Bluebird Sunday - and the start of the French Xmas school holidays is a combination guaranteed to bring out the frenchies!! From the number of English voices we heard today, the Brits have also arrived en masse. We had to search hard for untracked off piste today. We found the best runs on the cold north side of the mountain at Samoens (pronounced "Samwah").
Our plan to get up early be on the slopes for lift opening was a winner. Neither the french nor the tourists arose early, so we had the piste to ourselves until 11am. The off-piste isn't a problem..no-one goes off piste. The Grand Massif area appears to be a bit like Cardrona. There's a lot of emphasis on families and kids. This is great for us, as all the off-piste is left alone. Amazing!! While the resort is no TC or Cragieburn NZ for the steeps, there is plenty of little runs through the trees and in the gullies to keep us entertained.
Very excited! While we had spotted a number of Mono-Skiers, today was our first "up close and personal encounter".
The Mono-Skier as many of you know, is an endangered species in the mountains. Once flourishing in the 80's, the Mono-Skier is all but extinct in the Southern Hemisphere. However, in the French Alps a small population of this special creature appears to have survived in at least breeding numbers ( although we have yet to observe a mating pair). These magnificent and swift mountain beasts used to be a sight to behold - with their bright and sometimes fluorescent plumage and distinctive "yodelling" call. However, with the rapid decline in numbers, their coat has dulled to become almost "camoflage like" in colour.
Our chance encounter occurred early in the morning on the dark side of the hill. Communication was a little difficult but Graeme's extensive knowledge of the Mono-ski language, saw him "break the ice" and allow this rare interaction to be captured on film! After such an exciting meeting we are now hoping for a sighting of a female and juevenile to reassure ourselves that the Mono-Skier has at least a slim chance of survival!
3/ Taking the dog for a walk
We actually took this photo for "Fish" the famous Wanaka Dog, who loves to take his owner "Pick" for a walk in the mountains. Fish, I can't say this big ol' Saint Bernard was taking his owner for a walk....looked like he was dragging his heels especially compared to the manic pace you set bounding through the deep snow looking for hares. It looked to us like he'd had a big night drinking the contents of his brandy barrel!!
4/ 2:30pm and the crowds were out in force! We headed home!!
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