More Mont Chery

This week we were pleased to welcome Trevor and Carin as our guests in Le Sappy.  
They both flung themselves into the skiing with great enthusiasm, in spite of the fact that Trevor was suffering from a mystery illness, and treated us to some great home cooking in the evenings, which was much appreciated.
As is becoming a tradition with our guests, we took them to Mont Chery for the luxury skiing on offer there, and of course, the fine dining to be had in the Grand Ourse.

Mont Chery

Possibly our favourite ski area with its sunny slopes and flattering sweeping red runs, and one of the best mountain restaurants in the Alps.

Weather: sunny, 0 deg.
Snow: good

Lifts/Pistes:

• Pleny
• Belevedere
• Crocus 
• Bruyeres
• Le Petit Train
• TC Mont Chery
• TS de la Pointe
• Epervier (R)
• TS de la Pointe
• Marmottes
• TS Chery Nord
• Epervier (L)
• TS Grande Ourse
• Lievre
• TS Planeys
• Lievre
• TS Planeys
• Chamois
• TS de la Pointe
• Mouflons
• TS Chery Nord

Restaurant: La Grande Ourse. Belated Valentine's Day celebration. Hog roast and all the trimmings for me, and special seafood tartiflette for Alison.  Both excellent.

• Churson
• Gazelle
• Le Petit Train
• Chavannes Express
• Bruyeres
• Folliets du Golf
• Stade

The Les Gets Sign

You've heard of the Hollywood sign.  Well today we visited the next best thing: the Les Gets sign.  Also filled in a couple of runs in Les Gets that we had not previously skied.

Weather: sunny, -1 deg.
Snow: good

Lifts/Pistes:

• Pleny
• Belvedere
• Crocus
• Bruyeres
• Chavannes Express
• Gentianes
• Chavannes Express
• Bleuet
• Chavannes Express
• Piste Mauve
• Orchis
• Chavannes Express
• Bruyeres
• Folliets du Golf
• Piste A
• Piste R
• Piste F
• Piste H

Avoriaz - filling in the gaps

As you might expect, after more than six weeks of skiing here, we have done most of the runs in Morzine and Avoriaz. However, one or two gaps still to be filled in.

Weather: sunny
Snow: fresh.

Lifts/Pistes:

• Prodains 
• Tour 
• Prolays
• TS Leche
• TS Mossette
• Abricotine
• TS Cubore - Montriond
• Les Lanches
• TS Choucas

Restaurant: Opadcha

Great outdoor table overlooking the start of the Swiss Wall.  Fun watching the unsuspecting skiers launching themselves and their families into the abyss.

• Alpages
• TS de Fornet
• Snowcross Marmotte
• Retour Chavanette
• TS lac Interets
• Bleue d'Arare

Cocktail Stop:

Ice Bar - mohitos, no need for extra ice.

• Bleue d'Arare
• Prodains

All the Way to Chatel

Having previously only gone into the Chatel sector for a few runs, today's mission was to ski all the way down to the village.  Possible reconnaissance for a Portes du Soleil grand tour maybe?

Weather: sunny
Snow: fresh.

Lifts/Pistes:

• Prodains 
• Tour 
• Combe a Floret
• Chaux Fleurie
• Les Rochassons
• Pierre Longue
• Chaux des Rosees
• Les Blattins
• TS des Combes
• Le Linga
• TC du Linga
• TS de l'Echo Alpin
• Les Combes
• TS de Cornebois
• Les Rennes

Restaurant: Bois Prin - steak and chips.  OK but not as good as the one Alison had here on our previous visit.

• TS des Rochassons
• Chaux Fleurie
• TS Lindarets
• Boulevarde des Skierus
• Prodains

Still to do:

We have yet to take a bus to the other side of Chatel to ski the many runs on that side  of the mountain. Also, link in to Morgins.

Les Gets Again

Weather: sunny, strong gusty winds, -6 deg.

Lifts/Pistes:

• Pleny
• Belvedere
• Crocus Bruyere
• Chavannes Express
• Violette
• Grians d'Or
• Renardiere
• Grains d'Or
• Vorosses
• la Turche
• Melezes
• Perrieres Express
• Melezes
• Renardiere
• Ranfoilly Express
• Tulip
• Mouille aux Chats
• Sautenaillies 
• Grains d'Or
• Myrtilles
• Nauchets Express
• Bruyere
• Folliets du Golf

Lunch: Vaffieu - classic tarte Vaffieu.

• Stade

A Wrong Turn in Avoriaz

I have been wanting to try the Prodains run that goes from Avoriaz 1800 down to valley level at Prodains, but until today had not got around to it  Thanks to a wrong turn coming down the Arare piste, I ended up on this run with no way back to Avoriaz centre.  So down to Prodains it was.  Alison, thinking that I knew what I was doing, followed me down to the bottom.  But thanks to the delay and lack of mobile phone signal, it took us the rest of the morning to get back in contact.  Anyway, an opportunity for us each to do our own thing in the morning, which in my case was to try out the Marmottes snowcross off-piste are that had been closed until recently.

Weather: sunny on the slopes (but foggy in the valley). -6 deg.
Snow: good everywhere.

Lifts/pistes

• Prodains
• Lac-Intrets
• Bleue d'Arare
• Vaineuve
• Crot
• Prodains
• Lac-Intrets
• Bleue du Lac
• Fornet
• Bleue du Fornet
• Choucas
• Les Lanches
• Cubore
• Patenaille
• Les Lanches
• Choucas
• Blanchot
• Bleue du Lac
• Fornet
• Snowcross Marmotte
• Retour Chavanette
• Tour
• Boulevarde des Skieurs

Lunch at Les Trappeurs:  well deserved beers, omelette for me and a very sub-standard carbonara for Alison.

• Lac-Intrets
• Bleue du Lac
• Fornet
• Bleue du Fornet
• Choucas
• Bleue de Chavanette
• Choucas
• Alpages
• Fornet
• Snowcross Marmotte
• Retour Chavanette
• Tour
• Boulevarde des Skieurs

Apart from losing each other, a good day's skiing.

Les Crosets

Time to return to Switzerland after our recent massive snowfalls When we went with Jonathan at New Year it was all looking very sad and brown.  Now all that has changed. Some great snow and skiing conditions, at least initially.

Weather: Morning - Sunny, afternoon dense fog.  -5 deg.
Snow: fresh

Lifts/pistes:

• Prodains
• Tour
• Mossette
• TS de Mossette - France
• Grande Conche
• TS Grand Conche
• Mossettes
• Crosets
• Marcheuson
• TS  de  Mossettes - Suisse
• Mossettes
• Crosets
• Marcheuson
• Lechereuse
• TK de Ripaille
• Ripaille

Restaurant: les Marmottes - great ambience, decor, friendly staff.  

• TS de Pauvre Conche
• Pauvre Conche
• TS  de  Mossettes - Suisse
• Grande Conche
• Abricotine
• Les Brochaux 
• Creux
• Boulevarde des Skieurs
• Prodains

Difficult return journey with virtually zero visibility in the fog.

Les Gets Quickie

Only time for a short afternoon ski today because of work commitments in the morning.
Weather: hazy sun, -1 deg.

Lifts/pistes:

• Pleny
• Belvedere
• Crocus
• Bryuyere
• Chavannes Express
• Pist Mauve
• La Croix
• Belle Mouille
• Charniaz express
• Chevrelles
• Troncs
• Les Freux
• Chamois
• TS des Fys
• Piste N
• Piste B
• Piste D
• Stade