I haven't ventured outside the pistes for fears of avalanches, the current weather with astonishing 15C in the valleys and -9C avg on the peaks, has increased the risk of snowslides. There are several small ones being trigged every day by mere melting of surface snow and I happened to withness one earlier today on the slopes of the valley of Meribel, the neighboring village to the north.
Besides the skiing and the 600 km of pistes being offered, should you need to take a break it's pure pleasure just standing there on the slopes. Like I mentioned earlier, the views are extraordinary so you tend to stop now and then just to indulge in it. Stopping at one peak, the end station of a lift, I stood in line for using the toilet and noted to myself it had to be the best view available from outside a toilet. All around me the mountain slopes fell away offering views of the deep valleys, glaciers and the peaks shrouded in clouds. That's the pure stuff for a nature lover like me.
Regrettably the French have some strange ideas about lift opening hours, starting at 9.00 ending at 17.00 when in fact the sun doesn't set until some time now, the late afternoons are perfect for skiing because of the mild temperatures and the low sun cutting slanting rays of light providing perfect illumination for skiing. Skiing when cloudy is dangerous, and fog even worse, not only is sight limited by there's a phenomenon called "flat light". The light doesn't enhance edges and ground texture which makes it hard to predict how to tackle the terrain and to ski on it, which can lead to falling and injuries. However afternoons here offer the opposite kind of light, the golden sharp light that you find up here at these altitudes.
I'm hoping to be able to further explore the three valleys tomorrow, or "les trois vallees" (sorry no accent on this keyboard) as they're called here. I got some 300 more km of piste to swoop down!
Until next time!
* I have nothing against beginners, mind! It's just that in my experience less experienced skiers tend to ski in a way that puts other skiers in harms way, by not adjusting their speed to their skill or conditions. Or they often ski, slaloming from one edge of the piste to the other, which makes overtaking very dangerous for all involved.