This year we picked France again for our annual ski trip and it most definitely did not disappoint.
The town of Val d’Isère is nestled in the Alps above Lyon, sort of “over the hill” (in this case “hill” being Mont Blanc) from Chamonix and Morzine, where we were last year. The town itself isn’t as charming as, say, Chamonix, and slightly less pastry, but the ski slopes were hands-down the nicest I’ve ever had the pleasure of being on. The runs were well-groomed and long, we never waited in a line, the lifts were updated and safe (and also every type of mountain transportation existed - chair lifts, gondolas, funiculars, funitels, funifors, trams, tow bars, you name it!), the views were stunning, and the food and après-ski were amazing! Last but not least, most of the people we met were willing to speak French with us, which David and I both always appreciate.
We flew into Lyon on Thursday and very much enjoyed the beautiful drive up, picked up Sally’s skis, and started off with a delicious, though late (translation: tired kid) dinner at Le Bambou. Our airbnb was functional but literally in sight of the lifts so won 100% on location.
On Friday we all hit the slopes together and hit those on the left side of town. The most incredible lift went up and over the mountain top and was crazier than most amusement part rides I’ve been on (add link to it here). We had a fantastic lunch together on the slopes, then David and Sally retired to our airbnb for the afternoon and I explored the mountain on my own for a few more hours. Then Sally and I walked over the amazing fitness complex and had a great time at the pool (lazy river, crazy water shooting everywhere, views of the slopes), wrapping the day up with a quiet family dinner at home.
Saturday was perhaps, dare I say, a perfect day all around. Crystal blue skies, fun family ski time, and a gorgeous posh lunch outside on the mountain. There was a kid’s run that Sally really enjoyed (and was terrible on skis), and the second time we saw it she volunteered to go alone and meet us at the bottom where it joined back before the lift! From there she became even more brave, sometimes taking little side bowls and dips without us. We were so proud of her and she had so much fun.
In the afternoon I again had some alone time, and happened upon the nuttiest restaurant/club/bar on the slopes (and listed online as the “sickest” après ski, which I can imagine based on how bumping it was at 1 pm) called La Folie Douce. It had a life-sized white rearing horse statue in the lobby and huge Grecian columns etc. That evening I got Sally a sled and took her sledding (they have an area set aside for this, which was also maybe 100 m from our apartment). We had a blast. That evening David and I had a belated Valentine’s day dinner at nearby chic L’alpin, where we ate too much fondue and had an unforgettable chocolate soufflé that I need to try to recreate at home.
Sunday we all skied together in the morning, but the weather was a bit more mixed and I think we wore Sally out on Saturday so David and Sally headed back pretty early after a brief stint on the Tignes side. I headed over to take on the glacier after lunch, which was extremely cold (as expected, I suppose) but worth the pain. Which is good because that afternoon after no specific incident my back remembered I was closer to 50 than 40 and decided to “go out.” So I quit early as well, which was fine given the less-than ideal conditions and visibility that day, and took Sally back to the pool complex. We wrapped up with a quiet dinner at the apartment.
On Monday none of us skied. We had a chill day, walked around the town market and spent way too much money on cheese and olives (the cheese is still in our freezer!). Then Sally and I went ice skating on the adorable outdoor rink in the village and we all had lunch at Le Garage. We wrapped up the day with some more sledding, building a snow fort, and dinner at very cool and delicious L’arbre de la Vie.
Tuesday we awoke to a light dusting of snow, in which Sally managed to play for a brief bit before we drove back and headed home.
I’m still astonished at how incredible and yet uncrowded this mountain was, especially when I remember the long lines and high costs in the U.S. Merci, Val d’Isère!
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