Day Off 12: Pow-wow in a Tipi!

This has got to be one of more random days off.

With the aim of making videos for the website, we decided we'd had to visit as many resorts as we could. Having checked off Espace Killy we set our sights on Courchevel. 

Me, Ash, Steve, Simon, Michelle and Maria

Courchevel is the most eastern resort of the Three Valleys, the biggest connected ski area in the world (and the setting for The Quest of the Mountain Burger). It is also renowned for its excellent lift system which is virtually queue free.

Luckily for us it wasn't that busy at all. We set off nice and early and met up with Ash, Maria, Michelle and Simon in Meribel. Once we sorted out our passes for the day, we made our way over to Courchevel.

Now I know I've said this loads of times but the conditions were perfect. Clear blue sky with plenty of fresh snow still to be had. With a mixed group of abilities everyone still stuck together and had a brilliant day.

As we made our way down to Courchevel 1650 we came across the 'Indiens' run. As fun as the run is, the real surprise is at the bottom. Once you've finished you are greeted by and Indian village!

Outside the Tardis

Inside the wigwam (which was, to my surprise, a lot bigger inside than it was outside!) we were required to dress up as authentic hippie-native Americans too. We were given carefully selected head dresses to wear and authentic musical instruments to play.

How!

We were also asked if we'd like to have our faces painted which we all agreed on. Once we had been painted in traditional colours, we were then offered the staple drink of the gypsie-hippie-native Americans - Vin Chaud! I did spy some marshmallows on the go too but we didn't get offered any of those...

Getting our groove on!

Not wanting to overstay our welcome, we took off our authentic clothing and made our way down to Courcheval 1650.  But not before making sure that Steve and Simon were OK outside. 

Steve having the best time

After a lot more snowboarding and chasing the powder, we grabbed some lunch down in Courcheval 1650 with Holly, Ben and Jack. Once we finished the paninis (mine was chinese) we parted ways to seize the rest of the day!

Simon, Jack, Holly, Michelle and Ben

Overall, another fantastic day. Not working in a resort, I'd forgotten how much fun cruising around with a group of mates is like on your day off! Bring on another one please!

Day Off 10 & 11: Filming in Espace Killy!

The plan for these days off was to have a play around the Espace Killy whilst making a sample film of the area for the company website.

The Espace Killy is a ski area in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie in the French Alps, named after the skier Jean-Claude Killy. It covers the resorts of Val d'Isère and Tignes!

In Espace Killy there are 300 km of pistes:

22 green runs, 61 blues, 46 reds and 25 blacks, plus 44 km of cross country skiing

2 terrain parks

2 glaciers

90 ski lifts

After a 45min drive from Bourg, Steven "Spielberg" Carter and I headed up to check out the runs. After a cruise about and a few chair lifts later, we spotted some good looking powder and started the filming.

Cheeky freshies selfie

After a couple more powder runs we arranged to meet up with Ash, Lee, Niall and a few of the other staff from the Tarentaise area to get in some group filming in uniform. 

As the guys are based in Espace Killy for the season, they have a really good knowledge of the mountain which meant we weren't stopping to question runs or worrying about getting stuck anywhere.

Steve having the best time!

With the benefit of the guys' local knowledge, this meant plenty of time for some fast skiing and boarding over all different sorts of terrain. It also gave us the opportunity to get in some good filming in different type of scenery too. 

Now as much as I love typing about the mountains, I'm sure you'd much rather see the sample video we put together. 

(We did end the day with a kebab too but that didn't make the cut) Enjoy!

 

Day Off 9: If in doubt go boarding...

Committing to a certain day off each week inevitably meant that, sooner or later, there'd be a day where I couldn't do anything amazing.

Then I think back to the start of this blog and what I hoped to achieve - which was to do something on my days off. Not lounge about, waste the day away and take things for granted! Although they might not have all been amazing, they're certainly days off I hadn't been doing during my stints back in UK working a 9-5.

So my point is... although I haven't been completely true to my original post, and haven't always updated weekly, I am getting out there and doing things! So for those of you who have been asking me for the last month "What have you done on your day off this week?" (which I'm still surprised you find interesting) and those of you asking to be in the days off, they're coming!

So for now... Day Off 9: If in doubt go boarding...

If I took a photo it would've looked like this!

The reason for the title? It was a whiteout. Worse than Boxing Day, you could hardly see a thing. With the majority of places closed and everyone heading to the restaurants and bars in resorts, the only place free of people was the mountain. So I went boarding. On-piste, Off-piste, through the trees, riding switch... Loads of stuff! But eventually, the visibility got too bad so I headed back down. 

But that wasn't such a bad thing as it gave me a chance to do some much needed planning for my April trip...

Day Off 7 & 8: Hannah comes to visit!

With the weather having been proper pants at the start of season, I've had plenty of time in the day to update my blog. Well just lately the snow's really kicked in and, to be honest, I've been up the mountain a lot. A fresh dump of snow and then a bluebird day for my day off has been too good to resist. So I'll apologise for the delay in this blog... 

...but you should know, if this weather continues, you're going to be seeing a lot more snowboard related posts (after all it's what I'm here for).

So back home I have some close friends who talk about coming out to visit me on a season but never do (you know who you are!). Well this week one did! Queue a double day off!

Day Off 7 & 8: Hannah comes to visit!
Having only ever snowboarded in a snow-dome, I was looking forward to introducing Hannah to the mountains!

Mountain fwiend!

Being mid season the mountain was pretty empty and, with a heavy fall of snow leading up to her visit, covered in fresh snow and blue skies!  The first day consisted of cruising around the empty blue runs to warm up and get to grips with the mountain. 

After brushing off the cobwebs we were getting pretty hungry so at midday we went to one of my favourite restaurant in the middle of the mountain. This restaurant does loads of different pizzas, seafood and other exotic bits but we stuck to the pizza!

Too hungry to take the photo before we started eating!

After the pizza we decided to head higher up the resort with the aim of making it to the highest point. Unfortunately because of the wind conditions at the top, the gondola was closed so we went to get a crepe and hot drink in Arc 1950 instead. Now this would be where I insert a photo of Hannah eating a crepe but apparently it was too hideous so it had to be deleted!

Once we'd had a little explore around 1950 (it isn't very big) we decided to call it a day and head back down to Bourg. 

The next day we headed up the mountain early to check out the husky rides and see if we could book ourselves onto one. Having seen the husky kennels the day before, we made our way back to 1950 to see if we could book something up. Once we arrived at the kennels we had a look at the brochure but the husky's, as with most of the activities, had to be booked in advance. 

Bored husky...

The kennels were just where the huskys lived so we couldn't get any more info or book anything up even though the dogs were free (hardly a surprise having seen the price list!). Instead we took a lot of photos.

Making our way back over to 1800, we cruised around some more red runs and headed over to the the Peiesy-Vallandry side. The piste map below shows Les Arcs to the left and Peisey-Vallandry to the right. 

Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry

After another full day of exploring the mountain we headed from Peisey-Vallandry back over to Les Arcs and made our way back to the gondola that was closed yesterday. From the top of that gondola we took another larger cable to the highest point in Les Arcs - L'Aiguille Rouge at 3,227 metres above sea level.

Unbeknownst to Hannah the only way down was via a black (we'd just caught the last cable car)! But before you think I'm a bad friend, I think you'll agree the view from the top was worth it!

L'Aiguille Rouge at 3,227 metres above sea level

Once we'd done the black we made it back onto the reds and had the quietest ride back down to 1950. With the time being around 17:30 no one was around leaving us with the whole mountain and fantastic sunset to ourselves.  

Once back in Bourg we headed to the local and celebrated an awesome couple of days!

Day Off 6: "The conditions are perfect..."

In my first blog Day Off 1: Expecting the unexpected... the plan was to go parapenting. Whilst the sky was blue and the sun was shining, it was just too windy down in the valley to do it. 

Today, Benjamin tells me "the conditions are perfect!"

Day Off 6: Parapenting!

As Benjamin said, the weather is as perfect as you can get. Hot, sunny and not a cloud in the sky! With plenty of snow about and hardly anyone on the mountain this day off is off to a good start.

Having previously arranged to catch first lifts (impressive after a night out), Abbie and I headed up the mountain to make the most of the predicted weather and to book the parapenting before everyone else had the same idea. After chatting with Benjamin, we agreed to meet up at midday - plenty of time to get a few cheeky runs in!

The view from Benjamin's hut

After a few hours cruising around Les Arc and Peisey, it was time to part ways with Abbie and make my way to the take off point.
As mentioned in my first blog, Benjamin unfurled the parachute, set up the equipment and strapped us both into the harness. After a refresher on how we would take off, we got into position...

...and then the wind picked up.

ONLY KIDDING!

We set off down the piste gaining more and more speed, felt a yank on the harness (the parachute inflating) and then we were up!

Gliding over the resort that I've snowboarded in all of last year and this year was surreal. Seeing the runs from a different perspective and the mountains stretching for miles into the distance was absolutely amazing. We flew over the ski area and then over the trees to try and catch some thermals to give us a higher boost. Then, once were away from the mountainside, I was allowed to 'pilot' the parapente! This consisted of pulling both handles down to break, easing them off to pick up speed and pulling down left or right to send you in that direction. 

Cheeky selfie over Bourg Saint Maurice

After a good 20 minutes of flying, Benjamin asked if I wanted him to send us spiralling down into a spin to the landing spot. Sure, Why not? - was my reaction at the time. In hindsight, probably not the best idea after a heavy night out - but it was still awesome!

Now it's all well and good me explaining what it was like but for you to get a better idea, take a look at the short video clip I made. The flight was about 20 minutes in total but the video is only about 1 and a half.

Click full screen and watch in 720 or 1080p for the best quality

So there you have it. If anyone gets a chance to go parapenting I'd recommend it! You're sat down (except for take off and landing) and the views/experience is amazing.

Day Off 6 is definitely up there in the top days off so far!

Day Off 5: The Quest of the Mountain Burger!

A month has passed since I first posted the introduction to my 'Richard's Amazing Days Off!' blog. Originally a way to keep my friends and family at home up to date with what I've been up to, it's received just shy of 1,000 page views! So thanks for the interest!
This past month I've had a look at parapenting, hiked up to a fort, visited 7 stunning views and stood in a glass box... All brilliant days off in themselves with plenty more to come!

This week's day off is centred around the reason I'm working in France this winter... Snowboarding. 

Being based in the little town of Bourg Saint Maurice has it's benefits. Aside from being the final stop for the Eurostar with excellent rail access to most places, it's also pretty central to most ski resorts. Located about 1.5 hours away is the world's largest ski area - The Three Valleys.

The Three Valleys

The Three Valleys ski area is linked together by 600km of interconnected slopes, 180 ski lifts and is made up of 8 resorts! These resorts are Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint Martin, Val Thorens and Orelle. 

Needless to say we didn't cover the whole area but we did do 4 of the resorts!

Now for my friends and family back home who have only visited Xscape and the Chill Factore, the ideal conditions for skiing and snowboarding is a blue sky day after a night of heavy snow fall. Now, I know what you're thinking, surely I couldn't be that lucky. Well coincidentally my day off just 'happened' to fall on a clear blue day with loads of fresh snow... ahem. 

Abbie and Maria

Myself, Steve and Abbie spent most of the day following Maria who's based in Courcheval. I can honestly say I couldn't tell you where one resort finished and another started but I'm assured we did Méribel, Les Menuires, Val Thorens and Orelle.

"But where is the Mountain Burger?" I hear you cry! Well, Maria informed us, at around midday, of this monster burger that's served up in Méribel. After careful consideration (by Steve and I) we ended up changing the rest of our day, possibly even missing out a couple of resorts, because we embarked on a quest for this mystical burger. 

After many runs, loads of off-piste and a few chairlifts later we took the final cable car which set us up for our journey to Méribel...

Will, Finch, Q, Mike and Rich

...So imagine our surprise when we bumped into these familiar faces from summers and winters gone by! 

After a quick catch up with everyone, we explained our quest and made our way to the final chairlift to the snow park above Méribel. We had a quick play on the kickers (jumps) and made our way through the park and down to the little burger bar to order our Mountain Burgers.

Mountain Burger time!

Covered in raclette cheese, bacon, pickles and greens and a side of chips for the lads, the Mountain Burgers didn't take long to demolish. As expected the girls didn't finish there's so I ate some of theirs too.  

With this entry being more about the snowboarding rather than visiting specific locations it makes it a little harder to get across the excitement of speeding down the piste - especially for those of your who haven't been skiing or snowboarding before. Luckily for you, throughout the day I was filming with my GoPro so here's a short clip of one of the runs.

Click full screen and watch in 720 or 1080p for the best quality

So after a perfect day of the mountain with amazing weather, fantastic company and great food, The Quest of the Mountain Burger was complete.

Feel free to comment and share and click here for more photos!

Day Off 4: Step into the Void...

In my last blog Day Off 3: The 7 Wonders of Paradiski! I wrote that this day off might just top it.

Well... it did.

A location that kept popping up on various travel and photography websites whilst I prepared for these days off was L'Aiguille du Midi.

L'Aiguille du Midi

For those of you who haven't heard of it, L'Aiguille du Midi is a mountain in Chamonix, France with a summit of 3,842m - accessible by the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi cable car. The summit has several terraces that offer a 360° view of all the French, Swiss and Italian Alps but most notably, the highest mountain in the Alps and the European Union, Mont Blanc (4,810m).

With all of that in mind, I was keen to visit L'Aiguille du Midi on a clear day and, after chatting with my friend and colleague Michelle, eager to visit a new attraction that has only recently been unveiled. An attraction called 'Step into the Void'. 

At 3,842m, the 'Step into the Void' is a glass box built on the side of one of L'Aiguille du Midi's viewing platforms. The box, comprised of three glass walls, floor and ceiling panels, allows visitors to stand above the 1035m drop to the peak beneath their feet in total safety and admire the views from a dramatic perspective.

Standing above the 1035m drop

Each one of the glass panels is custom built to the highest standards for safety and clarity. The five glass panels (12mm thick) consist of three layers of glass binded together allowing the structure to withstand winds of more than 220km/h and a maximum temperature of 60°. You also get given a pair of weird shoe/socks to wear over your boots so the glass doesn't get messed up!

Once we'd entered the box a couple more times and took more photos we made our way back down to Chamonix to board the snow train to the Mer de Glace - another point of interest I've been meaning to visit.

Upon arriving at the mountain station, we made our way to the cable which took us down to the stairs leading to the glacier and the stunning view below.

Mer de Glace in the background

The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) glacier is located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif. At 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long and 200m (660 ft) deep, it is the longest glacier in France.

Stairway down to the glacier

From the cable car it took about 10 minutes to walk down to the glacier. At various points down the stairs are signs of where the glacier used to be but is gradually retreating year on year. 

Once at the bottom of the stairs we entered the glacier through an ice cave that has been carved through it. The inside was decorated with old photos and mannequins depicting the early days of mountaineering. Lights had been installed in and around the ice but for the most part is was a natural blue.

Entrance to the ice caves

Although the entrance to the ice cave was pretty immense, the sculptures in the caves were pretty crap compared to others I've been too. The highlight of the Mer de Glace, as you've seen, are the views of the landscape. Once we'd had a short look around the caves we made our way back up the stairs, onto the cable car and boarded the train back to Chamonix. 

I took too many photos in Chamonix to put in the blog but I've put together a gallery of over 100 photos which can be seen here which is well worth a look!

To Day Off 4 up, it has been without doubt the best day off so far and will be a difficult one to top (but I'm still going to try)!

Please comment and share!

 

Day Off 3: The 7 Wonders of Paradiski!

Happy New Year!

The first day of 2014 is Day Off 3 and this particular adventure is something I've been looking at doing since I was first introduced to the Paradiski area last year. 

With 425km of pistes spread over 14390 hectares, Paradiski is the 2nd largest linked skiable domain In the world. It is comprised of 3 resorts; Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne which are linked by The Vanoise Express, the largest and most modern cable car in the world.

Across Paradiski there are 7 points of interest which range from rock formations, scenic views, panoramic views and really high peaks - The 7 Wonders of Paradiski. The aim of this day off is to visit all the 7 Wonders in one day. Challenge accepted!

My tatty 7 Wonders piste map (click to enlarge)

With timing being the main issue I decided that doing the 7 Wonders in reverse would be best, that way I wouldn't to get stuck over in La Plagne once the Vanoise Express had stopped running.

With the timing in mind, I departed Bourg Saint Maurice at 10:00 (well it was New Year's Day), got on the funiculaire up to Les Arc 1600 and boarded all the way to the Vanoise Express for 11:00. From there I made my way over to Plagne Centre (in La Plagne) and eventually over to the 7th wonder.

Fornelet Summit - The 7th Wonder

From the Fornelet Summit I headed down the tree lined pistes to the Rochette lift and headed back to Plagne Centre. From there I caught the Funiplagne cable car up to the 6th Wonder!

Grande Rochette - The 6th Wonder

At this point time was getting on and the 5th Wonder was going to take longer than I thought. With all the New Year's holidaymakers about, everyone wanted to get to the highest point in La Plagne. An hour and a half later I made it to the top of La Plagne - Wonder number 5 at a height of 3417m!

Bellecote Glacier - The 5th Wonder

With time getting really tight (the lift for the 1st Wonder closes at 16:00) I made it down to the Vanoise via the most cut up black run I think I've ever been on (Chlaupe) and down some black Natur' runs which weren't any better (nice views though).

I arrived back in Les Arc via the Vanoise and reached the viewing point for Wonder 4 at 16:30. 

Peisey Summit - The 4th Wonder

From there I made it down to Arc 1800 where a fit ESF snowboard instructor let me jump the queue for the Transarc Express with her so I didn't have to queue with everyone else! Due to this I arrived at the 3rd Wonder earlier than expected at 16:40 - but not early enough.

Col De la Chal - The 3rd Wonder

Now at this point I have to point out that the next wonder I'd planned on visiting was number 1, however due to time restraints I made the decision to miss it out rather than try in vain and also end up missing the last lift for wonder 2.
 
Nevertheless, here is a photo of the 1st Wonder - The top of the Aiguille Rouge at 3226m (it's worth mentioning I have done this before though).

Aiguille Rouge - The 1st Wonder

From the 3rd Wonder I boarded down to Les Arc 1950 and got on the last running lift (Bois de l'Ours) to the final stop. Now and I went past here on the journey through Les Arc to the Vanoise Express but thought I'd leave the photo until last. I'm glad I did. I didn't really rate this as a wonder but after climbing to the viewing table, I've changed my mind - here's the sunset from the the top of Wonder number 2.

The Arpette Summit - The 2nd Wonder

Although I only managed 6 of the wonders, Day Off 3 has been the best one yet. A full day of snowboarding with perfect conditions and great views and runs I would otherwise not have done. With the wonders being spread out across 14390 hectares it was as if I was in 6 different resorts. A great day off...

..and Day Off 4 might just top it!

Please feel free to comment and share!