On Top Of The World....

Hi All,

At the end of our last blog we told you we only had a couple days left on our hire ski’s & we were planning to go out on a high, well we certainly did that as we decided to ski straight off the edge 2,700 metres up but luckily we were each connected tandem to a paraglider and expert pilot.  It was totally amazing, instead of being on the runs & chairlifts we were hundreds of feet above them soaring like a bird catching thermals which carried us up above most of the peaks in the 3 Valleys with fantastic views of Mont Blanc in the distance.  Although Julie had set off just before me with her own pilot we quickly started to spiral around each other and we were even allowed to take control of the kites ourselves and were shouting & waving with joy which then turned to screams of fear as our pilots began to perform some aerial acrobatics.  As you can see in one of the photos Julie is completely upside down with the kite underneath her which I was lucky enough to catch on my camera.  Pete & Debbie also did it with us along with their friend Karen who was here for a week’s holiday and got roped into it but like us all absolutely loved it.  It’s one thing ticked off the bucket list but I am sure that we will have another go somewhere if we get the opportunity and would recommend it if you ever get the chance.

The weather here has really changed as the sun has been out and it’s been really warm and on Sunday like the UK we had temperatures of 20 degrees so after a quick snowboard we came back to the van and it was out with the chairs & on with the sun cream and of course a beer or two, we couldn’t believe how hot it was and even had to  break out a T-Shirt.  The weather has continued to be very warm every day since so we have been making the most of the lovely days and ticking off the list more places that we hadn’t done so far namely Mont Vallon (2,952m), Pointe De La Masse (2,804m) & the Cime De Caron (3,200m).   Pete & Debbie asked whether we had ever ventured over to Orelle (3,230m) the 4th Valley beyond Val Thorens to which we answered no, it is the highest point of all the 3 Valleys with fantastic views over to the Italian Alps which is just a stones throw away, there are even signs at some lifts in Italian, so we had a great day out with them and found a fantastic spot to have our lunch overlooking Italy and although it was another warm day the snow is still fantastic even for us on on snowboards on the runs but the powder days off-piste are long gone.  Before we left Orelle we watched a skier do the new zip wire back over to the ridge of Val Thorens, it’s a flight of 1,300m in 1 minute 45 seconds with your skis/board strapped to your back at speeds of up to 100km per hour but costs €50 for the privilege!!

We also bumped into Jean-Paul that friendly local Frenchman in the bar again one night and as it was his Birthday the next day he bought us all a drink but on one condition that he could have his photo taken with Julie & Debbie but it was a job to get the picture without his hands touching places he shouldn’t if you get my drift, think it made his day!

As normal we flick the radio on every morning for the weather, lift report and the what’s on guide for the day and to our surprise the young English girl DJ who I have nick named loose lips, announced there was a trip to be won for two people over the 3 Valleys in a light aircraft from the Altiport in Meribel.   We waited for the question which was which band was playing in the Lodge Du Village that night which she had read out in the what’s on guide which to be honest we hadn’t really paid much attention to but as we have been here now since mid-Jan we know that it’s usually a band called Bring Your Sisters so I grabbed my phone and got through straight away and guess what we got the right answer so later that day we went up to the radio station to pick up our voucher from loose lips!  All we had to do the next day was call the Altiport and book ourselves in for the 20 minute flight and to our surprise they said they could fit us in that day at 2pm so we were both really excited.  It was another beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky so we got the bus up to Meribel Village and then jumped on the Golf chairflift up which was quite strange without skis or snowboards on your feet and it was so warm we just had jeans & a t-shirt on.  On arrival at the Altiport we were a bit early so sunned ourselves for half an hour and then headed for the office.  We were shown to our little red plane and met the pilot who resembled Murdoch the bloke from the A-team with his baseball cap on back to front and a scruffy waistcoat!!  Julie opted to sit in the front next to Murdoch, he handed us our headsets and then with a cough and a splutter the little red plane sprung into life, the cockpit controls and dials reminded us of an old mini all that was missing was a peg holding the choke on!!  After a few quick words to the control tower we began to skid around down the snowy airstrip as the plane is on skis not wheels and the next thing we were airborne and heading up over the valley towards La Tania & Courchevel and then we climbed up and were heading towards another ski resort the other side of the mountains called La Plagne where Murdoch swooped down and around one of the lift stations and then started heading towards Mont Blanc which he pointed out to us.  At this point he said it was a little turbulent due to the warm & cold air over the mountains and he could tell by Julie’s face and a few comments through the headsets that she wasn’t comfortable but he also asked her whether she would like to take the controls to which she shook her head!!  We then banked round and headed back over Courchevel and into Meribel where he circled round over the top of the Saulire lift station and above the posh restaurant next door.  We then made our way back down the valley over the trees and Les Allues before he took the peg off the throttle and headed back towards the landing strip, it was quite bizarre to land on skis in a plane with no brakes.   It was a fantastic experience and Julie did really well considering she isn’t a confident flyer in a normal plane let alone something that small.  Once back on terra ferma we walked back to camp for a well deserved beer.

We went out for the last time on our boards yesterday with Pete & Debbie and found a lovely spot for lunch and made the most of the fantastic views as it was to be our last day in the mountains as we are moving onto pastures new this w/e.  We feel quite sad to be leaving Meribel as it’s been our home for the last 2 months and we have met some great people and shared some great experiences and stories but we are sure the rest of our travels will only add to these.  We really are living the dream and enjoying every minute.

I am not sure if David Beckham has a bit of a beard going on on the moment but Julie has talked me into growing one for the last couple of weeks so here’s my attempt!!!

That’s all from the mountains.

J&J