Les Arcs and Tignes Diary - Week 15

Saturday 10th April

Out with Dan, Jimbo and Will today, enjoying the fresh, though not too deep, powder over on Val D'Isere side. not enough to warrant any hiking, but we make plenty of fresh lines between pistes and tackle a windlip before stopping for lunch at the Billabong Cafe in Val. Great burgers and desserts, followed by a little shopping, makes for a pleasant couple of hours and a hectic dash for the last Borsat lift to take us back to the Tignes valley. The run back is fantastic, the snow having come down heavilly for a couple of hours, and we ride through poor visibility at high speed with our boards hidden under the powder. The snow tails off as we sit in the Loop, but tomorrow should be a good day.

Friday 9th April

Ah the infamous Tignes white out. It is due to snow all weekend and clear on Monday. According Will we have had 42 bad weather days and 56 good weather days since we arrived in January. I don't remember many bad weather days in Les Arcs, so it was a good move spending two months there. Liz, who was here in January and is back for the weekend, Jim and Michelle are the only ones to go out. The rest of us are glad of the chance to recover from yesterday. Michelle and I watch the Everton v Spurs game in the Red Lion before joining some of the other in the Alpaka.

Thursday 8th April

Today was one of those rare days with blue skies and fresh powder. Dan, Tamsin, Jimbo, Chris, Will, Tom and I get out at 9.30am, hike and ride powder for four and a half hours before stopping for lunch. A great morning of boarding celebrated with apres-ski in The Loop, by which time snow is beginning to fall.

Wednesday 7th April

Transfer day for me. Steph called round late morning to take me to Tignes, and we headed off after I say my goodbyes to the staff and seasonaires in the Mont Blanc.It has snowed overnight so it is a bit frustrating i cannot get on the slopes, not that I am in any fit state after last night!

Tuesday 6th April

My last day in Vallandry is spent packing and cleaning the apartment. I have deliberately stayed around for one last Tuesday night, and this week I am hosting the karaoke at the Mont Blanc with Charlotte. It's quite a quiet one, hard work as we are short of requests, but as I get free drinks all night it flies by. I closed the show with one last rendition of Born To Be Wild" and ended the evening in the Marlu, saying goodbye to friends.

Monday 5th April

Not the best conditions for boarding in the morning, cloudy and with some fresh snow over ice. Paul and I ride over to Arcs 1600 and back, before he has to leave to catch his plane. I spent a quiet evening with Liam and Paulos at Pauos''s apartment, necking a few beers whilst trying to pirate DVDs.

Sunday 4th April

Paul and I spend the day riding with Liam and Paulos from the Mont Blanc. There's no fresh snow to be had so it is piste riding, taking in all the natural hits we can find. The evening is spent in the Mont Blanc, helping my flatmate Will celebrate the last night of his four week stay.