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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3070 |
25th January 2018 Skiing: Lelex in the Jura Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Sunny periods and very windy! Max Speed: Distance Covered: Thursday 25th January – Ski **** Lelex in the Jura – Sunny periods and very windy! Good night in the carpark by the ski school in Lelex in the Jura mountains. We were the only vehicle there and after the drop off to ski school the van was alone all day too! Woke to 4 degrees and it hadn’t drop below freezing all night but we had double fleecy quilts so toasty again. The sky was amazing - blue with only crisscross vapor patterns in the sky so skiing is definitely on:) After porridge Mag made some sandwiches while I sorted out the ski gear. Getting on cold ski boots is always a struggle but we got there in the end and set off the short way up the road to the cable car. Mag bought the lift passes 65 Euros for two including insurance and a plastic card, we had some from two years ago but left them at home, can’t win them all. Sadly, when nearing the top, we noticed that the main chair lift to the top – Monthoisy 1680m – was closed due to strong winds which just got stronger as the day went on! There was a drag lift open to the top but we had a few runs down the greens and blues to the bottom just to get our ski legs! It always amazes us that you snap on your skis and glide away after a year, just like riding a bike I suppose although it certainly makes your legs sing and I have a dodgy back which doesn’t help - but it is great fun and you can rest on the cable car back up:) We then take the steep drag lift to the top and it is a job to make it into the gale force winds but the red off the top is amazing offering fantastic views of Lac Lemon with Geneva’s huge fountain in the valley below with the high Alps including Mont Blanc as a backdrop. We turn right and whizz down into the Crozet section with again the only lifts open are drags which makes a tiring day’s skiing. We pass the large inflatable duck, at the top of the Crozet cable car to a drag back up which really lifts you off your feet! It’s then another drag back to the top and we do it all again, this time I video the run which is a little jerky but good fun to watch:) With some huge dark clouds appearing we find a nice sheltered spot with great views of the Lac for our sandwich. After another long run right back into Lelex and with our legs shot we decide on one last trip to the top to see if we could access our favourite ever run, a long undulating red to the right. On reaching the top we have to walk up the slope into horrendous winds but manage to get going after a hundred metres, the green then turns into the red and we have the whole run all to ourselves, just stunning. I got my fastest speeds down here, could have gone much faster but was standing on 64-year-old legs! :) We then headed to the bottom and decided to call it a day and quit before we hurt ourselves! Back at the van we packed up, had a cuppa and cake, very well deserved! There is a chance of snow tonight so we decide to move off and drive to Mijoux which looks just as quiet as Lelex, then it’s up to the Col de la Faucille where you can snow shoe and down the windy road to Gex with fantastic panoramas all the way! We get a bit lost but make it to Crozet cable car and after doing a circuit due to getting stuck in the one-way exit system we park up for another cuppa. After dozing,reading/playing cards its curry time, then I do a quick walk around the carpark to look at Geneva’s lights far below and watch some planes come in to land - the way our family and friends will arrive this coming Saturday:) Not sure about tomorrow, if the weathers good which I doubt we might take the snow shoes up in the cable car for a walk or might have a relaxing drive down to somewhere nice on Lac Lemon??? Friday 26th January – Relax, travel and walk **** cloudy with rain :( Again, the only vehicle in the carpark at the Crozet ski station and had a good night, mild too but woke to rain and low cloud:( That put an end to any plans for heading up the mountain so had a lay-in reading and listening to the rain on the van roof:) Then late breakfast and headed off at midday and because Geneva is in Switzerland where you have to pay a toll the road in France takes you miles out of your way! We saw yet another Intersport with a liquidation sale so we stopped to see if there were any bargains but nothing so crossed the road for bread at the supermarket! We carried on passing loads of fruit orchards with several wet buzzards on the ground looking rather fed-up! We filled up with diesel a fraction more expensive down this way and then for the second time on this trip our oil warning light came on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( We stopped at another supermarket and bought 5 litres of oil for the price a litre cost us near the M25! Will check the oil levels tomorrow and top up, hopefully it will have stopped raining! Getting hungry now so headed to Evian on the banks of Lac Lemon to check if they had any driftwood sculpture’s and parked next to the long prom at the far end of town near the marina for French bread baguettes. We then walked back towards the town along the pretty prom with cloud shrouded mountains all around and a light drizzle. There were a few large driftwood creatures but nowhere near as many as a Christmas a couple of years ago! There are loads of birds on the still waters of the Lac mainly Grebes, coots, gulls, Goosanders and Tufted Ducks, the highlight was watching a Grebe fishing under the crystal-clear water! We then turned up into the town and saw a sign to the Evian source which we found and loads of people were filling up their bottles – mineral water for free, can’t be bad, shame we didn’t have a bottle! Back at the van it is just a short trip back to our overnight spot at Thonon by Lac Leman for cuppa and cake. After Marks and Spencer braised beef, thankyou Mary we checked out the ‘Save Windsurfing at The Dip Campaign’ which seems to be going well. The rain has at last stopped and hopefully some good skiing weather is on the way. tomorrow we head up to Morzine, buy provisions for everyone flying into Geneva and look forward to a week in the mountains with family including both our boys, the first time for eight years! Should be good:) Photo Gallery Here |
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