Skiing in La Tania

As the weather turns from the chilly bite of winter into the much more affable breeze of spring, I find myself thinking back to the snowy slopes of the French Alps, Or, more specifically, my most recent ski trip to La Tania.

La Tania is a tiny little ski resort set in the Courchevel area area of the Three Valleys.  Reached by crawling your way up the steep mountainside (or by skiing down winding, forest-y slopes), it had some rather good skiing to offer over the expansive Three Valleys ski area.

We were very lucky. Despite going quite late in the season, it absolutely tipped it down with snow before we arrived. This could only mean one thing - powder!

On our first morning, we pulled on our ski boots, clipped on our skis and headed straight out onto the slopes into glorious sunshine!

Our days followed the same pattern - up early to catch that day's freshest snow, demolish a large lunch and ski again until we dropped. Then, back to the chalet to collapse in front of the fire before heaving ourselves to table for a hearty three course meal.

On our second day, we found an amazing little place for lunch which served perhaps the most amazing hot chocolate I have ever had the pleasure to drink.

Look at that pile of cream!

We may have possibly gone back to the same restaurant most days after that....

On the chalet staff's day off, we headed into the little town in search of our own dinner. There, we ordered my favourite dish - a pierrade.

This is where a hot stone is placed on your table, along with a platter of raw meat and sides. Then, you cook your meat yourself at the table.

Not only is this really entertaining, but also tastes amazing!

After dinner, we braved the dark steep climb straight up the ski slopes to get back to our chalet - quite an impressive feat!

I had a lovely time in La Tania, but like all good things, all too soon it was time to go home. As we wound our way back down the mountains, I dreamed of sweetie frosted hot chocolates - surely it couldn't be too long before I returned!?

Escaping to Switzerland

Last week, my lovely friend Sam invited me and some of our friends to stay in his chalet in Villars, Switzerland. So, very early on a Tuesday morning, we all piled into cars and set off towards the Channel Tunnel - we had a long drive ahead of us, but the beautiful Swiss mountains were waiting at the end of it!

Up until this trip, I had never visited Switzerland in the summer. It was a very different scene to the ski season - the mountains and villages were quiet and wonderfully green! Even better, the air was warm as the sun beat (for the most part) down on us.

Sam took us on the walks he and his family did when they were there, and so we found ourselves firstly jumping aboard a cable car (thankfully unburdened by skis!) and bobbing our way up the mountainside, before starting the surprisingly gruelling hike to lunch.

It was weird seeing the slopes which, on skis you wouldn't think were hard. However, with all the bare earth and rocks showing (and the odd tree stump!) I started to think just how terrifying some of the slopes were....

They were worth the climb though when you got to see views like these!

One mildly terrifying walk saw us balancing along a ridge at the peak of a mountain, sheer drops on either side! Luckily however we all made it across... Just!

My favourite walk however had to be when we found ourselves scrambling up a river, jumping from rock to rock, before deciding to go for a paddle (or in the boys' cases, a dunk) in the icy river.

Greg even had a Lion King moment...

...and I attempted a more of a Tarzan pose.

Part of the reason we'd come to Switzerland was to witness Swiss National Day, a big day of celebration in Switzerland on the 1st August each year. Unluckily, this year it absolutely bucketed it down with rain, and so the celebrations were somewhat dampened, but that didn't stop the Swiss Guard parading in the street, stamping their clog-like shoes as they marched, or a band of people playing the giant Swiss Alpine Horn!

We later watched the flashes of fireworks through the clouds from the chalet's balcony before retiring to a rather furious game of Articulate, Champagne glasses in hand, as the Swiss partied on into the night!

Switzerland in the Summer was just simply wonderful. Everywhere looked stunning, and the fresh mountain air was so welcome after living in polluted London. More so however, it was just great to go away with friends and some good quality time with them. So thank you Sam!

Skiing in Val d'Isère

A little before Christmas, my Dad and I packed our wooliest of socks and set off for a last minute trip to snowier climates. Our destination was Val d'Isère, a lively ski resort in south-west France, where world cup alpine events are regularly held.

I have to say, getting of the plane we were initially very worried. Since we were going early in the skiing season, we didn't expect the snow to be magnificent, but the lack of a single snowflake was definitely cause for concern... As we began to travel up into the mountains, we started to see little patches of white fluff, although not nearly enough to ski on! Luckily however, by the time we made it into Val d'Isère, we could see snowy peaks despite the fact that the village was bare.

After our first delicious chalet dining experience (canapés, followed by a three course dinner- thank you Ski Total!) and getting to know the other people staying in the chalet, we headed to bed and wished for snow.

Waking up the next morning, we were greeted with the news that fresh flakes had fallen in the night! We eagerly pulled on our ski gear and dashed for the first lift up the mountain. Our chalet was superbly placed as the lift was a literal stone's throw from our front door which made the morning journey up the mountain incredibly easy and pain free, especially since the lack of snow had meant that some of the other village lifts hadn't opened! Feeling rather smug, we noticed that our first run down the mountain left the first tracks in the new (although not very deep) powder covering the slopes!

As the week progressed, gradually more and more snow fell until pretty much all of the ski area was open. This was quite a weird experience for me as I'd never been skiing before when snow was particularly sparse and we were so confined to specific ski areas. Initially, I was worried we would quickly get bored, but instead we had a great time trying to discover the last bits of powder left untouched or a new off piste route down the mountain side. However, I have to say, my poor skis gained some nasty gouges from the thinly veiled rocks sticking out of the snow...

Our chalet (Chalet Bandire) is also definitely worth a mention. Although relatively basically decorated, the food we were provided with was absolutely fantastic and incredibly plentiful (a big thank you to our chalet team!!). The cakes baked for afternoon tea were particularly nice and I could often be found in the evenings slumped on a sofa with my second slice of cake balanced on my tummy- heaven! I love staying in chalets though for the simple reason that you get to meet other people and make friends. Dinners are a communal affair which just adds to the whole experience, making the holiday really sociable and enjoyable!

On our chalet team's day off, Dad and I headed into town for dinner. I was very excited as I'd found somewhere that served my favourite French dish- pierrade.  This is where you cook your own selection of meats on a hot stone at your table. Not only is it really fun, it means you get a variety of different meats to nibble on, cooked exactly the way you like them. Unsurprisingly, I very happily dug in and before long was absolutely stuffed full of sliced of duck, beef and chicken.... Oh and of course some lovely potato gratin!

Despite not having the most snow in the world, I had a really good fun time skiing in Val d'Isère. It had provided me with a much needed chance to dust off my skis and to see some snow before Christmas. However, after all the fantastic food, I definitely came home fatter than when I left, despite all the exercise!