Lifestyle: Review – Skiing in Val d’Isère
BRILLIANT bright blue skies and miles of glorious mountainous scenery covered in powder fresh soft white snow await the skiers this season.
Summer may not have been forgotten just yet but for the skiing folk it’s time to start thinking of the annual break away, hitting the slopes (and the ground) and spending too many hours drinking away the evening.
For the keen skier, you will, I hope, completely understand when I say skiing is a refreshing and relaxing holiday to embark on. Yes there can be plenty of slams to the ground and skids on the ice, but what’s more peaceful than being 3,550m up in the truly beautiful mountains?
I’ve spent some time skiing in the French Alps resort of Val d’Isère this year.
In the Rhône-Alpes region in south eastern France, 5 km from the border with Italy, it is a fantastic resort and certainly one not short of things to keep adults and children alike amused.
Being fairly new to skiing (one week last year plus a week snowboarding the previous year still classes me as a beginner I say) my partner and I took some lessons.
Our trip was organised with Crystal Ski Holidays, which has a new partnership with Evolution 2 (Evo2) ski schools, so we spent the week on lessons with Evo2.
Evo2 also runs a “social skiing” service, where skiers can participate in a relaxing tour of the slopes with some like-minded skiers and a knowledgeable guide to reveal the best runs in the resort. The other guests we were with took part in this and spoke very highly of their experiences.
Our accommodation for the week was the Chalet Saffron, part of Crystal Ski’s Finest range.
The “Finest” range really is what it says on the tin. Having tried a chalet holiday a couple of years ago, and been fairly disappointed, my partner and I were slightly apprehensive about doing the chalet holiday again, but this time it was exceptional – we couldn’t fault the chalet or our host.
Chalet host Jo (apparently the best host in Val d’Isère) was practically perfect in every way. And when it came to food, her cooking skills were brilliant. Every day we were treated to a cooked breakfast, afternoon tea and cakes, canapés with an aperitif, a three-course evening meal with a selection of wines, and cheeseboard with a glass of port. No wonder skiers fear putting on a “chalet stone”.
The chalet itself was located in the heart of Val d’Isère – a five-minute walk to the nursery slopes and the Solaise chairlift. It had a spacious open plan lounge/dining area, free WiFi and a wellness area with a sauna and relaxation room. There is also a nanny service for children if required.
But we weren’t in Val d’Isère just to ski.
There are many other winter activities available for adventurous thrill-seekers, and Evo2 covers most of them.
During the week, our most adventurous sport was ice diving (scuba diving in a frozen lake). It sounds like a chilling experience, but you’re wrapped up in a thick dry suit and no part of your body is actually out in the water, so it’s not as deathly cold as it sounds. It was a unique experience and it’s definitely worth trying. I even saw a couple of fish.
But, if you’ve only time for one activity, I would chose parapenting. This involves skiing off a mountain with a parachute attached to your back and gliding back down to the village 2,000ft below. You’ve an experienced instructor attached to you, so you’re in safe hands. It’s a surreal feeling, floating peacefully and looking down on the snow-topped roofs of Val d’Isère’s pretty chalets and the rocky mountains that surround the village.
During the trip we also enjoyed a Yurt evening: a pretty and quite magical evening sitting around a log fire for aperitifs and sing-song before dinner inside a traditional Mongolian yurt, with stunning views across Mont Blanc.
Once the skiing has finished for the day, you’re not short of bars and restaurants. Val d’Isère has many to choose from, both in the mountains and down in the charming village.
Its most famous hotspot is mountain restaurant/bar/club La Folie Douce, which brings an Ibiza-style party to the Alps and where the music blares out so loud, you’d think it would cause an avalanche.
It was a brilliant holiday and if you are planning to hit the slopes, I definitely recommend checking out this resort.
Info: Crystal Ski Holidays (http://www.crystalski.co.uk/; 020 8939 0726) offers a week’s catered accommodation at the Finest Chalet Saffron in Val d’Isère from £866 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Manchester and transfers.
