The Best of Both Worlds

Hi, 

Well glad to say no more earthquakes that we know of this week, the snow has begun to fall slowly and about time too as there is only so much walking/hiking you can do but before it arrived we ventured out to some more different places to do a few fantastic walks.  The first one was up to Lac De Tueda which is just over an hours walk from camp, we then we continued up towards Refuge du plan above Lac De Tueda with some simply stunning views into the nature reserve surrounding us.  The last time we were here everything was covered in a blanket of snow and ice so you didn’t actually get to see the Lac so it was lovely to see the whole place in its unfrozen state.  The weather was a bit damp but we said we should carry on and walk back down one of the ski runs back to Meribel-Mottaret to make it a bit easier as it had been a hard climb to get up to the top of the valley.   

Lac De Tueda when we arrived this season

Lac De Tueda just before we left last season

There is a run called “OURS” that runs parallel along the valley up above and overlooking Lac De Tueda but first we had to climb up to it which was very difficult and when we looked on our trail map it was marked as a black trail.  We eventually reached “OURS” which on a snowboard is awful because although it does descend down, in places it’s dead flat for some distance so you have to unclip and shuffle or walk until you can get going again, it’s not too bad on skis as you can pole yourself along but it’s still not fun, we normally avoid this run like the plague, Julie absolutely hates it and it often comes up in conversations when discussing the best way back to camp and everybody normally says NO WAY and finds another route home and with the amount of runs it’s not difficult to avoid it.   

So once we climbed up and joined the "OURS" run we began our walk back down and as it’s so flat it was a pleasant stroll stopping for lunch under a pine tree and just taking in the scenery and then taking a few pictures including the run marker with Julie giving it a big thumbs down!

The next day was Julie’s Birthday so we had a well earned day off from all the walking/hiking and booked ourselves a table for lunch at Le Martagon to celebrate.  It was so so nice to go out for lunch and treat ourselves to a few glasses of wine and a lovely meal as it’s one of our favourite places so it was great to spend Julie’s birthday there and the big surprise was that when we came to pay Francoise said it was her treat and hoped we had had a lovely lunch which we thought was really nice of her. 

Next on the list of our walks/hikes was from camp up to the altiport at 1800m via Meribel Village which is about an hour and a half walk/hike but it’s really hard going following the Golf ski lift and Lapin run up.  

When we reached the top and the altiport area where we took off in that little red plane all those months ago back in March we couldn’t quite believe our eyes as there is an 18 hole golf course laid out across the mountain working its way through the pine trees complete with sand filled bunkers and immaculate greens and tee’s, the main green run down throughout the altiport, Blanchot, is actually the fairway and the lumps and bumps which we play around on when snowboarding/skiing are the contour of the bunkers dotted all over.  

We found a bench at the side of the fairway and sat and had our lunch in the winter sun, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.  

After our lunch we carried on walking up towards the new Loze Express lift which takes you up to the Col De La Loze which is at 2274m, from there you can drop down in the valleys of Courchevel & La Tania.  There are many snowshoe/walking trails around the altiport area up through the beautiful pine forests and we spotted a sign up to the Col De La Loze which said about 2.5 hours so we decided to save that for another day so just carried on walking a bit further up past the Dent De Burgin & Rhodos lift stations before heading back down to the altiport and then down into Meribel itself via the Foret & Doron runs and then back to camp.  It was yet another  great day and 4+ hour walk/hike and our legs did start to feel a bit stiff by the time we got back.

After a few less strenuous days doing some chores around the van and getting some shopping and giving our legs a rest we  decided to take the XT up to altiport and park it up so we could do the trail up to the Col De La Loze.  It was another clear, sunny day so perfect conditions.  We headed off through the pine forest and were chatting away when I noticed a small group of deer scuttle off through the trees, we often see footprints but it’s rare to actually see them so it was nice to at least catch a brief glimpse of them, what a lovely & tranquil place they live in.  We carried on through the forest until the trail started to zig zag up and rapidly became much steeper, rockier and full of tree roots.  Once out of the trees the trail just carried on up and along the edge of the mountainside and up towards the ridge of the Col De La Loze.  We found ourselves looking down across into the valley of La Tania and at some points were perched between the two valleys.  The trail continued up into the snow line past the side of the Pic Bleu run which takes you back down to the altiport, near the top at one point there’s a very sturdy fence on a bend to stop you heading straight on into a huge rock garden which we were now clambering over which you can’t normally see as it’s blanketed in snow….again so amazing to see and definitely somewhere you wouldn’t want to venture off-piste!!! 

Finally we reached the summit and had our lunch in the fresh clean air on the deck of the restaurant at the top with views across the whole of the 3 valleys.  We decided to try and get a picture of us jumping in the snow but it was a lot harder in walking gear rather than bikinis & board shorts, so this is the best we could do for now!!!

We headed back down via the Boulevard De La Loze which traverses along the side of the mountain and from here we got more views looking down over the golf course below and the runs on the opposite side of the valley.  

The final leg was down through Piste De Animals, a trail which is set out to educate children about the animals that live in these surroundings, we found a couple of marmots and an ibex along route before walking back down the fairway and back to the XT parked up at the altiport.  It was great to jump on the XT back to camp as after another 4+ hour hike our legs were again feeling it.  The XT has done us proud all year taking us to many stunning places off the beaten track and been great for our many shopping trips but she is now tucked up for the winter and our last few weeks on the road.

The free bus service is now running and as we said there has been some snow so fingers crossed our days of walking everywhere and hiking up to the summits will become less and less and it won’t be long until we will be flying down the runs on our snowboards where everything will look completely different again but at least we will know what is hidden beneath!

We love the snow, being in the mountains and walking so Meribel really does give us the THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

Until next week au revoir for now.

J&J

x 

Full Circle

Bonjour,

So eight and a half months ago we said our goodbyes to the snow and friends we had made in Meribel and continued on our amazing adventure around Southern Europe.  From France into Northern Spain, then Portugal, then Southern Spain, back into France for the summer then onto Italy, a brief stopover in Slovenia, then Croatia, a ferry from Croatia back to mainland Italy, a ferry across to Sardinia, another ferry back to mainland Italy and then back into France via the Mont Blanc tunnel and here we are today back in Meribel!!!  So we have been FULL CIRCLE but sitting here again now it seems like we haven’t been away and it all seems a bit of a blur.  

We decided to head back here to spend Julie’s Birthday, Christmas & New Year and to finish our year off and to hopefully get some snowboarding in and catch up with friends who will also be here over Christmas & New Year.  The way it’s all worked out we are here a tad early but that’s not a bad thing as from here if we need to get home to see Dad it’s an easier journey and we know if we need to we can leave the van here for a few days and it will be safe. Dad is still in hospital where he is being well looked after, I know he would want us to carry on our adventure but of course if things change then we can get home within 24 hours.  

The snow hasn’t arrived yet so it does seem a bit odd but to be honest it’s really quite nice as the resort isn’t due to open until 6th so if there were snow now it would be frustrating as none of the lifts would be open to get to the runs.  We always said we’d love to see Meribel in the summer and do some walking so as there is only a covering of snow on the surrounding summits it has enabled us to walk places we never would have imagined.

The campsite without snow

The day after we arrived we decided to walk up into Meribel (the free bus service is not running yet so it means walking everywhere which we don’t mind at all) and then headed to the La Chaudanne which is main hub of the resort and where all the main lifts depart from, it seemed really strange seeing it without any snow or people, it was so quiet!  

We then walked across to the green run Truite which is the home run from Meribel Mottaret 1750m back into Meribel 1450m, it was really strange and as we began walking we found ourselves walking up a tarmac road across a car park and over a tennis court, usually we are flat out down this run, it all looks so different and although it’s a green run, so very easy, it felt quite steep walking up it!!  We carried on walking until we reached Meribel Mottaret and had a quick look around but there wasn’t much going on apart from a few 3 valleys staff having a coffee probably discussing when its gonna snow!!! So we turned round and walked back down Truite chatting about the many times that we have bombed it back into Meribel.  We can’t believe the amount of work still going on to buildings and alike with only a few days to go till opening of the resort.   We walked all the way back to camp at Le Martagon and got to the bar just before closing for a well earned demi beer in the sun.

Every time we step from our van or walk anywhere you can’t help looking up to the mountains surrounding us, one in particular has the Olympic chair lift going to the summit at 2294m which is one of our favourites as there is some fantastic off-piste boarding/skiing to be had and also the views from the top over into the other valleys is fantastic but as there are no lifts running at the minute the only way to the summit is to walk.  As there are so many marked trails we said lets do it so after knocking up a packed lunch and getting our gear on we set off staring up to the summit both thinking thats a long way up!!!!  The first trail marker pointed us towards the Grand Lac saying 2.5 hours so we thought not too bad and began to climb on what is basically a goat track zig zagging its way up and with each step you got a better view of the Meribel valley below and as we stopped for a breather every now and then we pointed out the lifts and runs on the opposite side of the valley.  

The trail took us across the red Les Villages run which takes you back down to Les Allues and along the route there are little buildings which you never usually see as they are buried in snow.  As we continued to climb we could just about make out the van parked up, it was like a little dot far down in the distance.

The red dot is our van!

We carried on like this until we reached the summit and the Grand Lac which to be honest wasn’t that Grand as we were now up above the snow line so it was covered in the white stuff.  After a check on the map we had two options which were to either go back down the way we came up or to follow the ridge along the top of the mountain up to a view point at Le Verdet 2294m and the Olympic lift station which on the trail sign said 55 minutes, so off we set but this part off the trail was covered in snow so it was a bit tricky to follow and add to this a gusty cold wind blowing made it all a bit nerve racking but we just kept on following what we thought was the trail thinking it can’t be far now then I began to recognise parts of the mountain where I had dropped into when going off-piste last season with Pete so I knew that the Olympic lift station/view point wasn’t that much further up.  Julie and I finally clambered over the last ridge and snow covered trail and spotted the lift station so we decided to shelter from the cold wind by hiding round the back and had a quick drink and sandwich before deciding which way to head back to camp as time was getting on.  

Again we had two options, one was to follow the same route back along the ridge and down or ascend down what is known as The Face which we have done a few times on our snowboards.  It was created for the 1992 winter Olympics downhill, one thing we hate doing is back tracking so The Face it was!!!! Omg how steep, there is no way you could walk straight down it we had to traverse across from side to side, how the hell those down hill skiers straight line it from the top is beyond us!!! We eventually made it down as far as the Le Raffort run which takes you directly back to camp and is a lovely run down through the trees and nowhere near as steep as The Face thank god!!!   

The Face  

The view down the Face

It was a truly fantastic day and when we got back to the van we couldn't believe where we had been, I highlighted the route we took on the picture below which in no way does it justice, how far we actually went or the terrain we covered!!

Our route....

The next day we could feel the day before’s adventure in our legs and knees so as the weather was dry & clear and fairly warm again we decided to go out for a spin on the XT so we followed the road out through Meribel Village to La Tania & Courchevel which surprisingly wasn’t that far at all but somewhere you don’t ever venture by road as we usually board over directly from Meribel.

Oh before we go we forgot to say last week that while we were at Samoens there was a small earthquake and a couple of aftershocks just 18km North of Chamonix which measured 3.7 on the richter scale but although we were in the affected area we didn’t feel it in the van maybe because the rubber tyres absorbed the shock. Here's the link with all the details.

Small earthquake in Chamonix

We had a message from Jim about it and Julie also bumped into the cleaner and she was waffling on in French and after a lot of hand waving and a few familiar French words Julie understood what she was talking about!!!  I know exactly what you lot are thinking, no the Earth didn’t move for Julie……boom, boom!!!

Anyway that's all for now so over & out for another week.

J&J

x

Mountain Goats

Bonjour once again,

Firstly it's been a very emotional and difficult week for us so I'd like to say a huge thank you to my Brother Leigh & Sister Joanna and their other halves as my Dad was taken into hospital unexpectedly the weekend before last.  They have been flat out visiting him etc and keeping me updated on a daily basis and I have also been doing daily check-in's via phone to the hospital and updating them both too, so between us all we have kept updated on his recovery.   He seems to be improving and is in good hands so let's hope he continues to make progress.

After leaving Chamonix we arrived in Samoens last weekend which is only 30 odd miles further North but basically in the next valley over.  It is also a small ski resort and from here you can link up with other small ski villages such as Sixt-fer-a-Cheval, Flaine & Morillon, the area is known as the Grand Massif.  Again it's inter-season here too so it's really quiet, as you can see from the picture we have the whole site to ourselves but this time next month it will be a different story.

The campsite is really beautiful and has stunning views of the surrounding snow capped mountains.  

Literally a few steps from the back of campsite there is direct access to Lac aux Dames and the Base de Loisirs which is basically a park area complete with fly fishing lakes and walking/cycling trails along the river all with stunning views of the hills and mountains above. 

Along the Giffre River there are loads of marked walks which follow the river either up or down the valley so between hospital updates we have been keeping ourselves busy and doing plenty of walking, we have been like a couple of MOUNTAIN GOATS, I reckon we must have walked 50+ miles, varying from walks along the river to hardcore hikes up through the mountains & ancient gorges!!

The river is fairly low and just meandering down the valley at the moment but it must be a very different picture in the Spring when the snow melt starts to flow down, it must get a lot higher as from this picture you can see where it has washed away the bank.

The walk up the valley again takes you along the river but up through the ancient limestone Gorges des Tines.  

One minute you are walking next to the river and the next you veer off through a small wooded area and then after a short climb up through the trees you are confronted with the massive dried up gorge.  You can clearly see where the water used to rush down between the rocks as it has carved out massive smooth curves on the rocks.  From here the footpath takes you up two sets of metal ladders and then carries on up the gorge over large boulders.  It's a hikers paradise as there are literally miles of walks clearly signposted with distances and estimated times to the next spot.  From the gorge there was a signpost to the Cascade (waterfall) du Rouget which was another hour and an half up the gorge so as it was already early afternoon we decided to go back to camp and do it another day leaving earlier and armed with a packed lunch.

Talking of mountain goats on the way back to camp we came across this one (it's the one on the right lol!) which was tethered in the woods behind one of the few wooden chalets we passed on route and was very friendly.

As we said we decided to do the walk/hike to the Cascade du Rouget so we left about 10.30am with our packed lunch and set off.  We got to the gorge and again climbed up the two sets of ladders but this time carried on up over the boulders which believe it or not was the marked footpath.  From there we carried on up a steep zig zagging path until we came across yet another metal ladder, this time it was near on vertical against the rock face.  At the top the path continued zig zagging and in some places there were anchor points on the rock faces next to the path to attach carabiners and climbing ropes or you could carry on along the path which had wire bond ropes attached to the rocks which you used as a hand rail.

Once we got to the top, yep you've guessed we descended down another zig zag rocky & tree rooted path until we finally got to the valley the other side and into a large open meadow area in the sunshine with picturesque views of the snow capped mountains at Sixt-fer-a-Cheval which borders Switzerland on the North-East side and also Chamonix and Mont Blanc to the South so we found a suitable log to sit on and have our lunch. 

Our lunch spot

After lunch we carried on walking until we reached the Cascade du Rouget which is just 6km from Sixt-fer-a-Cheval, it is also known as the Queen of the Alps, the two sections form a total height of over 80 metres.

We then made our way back to camp back through the gorge and zig zag paths, it was a fantastic day and the Cascade du Rouget was well worth the 16 mile round trip and 5.5 hour walk/hike.

Just opposite the campsite is the Grand Massif Express telecabin which takes you up to the main ski resort, Samoens 1600m which is closed until it officially opens for the season on 20th December.  So the next day we gave our legs a day off and went out exploring on the XT, first stop was Samoens 1600m.  Just before we got there at around 1,300m we found the snow line, it was great to see the snow and look down on the valley and village below but a bit strange as it was just like a ghost town, dead quiet and not a soul in sight.

From there we headed to Sixt-a-fer-Cheval where the road just ends at the Cirque du Fer a Cheval which from above looks like a horseshoe and in the Spring has an array of waterfalls.  You can't physically go any further up the valley from here as it is just a solid wall of rock. 

Next stop was to a road we spotted on the map which headed off up out of the Samoens valley on the opposite side to the campsite.  As with most of the roads around here it zig zagged it's way up through the trees and dense pine forest crossing the occasional stream on route.  We weren't really sure where it went which adds to the adventure, but after a while the tarmac disappeared and it turned into a track but then that eventually became covered in snow,  I hate to admit defeat but we couldn't go any further especially two up so we called it a day and just admired the views.

To keep ourselves busy and to give our legs another day off we had a morning giving the van a clean and check over.

Julie with her long hair!!!

And then the next day we decided to go on another walk, this time just the four hours!!!  We headed off out of Samoens in a different direction and up another valley (the same one where we headed on the XT before hitting the snow), again there are loads of walks, some are marked as 5 hours or more to refuges (a bad weather hideaway) at the summit of the mountains.  It was quite hard going and uphill all the way, we didn't realise quite how steep until we turned to come back as we knew that the refuges were out of our reach at that time of day/year as you really need to set off early or go during the summer when the days are longer.  It was a beautiful day and unseasonably warm considering we are in the Alps after all.  We took lunch with us again and found another suitable spot amongst the pine trees in the sun, just fantastic to sit in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the views, so so peaceful.  Sometimes we just sit in silence taking it all in, we just can't put into words the places we have been and the sights we have seen.

Lunch spot amongst the pine trees

We seem to have well and truly settled back into Winter mode now considering that just over three weeks ago we were still sunning ourselves in Sardinia.....it makes it feel like our adventure has gone very quickly and although we aren't counting we know that we don't have that many weeks left.

Next stop is Meribel where we spent the first couple of months of our adventure.

TTFN,

J&J

x