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| Owner:
squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2884 |
24th March 2014 Skiing: Chamrousse Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: all sorts of weather! Max Speed: Distance Covered: Saturday 22 March - snow We didn’t bother getting up until 10.30. Just read our books because the weather has really turned and there were only grey skies and its a bit windy. As we had breakfast it started to rain and when we walked to the shop (our only outing today) it got harder and turned to snow. Basically it snowed all day and we stayed in the van reading, playing cards and watching last week’s holiday makers leave and the new ones arrive. There was a mass invasion of the car park we were in to start with (under the lift) by a ski club from Grenoble. The first to arrive was a van which set up tents with cooking facilities then a coach and several cars came and they all went skiing. Then at 2 o’clock 3 more coaches arrived and loads of children and adults got out and had ski lessons in the pouring snow. They were all packed up and gone by 6. We are in a quandary to know what to do because we saw the weather forecast for the coming week in the lift pass office and it is supposed to be a variation on today for the rest of the week. Texted Rob and Peter to see if there is any wind in La Franqui next week which there is but we don’t know whether that is wind with sun or wind with rain! Should we go back up to more small ski resorts or south to windsurf???? Wait and see what happens tomorrow is the only thing we have come up with. Sunday 23rd March – walk *** snowy and cloudy We woke up to ice on the inside of the windows, the sliding door iced shut and at least a foot of snow on the van roof! It is still snowing too. We were toasty with our two duvets and the van soon warmed up and thawed out when we put the engine and the diesel heater on:) We didn’t fancy skiing as the visibility was terrible which always makes Mag feel sick and we would rather spend the money on a better day! Which is a shame when there is soooo much fresh snow up there! It was the first day for the new holidaymakers so the lessons were underway while we were eating breakfast including a huge group of Polish snowboarders doing warm up exercises on the piste right in front of us. After breakfast we went to the shop then dropped the bread and milk back at the van and walked into Chamrousse 1750 which is only just across the bridge over the piste. They have quite a lot of shops there and a tourist information which was actually open! The walk to Chamrousse 1650 is quite a way and the snow is very deep on the paths and the road so we hopped on the free shuttle bus and went for a ride instead! The journey was very beautiful with all the snow on the trees. We didn’t get off at 1650, just waited till the bus moved off again. This driver was a bit crazy even overtaking! The trip took us back through 1750 and down to the Nordique Ski Plateau (where the only vehicle which should go along the road is the bus so very thick snow) and then it went back to 1650 so unbeknown to us we should have got off and gone on another one to get back to 1700 where we are parked! We went round the loop again and rather than stay on for the nordique ski section we got off at 1750 and walked back! Had our lunch and a read then decided to have a go at getting into the swimming pool and it was no trouble at all, you don’t need a card and they don’t even look at you! We had a great swim in the outdoor heated, steaming pool in a blizzard:) and even had 20 minutes in the sauna. Met 3 english girls which is quite a change because nearly everyone here is polish. Came home, again in a blizzard and settled in for the night. When I am typing this it is -4 degrees outside and the van is covered in snow again. Even the residence’s little mini moke thing got stuck in the snow on the path just outside the van. The snow plough has been round and banked the snow up at the end of the path so we are definitely going to have to dig our way out! The mini moke tried and tried to get out himself with a shovel and rocking it from side to side but the company digger came and pushed him out with his bucket eventually!! Monday 24th March - skiing **** all sorts of weather! The temperature has dropped like a stone now and we woke to 1 degree in the van with ice on the inside of the windows!! We were not cold in the night and after a blast with the diesel heater we were greeted with stunning views down the piste with yet more new snow and even some blue sky:) The digger had been about early and removed some of the snow around our van but we are still pretty well buried. We got up early and even bought a full day’s lift pass for a reduced 33 euros:) We headed out of Chamrousse 1700 at 10 o’clock and it was stunning with snow covered trees everywhere, shame the weather didn’t play ball and the cloud and light snow kept coming over making visibility poor at times. To start with the pistes which hadn’t been pisted were fine and the off piste fantastic if you could see!! With changeable conditions we just skied 1750 and 1700 with me going off piste at every opportunity which involved me walking out of deep powder and losing mag for nearly an hour as I nearly skied into the lac! She has the patience of a saint!! It was sods law that the day we needed the radios and I definitely needed my crash helmet we couldn’t get into the boot to get them because it was iced shut!! While I was off on my own I spotted our first bright orange crossbills of this trip and we saw more later in the day. When I met up with Mag we enjoyed a run in the snow park, on the jumps but in foot of the lovely powder. Mag actually took a dive head first, something you don’t see very often! It was back to the van at 2 for lunch and the cloud came right in:( Mag decided to stay in the van while I went up again which was awful as you couldn’t see you hand in front of your face. I got back to the van and Mag was digging the van out by kicking the snow away and digging with her trusty trowel! We must get a snow shovel! I fitted the snow chains and we spoke to a nice family from Chelmsford. We finished the day with a couple of goes on the 1700 lift but the pistes were awful now – hard packed icy snow, not fun to ski and the resort is very busy with lots of people falling over. Back at the van we moved a little way up the car park out of the hole we had been in and then went swimming. Not as good as yesterday as a bit crowded:( Then a top tin of lidl chilli for tea:) Funny day really – hard to give a rating – 5 star for the off piste powder, 1 star for the piste, 2 stars for the weather. We really need clear blue days up in the mountains and it’s too busy for us here so 4 stars overall! |
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