#and my little sister is such a cool smart and fun beastie

[peter-horrocks]

Cool holiday in the mountains

It was with a degree of pessimism that we set off for our family holiday get together in the high French Alps at the beginning of August. Mainly because I was only used to ski resorts in the winter and because here in the southern alps its quite hot and there are no end of beasties wanting to bite you, which is OK for a days walk but staying a week is another matter. And we had a load of young kids with us. What on earth were they going to do in a ski resort in the summer, it would be dead wouldn’t it?

“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world, For I would ride with you upon the wind, Run on the top of the dishevelled tide, And dance upon the mountains like a flame.”

William Butler Yeats, The Land of Heart's Desire

Snow on the tops in Val Thorens

Like many we had already endured our fair share of rescheduled flights and cancellations with money lost or placed on credit and being the wrong side of 60 we had lost the appetite for flying as the risks no longer seem sensible. But being stuck in France has its advantages, it is a country with so much to offer, there is such variety, the choice is huge. The only obvious thing is that this summer was no time to be crammed with the masses as the risk of getting contaminated with Covid was glaringly obvious and if we could escape the extreme July/August heat that would be even better.

So when my wife’s elder daughter announced that she had an option to reserve a chalet in Les Menuires, a ski resort at 1850 metres altitude in the Three Valleys, at a very reasonable price, on three floors with easily enough room for ten of us, we felt there was little to loose even if it got cancelled as it was within reasonable driving distance for everyone.

I struggled to get excited as I had been to Les Menuires with work many years ago and my memories were of a rather ugly purpose-built resort with “motorway” skiing. I’d also spent a few weeks in the high Alps chalet hunting in Spring, cold and wet were the main memories retained. The chances of rain in the high Alps is always a distinct possibility. I set about researching what was open in the resort and soon realized that with the Covid restrictions things like indoor swimming pools and cinemas were all closed. All I could latch on to was an outdoor basketball pitch. So, I bought basketballs adapted in size for very small and average size children and a couple of kites in a desperate attempt at offering at least some sort of outdoor diversion for the young.

It was really hot when we set off early from Grasse up the route Napoleon and it got hotter as the day progressed. Being away from the main motorways on one of the busiest days of the summer was ideal as even the service areas near Grenoble were not too busy so we felt safe from Covid crowds. It is frequently surprisingly hot in the low French alpine valleys in summer and the air conditioning in the car was doing overtime with temperatures close to 40 degrees centigrade. So we were elated to watch the thermostat drop progressively as we started the climb uphill from Moutiers for the last half an hour of the journey to Les Menuires. When it hit 26º we cut the air conditioning and cheered, when it hit 20º we opened the car windows and releveled in the sensation of the breeze in our hair. The drive up was lovely, the mountains verdant, much more beautiful than I expected. 

When we arrived in Les Menuires it bore little resemblance to the soulless resort I remembered. There was a very modern rather smart church tower with a clarion belfry and a kind of trendy, with-it feel about the place. Sunny and with wonderful fresh air though it was still shorts and t shirts weather, and there were plenty of people around, it was far from dead, but not too busy either. Cool! From my days looking after the websites and holiday sales for the ski programs for various companies in the past I had always been disappointed to see empty chalets and apartments at “give-away” prices from May to October, when they were full at “daylight robbery” prices during the winter. Whilst on the coast people were paying through the nose to be crammed on beaches like sardines burning red raw despite lashings of Ambre Solaire. Strange how it took an epidemic to literally drive some family holidaymakers to the high mountains who would never normally have gone there, including us. 

My wife’s daughters, a husband and the five children aged from one to eleven were already there when we arrived. The twin boys were laughing as they peddled their hired go-karts and the two elder kids were in the queue for the outdoor trampolines with catapult elastics, whilst the adults were sat on the outdoor terrace of a cafe enjoying a drink looking out on the mountains, everyone looked happy to be there. And they were. 

We quickly realized Les Menuires was a hive of pleasant outdoor activity, with something for everyone. You could hire all sorts of electric bikes, scooters, 4-wheel drive vehicles and the gondola lifts were running to take you up to the tops if you wished. Morning and evening outdoor fitness classes with suitable high-tempo music blasting out was another surprising though rather fun to watch option. There was an outdoor archery range, paintball, mountain bike tracks and infinite walks for all grades and even an impressive toboggan track on rails which had the kids begging for more. 

In the mornings we strolled down the hillside from our chalet’s hamlet and enjoyed relaxed games of five-a-side football and basketball mixing with holiday makers kids and parents from Paris and Lyon. Then we joined up with the ladies and the smaller children for picnics by the crystal-clear river which was cold but not enough to deter the children from getting stuck in building dams and playing around in the water. All in a suberb setting with lovely walks by the river, where pretty, ancient farm buildings were set beautifully in the heart of the high valley surrounded by stunning summits topped by snow up at Val Thorens. Clear blue skies and warm sunshine, it was perfect.  

The kids having fun making dams in the river

Back in the chalet in the evenings the kids hoovered up “l’apéro” crisps and drinks whilst the adults kicked back with a glass of wine, the music came on and everyone ended up dancing around even the smallest who only recently took to standing was grooving with the rhythm. I assisted my son in law cooking up a “tartiflette” using local mountain potatoes and Reblochon cheese from the in-resort “fromagerie” and that set the standard for a week of delicious mountain cuisine. The spa at the hamlet opened its sauna and hot tub for small group reservations which allowed the parents some relaxing downtime whist we looked after the youngsters who spent hours playing hide and seek in the chalet. The week flew by.

I took the time one evening to walk up high and sit quietly, watching the small video clip taken by my sister that same day, in Wales, of the scattering of the ashes of my elder brother who died naturally in South Africa recently. Covid circumstances prevented me from attending what was already an improvised occasion. 

My brother Martin loved to hike in the high mountains, and he fancied himself as a bit of a poet so it felt fitting to reflect on his passing amidst the tranquility and majesty of the Three Valleys as the sun went down. I was grateful to be there.

We all left Les Menuires in good spirits and feeling positive despite these troubled times. It would be a shame for the high mountains to become over popular, but it was great to see them appreciated other than just for walking.

Best wishes

Peter H.