Trip to Chamonix

I got back to the flat in time for tea on friday night after only a 2.5 hour delay in Manchester and frantically ringing round transfer companies to find someone to get me home. Turned out Ross and Amy were planning a trip to Chamonix to meet some friends on Saturday so I went with them. When we got there Ross realised he'd left his phone at home, with the number of the person we were meeting on it. We were saved by 21st century technology – posting on facebook for someone to send the number actually worked. Booked into a hotel (using my quality french to ask for the cheapest in town in the Tourist Office), went for some food and randomly bumped into Rick (a friend of mine who stayed with us over New Year). After failing to find anyone to let us use a swimming pool in Morzine we went to the municipal one in Chamonix, 10 lengths of crawl felt like hard work so sat in the hammam and sauna. We then got thrown out as Ross had shorts on rather than speedos. I don't really understand this rule – especially when he wasn't actually in the pool. Still, we drowned our sorrows quite effectively for a while afterwards. Next morning the fog had come down and a trip up Brevent to meet the others was thwarted by only 2 lifts being open. Got a seemingly neverending bus up to Le Tour and did a bit there, but visibility was really low and it was pretty horrible. After a drink in Vallorcine we thought we'd get the train back only to be told “pas de train, pas de bus” so it was back up the freezing mountain and a long bus ride before driving home to Morzine. I'll never moan about coming back via the Super Morzine again.

Graduation

It was nice to go but graduation ended up being something of a nightmare. I was booked on a half 10 flight from Geneva to Manchester, woke up to find snow and then had a traffic ridden journey to the airport arriving only at the time my flight left and discovering it was cancelled anyway. Was told my best shot of getting to the UK was getting a flight to Luton, which I did, and got there about 3pm. The train up to Sheffield took a further few hours and cost a massive £90. By the time I got there I was knackered and could only eat and sleep.

Graduation itself was ok, nice to see mum and dad and weird to graduate in the snow. My undergraduate graduation was on my 22^nd birthday in bright July sunshine (it does shine in Sheffield sometimes). I know finally have the certificate to prove I've finished the MSc.

The Circuit

I wanted a long day on the mountain before heading back to the UK for graduation so Ross and I headed out to do a circuit on the Portes du Soleil. Apparently, there used to be a suggested circuit on the piste map but this no longer exists so I decided on a rough route doing pretty much what Noogy and Jimmie took me on at Easter. We started at the Super Morzine as per usual, then went down to Avoriaz, up the Indrets lift and round to the Fornet bowl. Up the Choucas then down to the Cuboré. The latter is a horrible little fast lift that goes up from both sides of the mountain meaning you have to jump off very quickly in a sideways direction. Down a very mogully red run and to the first button lift of the day – something of a theme. Up that and down to Les Crosets – Switzerland. All of that took as an hour so we were thinking we were making good progress but apparently Switzerland had a different idea. On the piste map at Les Crosets there's a lift clearly marked Pointe de L'Au which would take us over the other side of the mountain to Morgins. On the ground it didn't exist, and we were directed up the Mossettes lift (back to France!). From there on the map it looks like you should be able to get to the long blue cat track to Morgins (what we did at Easter) but this also doesn't seem to exist. The cat track we went on went the other side of the Pointe de L'Au and actually went uphill, to the point where even skiers were taking off their skis and carrying them. The next lift we got to was another that went up the Pointe de L'Au and was shut – a shame as the snow was lovely down there. Finally ended up at a t-bar – fun – which I duly fell off halfway up, serves me right for daydreaming. Finally found a chair lift which took us up to somewhere with a sign to Torgon, useful, and on the way down we found some snow and ended up in Morgins. Quick bus across town and then it all got a bit complicated. After numerous lifts and buttons (including one that was seemingly run by a farmer in his back field) we ended up at the Panoramic restaurant at Torgon with the view of Geneva – and had a well deserved beer. Slid down to Chatel, got a bus to Linga and went up and down a few times before getting back to Super Morzine – just in time for last lifts. In the end I think we did:

2 bubbles

11 chairs

6 buttons

1 t bar

and only had 1 beer and a few sips of Grand Marnier

Photos

Will take some soon, promise.

Getting back the ski legs

As yet I haven't put much about snowboarding really, though my training log on attackpoint has it all in some detail that means nothing without a piste map. I struggled a bit at the beginning of the week with working out how to board again and getting my confidence back. Not really helped by spending most of December with a series of colds. Now a week or so in, it's coming back to me (though there's still loads I can improve). We had a bit of powder earlier in the week and have been having fun working out how to board in that. One thing I really like Morzine and Portes du Soleil is the sheer size. It doesn't have as many really steep bits like Chamonix but there's lots of bits to find and you can snowboard for miles and miles without skiiing the same piste or going up the same lift. Via the Super Morzine bubble Morzine is linked with Avoriaz and the Portes du Soleil – 12 resorts in France and Switzerland that all link up (no you don't need your passport to go from one to the other). According the piste map that's some 650km of piste – if I can do them all that's more than one km per euro of season pass! On the other side of town (and on the same lift pass) you can go up the older Morzine and Les Gets areas. It sometimes overlooked by more experienced skiers and being easier and more for beginners but there's actually some great bits – especially when there's powder.

Settling in, lots of guests and new year

So, I arrived on the evening of the 29th – and apart from Andy who was with me - the first guests appeared early the next morning. Rick and Patrick had set off from London in the car after work on the 29th and driven through the night across France to get to us at 5am, slept in the car for a couple of hours and then got up to get straight up the mountain. They were followed by Chris that evening and then by Dave on New Years Eve. Dave had already managed to befriend my flatmates, Ross and Amy, by arriving on the same transfer bus. By New Year's Eve then there was quite a houseful, so we celebrated by drinking lots of fizz, eating lots of food then going to the pub. I was still feeling ill so didn't follow the others into town but by all accounts (and their consequential hangovers) it sounds like fun was had. By the 7th all the guests have left and it's just the 3 of us. Amy has been taking snowboard lessons, having left the dark side due to the painfulness of ski boots, Ross has started playing in the park and I've mainly been looking around the mountain and working out what it's like to actually live in a ski resort.

Road Trip

So, inspired by my aunty I've decided to blog my time off - even if only my mum reads it. It's a bit belated because we haven't had internet access but I've found a nice relaxed cafe in which to use the interweb.

So, Andy and I set off nice and early on Monday 27th December, proving you can fit a hell of a lot of stuff in a peugeot 106 if you really try. Journey went well as far as the eurotunnel when we got bumped to a train an hour later, that was then due to be an hour late. We sat around the terminal moaning for a while (and planning our complaint letter) and finally got to France around 3pm. Drive on French motorways very easy and got to Troyes around 8pm. Despite being tempted to drink Cava we had brought with us, we did have Champagne in Champagne and a nice dinner involving lots of cheese - start as you mean to go on.

Earlyish start again next morning, I let Andy drive and I navigated. Again pretty easy and got to Morzine about 4pm. Got to flat and it is pretty great and got all excited. Finally drank the Cava.....