Photo: FrankLong
London has just opened its first artificial ski slope at the O2 in Greenwich, but if you want a taste of the real thing before the season starts, there’s plenty of action to be had in the high altitude resorts in the French Alps.
This November, uninspired by fake snow and a crowded indoor arena, myself and two companions got ahead of the game and travelled to the French resort of Tignes for a long weekend’s pre-season ski.
Les Arc looking down on Bourg St. Maurice Photo: Dom Edwards
Leaving South East London by car at lunchtime on Friday and making the journey by Eurostar, we arrived in the French alpine town of Bourg St. Maurice at around 10.00pm – just in time to grab a delicious ‘Super Grenier’ pizza at Le Grenier Des Cinq Lacs. You won’t find a better pizza in the valley … or indeed, a larger, more intimidating Jeroboam sized bottle of Green Chartreuse.
The town of Bourg St. Maurice is open all year round and lies at the base of the Les Arcs resort. Just a 50-minute drive up to the Espace Killy ski area, it is home to the world famous Val d’Isere and Tignes ski resorts.
The ‘Grand Motte’ Glacier in Tignes is also open for skiing all year round and the open runs are serviced by the impressively quick Grand Motte Funicular, the Grand Motte cable car and also a series of chairlifts and drag lifts.
However, it’s worth knowing that due to a combination of early season dumps and snow making canons, the resort opens its slopes all the way down to the base resort of Val Claret from early November.
As we headed to slopes early on Saturday morning, the scene was almost picture-perfect – breathtaking blue skies and freshly snow-covered peaks, and not a patchy mountain in sight.
The mountain is open from 8.00am (when it is very icy and fast) until 3.00pm (when it starts to melt and becomes slushy and slow), and you’ll find all different levels from stumbling beginners to national racing teams in their skin-tight cat suits.
Our first run of the winter was from the top of the glacier at 3,656 metres, down the exhilaratingly steep ‘Descente’ black run, and finishing up in Val Claret at 2,100 metres. The views were exactly as you would expect in the heart of winter and only by looking down the valley would you have an inkling it wasn’t a beautiful February’s day.
With two full days of skiing to be had, there was plenty of time to try all the runs on offer, from black runs to the more sedate blue runs, and even test out our skills on the moguls course. There’s also a freestyle snow park with 3 sizable jumps, but being all over thirty, we left this area to the local kids who ruled without question.
Leaving early on Monday morning, we were back in London by 6.00pm after a most successful trip, feeling nicely tired and all with just the slightest hint of a goggle tan.
Written by Christopher Fischer
Go further: Read about skiing in Chile in July and get a portrait of Saint Foy.
