Ski Blog | Skiers - Intermediate

January Ski Trip

So the snow has been falling nearly all season and I haven’t been out since Christmas which was, admittedly, fantastic – is it going to last?  What will it be like when I get out there?

I was a bit concerned that maybe I had missed the best of the snow for the winter but I love skiing whatever so was sure I was going to have a good time.

I was off to Les Carroz for a couple of weeks! What was the snow going to be like?  Had I missed the best of the snow? Not at all! There was such a good base down already that it felt as if it would last for the rest of the year let alone the season!

Middle of January and the snow was great, the sky was blue - what a great couple of days!

But where was the snow?  I have been accused by some of being demanding, can’t think why?  I want to ski some powder!

My fears were soon to be put to rest as overnight on the 20th January it just dumped! What a day! There was so much snow that they were clearing snow off restaurant roofs!

The rest of the stay was just fantastic with a mixture of snow and sunshine – when the weather closes in Les Carroz has some fabulous trees to ski and board so that’s where we headed!  When the weather clears there is some amazing off-piste skiing in Samoens and Flaine. 

One particularly memorable day we had was the off piste skiing down through the Gers bowl, rewarded with a coffee at the bottom at the wonderful Gites du Gers and then down the bottom of the 14km Cascades Blue Piste which runs from the top of Flaine all the way down through the trees to Sixt.  Lunch at the top of Sixt, always quiet, is so picturesque and worth a trip!  You then take a bus back to Samoens to ski back into wherever in Le Grand Massif you are staying.  Well worth doing whatever your level of skiing!

You can see some photos from this trip on our Facebook page.

GITES DE GERS - JUMPING OFF A ROOF!  19th JANUARY 2012

I love the Gites du Gers – it’s a great little restaurant that is on the edge of a lake that I have only ever seen frozen.

Set at the bottom of the Gers bowls which is one of my favourite places to ski when there is fresh snow – just amazing off piste skiing! Or if off piste skiing is not your thing then take the blue Cascades run from the top of Flaine – a 14km run all the way down to Sixt, a stunning run through trees, past frozen waterfalls! Beautiful.

Half way down you can pick up a phone and call the restaurant who send someone to come and tow you up to the restaurant behind a ski do! 

I have been taken up to the Gers lift (a very long and in places steep drag lift!) in the back of a converted piste basher, I have seen a helicopter pick people up, I have even stayed the night there and often you can see Chamois’ grazing on the slopes above it.

It’s a tranquil beautiful place unless you have friends like me who will disturb the peace by jumping off a nearby chalet roof – see the video here!