Montgolfiere-a-rama!!

1/ & 2/Montgolfieres floating above and in the valley below Le Refuge

It's hot air balloon-a-rama here in Les Carroz this week! There is a hot-air balloon ("montgolfiere") festival going on and about 20 - 25 balloons are participating. They are all brightly coloured and they make an incredible picture when they all take off together and fill the skies. Flat land is hard to find where we live, so they are using any level field around us to fill their balloons and stage their take off.

Hot-air ballooning is an interesting concept. To trust so completely in the whims of a breeze is, I think very daring. While I have been brought up sailing and can trust the wind, it seems to me that your choice of movement is so much more restricted in a hot air balloon. Surely in a balloon you can only go up or down and your speed is entirely dependent on the wind. All I can say is that balloonists must be supreme weather forecasters!! God help you if your burner goes out!! And while I am sure that the views from a balloon flight over the Alps must be very spectacular, I'm not sure I could relax enough to enjoy the scenery. I suspect I would be spend all my time trying to second guess where we were going to land. As I have mentioned before in connection with the paragliders - there is not that much empty space in France! Dropping a balloon on the autoroute or onto the roof of a factory down in the valley gives me the willies!!

3/ A balloon taking off from our "backyard"!!

Daily Life
Some one asked me recently if our lives had changed much? Are we doing things differently in France? That's a hard question to answer. So today I will reveal some trivial things that have changed for me, while I give the deeper question a little more thought.

First trivial change is that I now drink coffee! This is quite a big step for me. I have resisted drinking coffee for 42 years so to take up the habit in middle age is really quite momentous. The hassle of finding a good cup of tea in this country proved to be just too hard. And I would be the size of a house ( and broke) if I ordered hot chocolate every day. So, nothing like jumping in with both feet. I now have at least one or maybe 2 espresso coffees every day. I also have now learned why all you coffee addicts like the stuff. Forget the taste.. it's a real pick up n'est-ce pas? When my energy is lagging on the slopes mid-morning there is nothing like a little espresso to pep me up! Mind you, I am starting to get fussy and can now discern the difference between a good and bad coffee! I will be joining the Wanaka coffee critics when I return home!!

Graeme's biggest change is to more read books instead of watching television. Personally, I think he overdosed on French TV when he was feverish with bronchitis last month. But he is really enjoying his reading. I wonder if he will keep it up when our life changes again at home?

Bluebird Day But Also Some Carnage Along the Way!!

1/ A Blue Bird day! Light fluffy snow!

We enjoyed another top up of snow overnight. About 15 - 20cm. In contrast to the wet & heavy snow we received on Friday night, it was top quality. Fluffy, light and dry. Yesterday evening, after our french lessons with Liz , we joined Rick in town for an aperitif. We also met up with a UK family who had actually been to Wanaka, albeit in the 90's. We enjoyed reminiscing with them, but warned that Wanaka was no longer the sleepy second cousin to Queenstown. There had been a lot of development in the last 10 years!! They may not recognise the place!!

Then it was back to Rick & Liz's for a delicious bowl of pasta. As always the conversation flowed and it appeared that we might be in for another big night. But just before we succumbed to temptataion, Graeme looked out the window to see that it was still snowing. We pulled the pin!It was going to be a powder morning. Well, as our diehard ski friends know... there are certain rules of engagement when a powder day is in the pipeline!!

Hallelujah!! It seems like we have breathed some life back into the old camera. It was working today, although it appears that the exposure was set too high given that some of our photos are quite washed out. Hopefully we can get this fixed soon! Buying a new camera is most definitely not in the budget!! But we think we may have the movie thing sorted. And while the footage will never be top quality given the size of our little camera, you can now actually see the skier. Always helpful!! Click on http://picasaweb.google.com/TeWanaka/ArachesWeek10?authkey=erJxyjT9YrI# for some of our little clips and commentary.

And the carnage?!! On our third run of the morning, Graeme managed to do a quite spectacular forward somersault off a steep slope and land on a beginners run, sprawled on his back! As breathtaking as the fall was, Graeme was completely unhurt, except maybe for his ego! His backpack had absorbed much of the impact. But alas, inside the backpack was his only pair of sunglasses! Bother!!

2/ The sacrificial sunglasses!!

Our quirky photo of today goes to a very well dressed English lad, who obviously decided to set a new fashion trend in ski wear today. Very stylishly dressed with suit and tie, he certainly caught people's attention as he skied down the slopes with his tie flapping over his shoulder!

3/ What every well dressed British skier is wearing this season!!

Daily Life at "Le Refuge": Over the last few weeks, Graeme and I have developed a highly efficient morning routine which ensures that we are always first in the lift queue and waiting for the gondola to open. It goes something like this:-

• 7.15 am - Alarm goes off. I get up, switch on the computer and put the kettle on.
• 7:25 - I call "Goodmorning" to Graeme, who, on hearing my dulcet tones generally pulls the duvet over his head and emits a low grunt.
• 7:25- 7:40 - I check the emails and report any important news to Graeme who has now snuggled even deeper under the duvet. It is rare that I receive any further acknowledgement or conversation at this point.
• 7:40 - Set the table for breakfast. Remind Graeme to get up.
• 7:40 - 8:00 Start to eat breakfast while listening to the moans and groans from Graeme as he finally gets himself vertical! At some point during this period, Gra will arrive at the breakfast table. After 17 years of marriage, I have learnt that it best not to try and make any conversation with my dear husband at this time of the day. I respond only when spoken to. (I suspect he wishes this was true for the rest of the day!)
• 8.00 - 8:15 - Make lunch and clear breakfast while Graeme does his ablutions.
• 8:15 - 8:20 Brush my teeth, hair (optional now that it's so short!!) and put on my ski gear.
• 8:20 - 8:30 Clear the car & sometimes the driveway of snow. Start the car to get it warmed up, load the skis and gear.
• 8:40 - Sit in the car and wait for Graeme.
• 8:45 - 8:50 arrive in Les Carroz park the car and join the lift queue.
  At this particular point Graeme has asked....WHO IS THE ONE WHO GROVELS IN THE SNOW, ICE AND MUD PUTTING THE CHAINS ON & OFF???? Point well made!!

4/ Attempted self portrait of me clearing the car of snow this morning!!

Wet Blizzard!

A full on blizzard. Graeme is out in the wet snow putting on the chains.

The rain finally turned to snow very early in the morning and about 20cm of very wet snow greeted us. We are currently sharing the Teste residence with a group of their male friends. Last weekend, their wives had stayed and this weekend was the boy's turn. These boys were "party animals"!! But their late nights meant that they were not very early starters! We hardly saw them as we had left to go skiing well before they arose. The girls seemed more organised!! We are looking forward to having the Teste Family back in residence this weekend!!

Getting to the Telecabine this morning proved a little tricky. Wet snow was bucketing down and about 50m up our road, a huge 40 seater bus had managed to wedge itself on a snow bank and was stuck fast. As it was blocking the road we had to turn around and head back down our road. This is not our preferred route. The road is steep and frequently very icy. Applying the brakes at any point during the journey can have all sorts of unexpected results!! But we managed to get back down our hill and on to the main road without incident. Being early, it appeared that the snow ploughs had not really started their job, or if they had, the snow was coming so fast that they couldn't keep up!

It is always a little scary driving in these conditions as the locals persist in driving at the same speed they would in summer! We know that they are locals as their car registration plates end in "74", the number for our Haute-Savoie region. I will certainly accept that the locals generally have snow tyres and they are used to driving in icy & snowy conditions. But it's the old story. When something totally unexpected happens it won't matter that they are all ex World Cup Rally drivers, their brakes won't stop them any faster than a slow tourist! The crash will just be a bigger mess!

Speaking of tourists. To this exciting cocktail of driving snow, icy roads and suicidal locals, you also need to add the "seriously dumb" tourist whose favourite trick is to get half-way up a hill, lose traction, stop in the middle of the road blocking both lanes of traffic and then decide to put chains on. You can imagine the Local's reaction to this sort of nonsense!

So today, not only were we confronted with the stuck bus, but on our way up to the Telecabine we met with the "dumb tourist". Driving conditions were becoming borderline even with snow tyres. We were going to make it if we didn't have to stop. But alas as the tourist's car in front of us started to lose traction and begin its slide back down the hill, we decided that discretion was the better part of valour! A 6 minute chain fitting job by one, Mr Graeme Oxley and we were on our way again. With chains on Pepi Peugeot becomes a 4WD!! We zoomed past the bewildered tourist who was still trying to figure out whether the chains go on the front or back wheels!

After that eventful morning we had a couple of runs in the heavy snow and then retreated for an early coffee to calm the nerves. Unfortunately, there has been more rain than snow today and there was nothing much to report in the way of good skiing. We decided to come home for lunch and to finish the last of the french homework. Lessons this afternoon and then a casual drink and dinner with Liz & Rick. A nice Saturday night!!

The weather conditions were not conducive to good photography hence the lack of material for today. Hopefully when the sun does finally shine again we'll have the camera working again and get some good photos.

Today, Absolutely Nothing Happened!!

I think this photo captures the mood of the day!

Aujourd'hui, il'n y a rien faire!!

Apparantly we share this kind of diary entry with that obtuse French King, Louis XVI who on 14 July 1789 used the word "rien" in his diary to describe his day. Pity he didn't notice that Parisian mobs had just invaded the Invalides and stormed the Bastille to commence the French Revolution.

This bit of trivia, which I found after reading my Lonely Planet guidebook got me to thinking. I wondered what else has happened on this day in history? A quick internet search pulled up some interesting results. Oh sure, the roman empire commenced on this day in 27 B.C and in 1957 the Wham-O company in the US, invented the frisbee, but actually 23 January throughout history appears to be an exceedingly dull kind of day!!

So with the rain falling steadily on the roof, we felt justified in keeping with history and having a dull kind of day too!! My body is thankful for the rest and it also gives us an opportunity to catch up on the french homework, house-cleaning and accounts. Oh what fun!!

While we managed to fix the camera we've really not been inspired to take any photos! So I'll confess to borrowing from the internet a little.

French Observation for the Day

The Great French Tong Conspiracy - Tongs!! An essential kitchen utensil wouldn't you think? Well for over 2 months I have been doing without tongs when cooking. I have been chasing steaks around a slippery fry pan with a fork and trying to flick string beans out of the pot with a spoon! Surely the food obsessed French would use tongs??? Well an in-depth search of the utensil section in Carrefours revealed only 2 types of tongs. Normally at Carrefours there is 5 of everything, and 500 different brands if you are talking about cheese!! One pair of tongs was long handled for the BBQ and the other had fancy silicon tips. Both were breathtakingly expensive. Consequently, I will be continuing my dexterous use of cutlery for the remainder of our stay.

So what gives? I will need to ask Liz or Marie for an explanation about the great French Tong Conspiracy!

And that's all for today. Fingers crossed that the rain will turn to snow overnight and we'll have some good skiing tomorrow.

OMG Chamonix Again! Brevent and Flegere

1/ View from the top of Brevent, Chamonix, looking south - 2525m

Sadly, the only photo of a breathtaking day!!

What a day!! Chamonix continues to amaze & exhilarate!! For some reason, we had a totally wrong impression about the joined ski areas of Flegere/Brevent ("FB"). We thought that FB was not that big and the snow was often icy. Given that FB faces south and enjoys all day sun, the snowpack is obviously more affected than the other more northerly facing Chamonix resorts and may occasionally derserve a reputation for being icy. But after our terrific dump of snow this week, FB was just amazing.

We continually have to adjust our definition of BIG. FB is big! Five interconnected bowls . Each one at least as big or bigger than TC's saddle basin. Mind blowing!!

We have likened Chamonix to skiing Treble Cone and the Grand Massif (our backyard) to Cardrona. At FB, like all the other Chamonix resorts, 20% is groomed and 80% is off-piste with continuous fall-line. No meandering meadow runs, just point 'em down the hill and off you hurtle. The snow was still good today, 2 days after the last snow. But like TC after a powder dump, it was completely tracked out! I mean there was nothing left. In every bowl there were tracks down ridiculously vertical couloirs, tracks that launched of cliff faces and tight lines down through the trees and shrubbery. The skiers & boarders at Chamonix are at a different level - this is the experts playground!!

We spent much of our day touring the length and breadth of the resort to familiarise ourselves with the layout. But to our great disappointment our camera malfunctioned! This was devastating news, as the day was glorious and we had taken a pile of terrific shots!! Fingers crossed we will be able to sort out the problem tonight when we get home!

Another false impression - we thought that FB would be really busy. Access to the resort is directly from the Chamonix town centre making it easy for people to just walk from their hotel to the gondola. But while there were definitely people around, we never waited in a lift queue. I expect that this will all change when the French School school holidays commence on 7 Feb. But until then, we will just enjoy!

But the other very noticeable attribute of Chamonix is the lack of Frenchies! Today all we heard were british, nordic, german and italian accents as we toured the resort. While we have a few Brits at Grand Massif, the majority are French and French-Swiss from Geneva. We learned from the Irish couple we met a couple of weeks back at Les Grand Montets, that when the pound was strong against the Euro, the Brits bought up big! Of course, in the current economic climate, the pendulum is now swinging the other way and when you hear that British accent on the lift or in the cafe, they are inevitably whinging about how expensive everything is. Should we be so lucky, we'd trade pounds for NZ$'s any day!!

Of course with no photos of our visit to FB, we will just have to go again and make up for lost time.

As we made our way home, clouds were rolling in from the west and more snow is forecast tonight. I'm sceptical. It feels too warm to me. I suspect that it will rain first, in a repeat of the weather pattern earlier this week. Just between you and me, my shattered body is secretly hoping for a bad day so I can lie in bed and rest my weary limbs!!

The Early Bird Gets the Powder in France!!

1/ At the bottom of Les Gouilles (the "Goolies")

It really pays to be first on the slopes in France. The French are not early risers! While there was no more serious snow overnight, yesterday, we had spied an area in Samoens that had remained closed all day due to the high avalanche risk. The area faces due north ("the dark side!!) and has some good vertical . It is serviced by a classic old triple chairlift called Les Gouilles (we've knicknamed it the "Goolies"!!). Even on a perfectly good day, the operation of the Goolies is somewhat erratic. We have a sneaking suspicion that it closes for lunch (12:30 - 2pm) regardless of the snow or weather conditions. Classic!!

We had 5 fabulous runs in totally untracked knee deep powder by 10:30am when those pesky snowboarders arrived and swept half the snow down the mountain as they side slipped down the steep bits! I will refrain from making any prejudicial comments against snowboarders...but I'm sure you know what I am thinking!! To be fair there were a few good ones amongst them who were doing some beautiful lines through the rock chutes. Unfortunately, they were in the minority!

At the foot of the Goolies chairlift is a really cute little chalet/gite called Le Luge du Teran - not quite sure of the translation. Designed in the old style it is actually brand new. The bar lady was very friendly and the coffee was good. The lunch menu is also tempting. Even better, the prices look very reasonable. We had our cheapest coffee on the mountain so far E$2.80 for 2 espressos. Comparing it to E$6.80 for the same thing at Megeve, it was a bargain!

2/ & 3/ The very cute "Le Luge de Teran"

The sun had come out and after morning tea, we headed over to another shady face on Samoens which has become a favourite. It's a steep face and it's difficult to see what's over the edge when you leave the piste. Ideal!! We had taken a few runs down it yesterday and expected it to be tracked out, but no, the punters had left it alone and we enjoyed a pile of runs and a couple of good crashes as we completed the task of tracking it out!! There's some footage of Graeme on the lower section. He is having a mighty splendid time!! Click on http://picasaweb.google.com/TeWanaka/ArachesWeek10?authkey=erJxyjT9YrI## if you want to see live footage. We have been playing with our camera and we think we may have slightly improved the quality of image. Fingers crossed!

We will confess to being completely exhausted by 1:30pm and headed home for an early lunch.... and quite possibly a "Nana Nap". The sad but inescapable truth is that the ol' bodies are not as young as our minds!!

4/ Heading home through the sunlit trees! Magic!!

Redemption by Powder..and the inverted helicopter manouvre

1/ Graeme knee deep!

Warning! For all those bored by endless snow pictures - Skip today's blog!!

Thank you dear Lord!!

And so...the rain turned to heavy snow overnight. Over 30cm of snow fell at Le Refuge (our place -1020m) between 11pm and dawn. Our ski hill, Les Carroz was reporting even more!! You can't imagine the excitement! Graeme, for whom the "season was over" and "all this rain is going to ruin the snow" awoke with a big smile! I knew that the snow was good because my dear little sleepy head was actually first out of bed first this morning. A rare event indeed. Tragically, I was still the one who had to do the "bread run" down the hill but with heavy snow fluttering down all around me it was a magical trip.

I really can't say too much about today, the pictures really speak for us. We just had endless, first tracks from first lift until we met up with Rick & Liz and Gavin and Sue around 1pm. Graeme was particularly proud of his tracks under one of the chairlifts!!

2/ Andy "crotch deep"...well I am shorter!! And in case you're wondering - they are all our tracks behind us!!

Well I've never had a "cold crutch" before. The snow was so deep, my unmentionables were being constantly washed with snow. A new experience to be sure. But certainly a tricky place to warm up. It's not that socially acceptable to be giving this area a good rub in public, if you know what I mean?!!

A wonderful attribute of the Grand Massif ski area is that you have a choice of altitude. Today while it was snowing heavily and the visibility was poor there are loads of runs through the trees. Later in the morning when a thick fog came in lower down the mountain, we could head up above the tree line to clear skies and sunshine. Fantastic!

As always, when the snow is deep, the snow marmots are busy under the snow. They were desperate to trip us up all morning. Consequently, we all had some spectacularly good crashes in the soft snow. Just like falling into feather bed, but a little more tricky to extricate yourself from. The photo below captures the aftermath of a particularly special tumble. But if you would like to see live footage of the incident [you'll have to excuse the poor video quality] click on this link and have a look at the video http://picasaweb.google.com/TeWanaka/ArachesWeek9?authkey=llalfG8Xzd0#

3/Snow marmot Andy?

For those who have viewed the video, you will see that I have now patented the "inverted helicopter manouvre!". Despite being hilariously funny, it is actually, a great way to extricate yourself from a deep powder hole. The idea is that there is no point trying to move your skis around while they are stuck in the snow. Get them in the air, where there's no resistance and swing your legs downhill. Then worry about the torso, arms, poles, goggles ..etc later.

It is so successful that I thought that I would share my secret with our mates! Photo below is Sue - admirably performing Andy's - "Inverted helicopter manouvre"!

4/ Rick!! Will you stop laughing!!

P.s. It's still snowing! - early to bed for the Oxley's tonight!