inside there’s a little snow. We expect a couple of centimetres.

I open the front door. We have around 20 centimetres! Brrrrr.

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Visibility looks poor and it’s still snowing. We take the chairlift down to 600 metres and the local town of Brides Les Bains and pick up some bread, followed by brunch back at the motorhome.

Early afternoon and the sun appears. We make for the slops.

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At the top of Tougnete 2 there’s almost no visibility and a fierce wind whipping up the fresh snow. The first couple of hundred metres of decent are slow, though we get to move a little after down the rest of the piste.

We do a few more runs . but the weather descends again and we call it a day.

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Courchevel is wet

March 23, 2009 in europe spring 2009 by Stephen | No comments

After picking up the chairlift outside our place, we move quickly from Meribel over to Courchevel. It’s a bit lower down, busy and complete with slushy snow. It doesn’t take us long to return to Meribel.

Lunch is the leftover sandwiches from yesterday as punishment for eating chips the previous day. Still, better than what we’d have purchased from the shops here.

There’s a little cloud in the afternoon, causing some problems with visibility when we’re in the shade. Still, all in all another excellent day’s skiing.

I take a long walk through Meribel at the end of the day (long due to wearing ski boots) in search of some more bread. And cakes. Therese promises to eat only half but manages it all. I feel obligated to follow suite to avoid embarrassment.

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