At last, snow in Morzine

It had been forecast, but it was still very welcome to wake up on Saturday morning to see the whole of Mozine buried deep in a blanket of snow, with heavy snow still falling.   If we had planned to go skiing again today, we might have been somewhat disappointed as many of the Avoriaz lifts were closed the whole day due to very high winds, with white-out conditions on most of the pistes that were open.  Fortunately Adam had elected to spend a gastronomic day in the apartment and food shopping in Morzine, so the skiing conditions were not an issue for us.  For the second time this week, I was very grateful for the grippy apres-ski boots that Alison had given me for Christmas, which made walking around the icy Morzine pavements a much more pleasant experience.
For dinner, Jessica produced her signature dish: Pasta Savoisienne, which was followed by a chocolate fondue.  You have been warned!

Boxing Day in Avoriaz

The plan for the day was for me and Adam to head up to Avoriaz for a day's skiing and meet up with Claire and Jessica for lunch.  I had expected the worst in terms of getting up there since, with no snow in Morzine, the whole world would be heading up to Avoriaz. In the event it turned out to be easy enough, with no queues for the bus or the main cable car up to Avoriaz.  Once up there it was certainly quite busy, but not too crowded and in general the lift queues were not too long thanks to the ski pass rationing imposed by the lift operating company.  They had done a good job with the snow making machines since I was up there the previous week and there was good skiing on at least 60% of all the pistes in the resort.

After some confusion over our restaurant rendezvous we managed to meet up with Claire and Jessica for a rather chilly lunch on the terrace.  Then it was off skiing again for the rest of the afternoon, before heading back down the lift to Morzine.  

In the evening we treated ourselves to a cheese fondue, courtesy of the fondue maker that Jessica had given me for Christmas.  I suspect that this will become a regular menu feature for any guests staying at Le Sappy this season.

First guests at Le Sappy

Christmas arrangements at Apartment Sappy:
Alison to Geneva Airport en route back to a family Christmas in Essex.
Jessica, Adam, and Claire arriving from the UK from Christmas in Morzine.
Probably the first of many trips to Geneva over the season?

We had tentatively planned to have a day's skiing in Avoriaz but that was shelved due to the need for some serious sleep catch-up on the part of Jessica and Adam  So a more relaxed agenda incorporating a leisurely breakfast followed by a major cheese shopping expedition to the local market.   Then a cable car ride up the the snow-starved Morzine hill followed by a short walk to Restaurant Vaffieu for a light lunch on their sunny terrace.

  

On the way back to the cable car disaster strikes! Claire falls on the treacherous icy snow and hurts her wrist.  When we get back to base, a trip to the medical centre reveals that her wrist is indeed 'bien cassé'.  Not a good start to the Christmas holiday, and we haven't even got to the ski slopes yet!  

First Ski of the Year

At last, I have the time to get out and sample the skiing. Although there is no snow in Morzine, there is a fair bit of the stuff in next-door Avoriaz.  Only 8 out of about 50 pistes open at this stage, but certainly enough for a day's skiing, and the snow conditions weren't at all bad, considering the relatively high temperatures we have had this week.  Anyway, good to get the feel of being on skis again, even if it does make me aware how much room there is for improvement over the coming season.

Good to rest aching legs with a beer and lunchtime 'snac', sitting in the Avoriaz sun.

Hopefully plenty more of the same  in the next few weeks.

Morzine for the Season

We are now resident in apartment Sappy for the start of our ski season here in Morzine, in the French Alps.   The place looks like a good choice,  with pretty much everything we need to make us comfortable for the next four months or so, and well located for the centre of town, the ski bus, and most importantly the Dixie Bar, where I hope to spend many an evening listening to the various visiting bands over a pint of beer.
Only snag so far is that there is no snow to speak of in Morzine!  Although that has not had much impact on me so fas as I have had to work flat out for the first few days of this week, and hardly had the chance to set foot outside the door.  Unfortunately, this is not a holiday, but rather a relocation to work somewhere with a few more outdoor opportunities than are available in Brentford.