I'll never forget the excitement I felt as we embarked on our French Ski Adventure


A few years have passed since I strapped on a pair of skis, but most of my memories are as fresh and new as the ink on today's ski lift tickets, thanks to my trusty old travel journals.

Up until that time, I had only skied in Aspen Colorado, having just graduated from the "green", wide, easy, trails to an occasional "blue", more difficult, run.

Avoriaz France, located near the Swiss border, was our destination, and just getting there was an experience in itself. First, the long plane ride, and it was a long one. Then our group was shuttled by bus through the Alps as dusk and heavy snow was falling. Suddenly, our bus got stuck in a large snow drift, we then had to change into our ski clothes or at least warmer clothes, to trek about a mile to the cable car that took us the rest of the way to Avoriaz. Since it was dark and I was so tired I didn't realize where we were and what our cable car was flying above or how high. When I looked back the next day, I was thankful I wasn't able to see much the night before....Although, now I'm better at traveling in cable cars. That time was a first for me..

Avoriaz is one of the most modern and sophisticated ski resorts in Europe. No, it's not as charming and quaint as other ski destinations, the ones with beautiful little chalets everywhere you look, oozing with charm as are the flowers flowing out of all the window boxes, as far as you can see. But, it does have it's own sort of charm and uniqueness.

Tucked away above Morzine, ( another ski town), Avoriaz is a village of pine and shingle buildings, most of them less then twenty-five years old, in the midst of an extensive ski terrain, situated 6000 feet up in the Alps. The 390 miles of ski trails are reached from some 70 lifts. Nestled amid a series of peaks and valleys called Portes du Soleil (gates of the Sun), Avoriaz can only be reached by cable car, and, in the village, the only transportation is on foot, on skis or by horse drawn sleigh. One of the most beautiful and romantic evenings I ever spent was riding in one of those sleighs, covered with blankets, along a tiny road leading to the village, the sides of the road piled high with snow drifts and a full moon hanging above it all. Ski?? Who needs to ski, when you can have that?

The village of Avoriaz is an interesting outgrowth of the intentions of a group of young French architects wanting to create a ski resort community above the Valley of Slate Quarries (Vallee des Ardoisiers) in a style not defacing the mountains. They have accomplished just that. The whole village just sort of blends in with it's surroundings, the colors, the angles of the building, even the materials used.

I did find the skiing a bit difficult because I was not a very experienced skier, and the narrower trails were far more difficult then the broad, wide easy trails of Aspen. There were many more black runs then the easier blue and green ones that I was used to. But, I did manage to find a few trails I could handle and spent a good deal of the time going up and down, doing those very same runs. Then, one day I decided to venture off to try something a little different and got myself into a bit of trouble.

As I was going to top of a hill on a palmer lift,( I think that's what it was called and spelled),I accidentally lifted my skis up off the snow, (it's a low lift, that you don't really sit in, you just lean your butt back unto a small round plate like thing and you have to keep your legs straight with your skis touching the snow) when , next thing I knew , I fell off and rolled to the side directly into a snow drift almost to my chin. I couldn't get out, my ski's and poles flew in all directions and I was stuck. Thankfully, in the seat behind me was a very gallant young Frenchman who saw my dilemma, jumped from his seat and rescued me. He even carried me to the top of the hill into the nearby hotel, plopped me down in front of a giant fireplace to thaw out, and fed me some good brandy.. Now, who says the French are unfriendly, they had better not say that in front of me!

For those of you who are more adapted to skiing, there are wonderful opportunities to learn or advance your knowledge and expertise. An accredited branch of the French Ski School Federation, a local ski school, has around 100 experienced instructors, many of them proficient in English. Both downhill and Cross Country skiing are offered as well as snow shoeing. Along with indoor activities like aerobic dancing, squash, and of course my favorite, now, "apres" skiing. Another feature of this resort is the Villege des Enfants, where children as young as 3 are taught to ski. There is something for everyone.

An extraordinary and exciting side trip to take by cable or bubble car is to a spot called Le Pleney, where, at 5,367 feet, the view from the top looks out over Mont Blanc and the magnificent vistas of Lake Geneva in nearby Switzerland.

As far as accommodations, I'm sorry to say I really don't remember the name of where we stayed, except, that it was modern, clean and very enjoyable with every amenity you could ask for. And, my favorite, marvelous views of the surrounding snow covered mountains from every vantage point and window in our room. One afternoon, as I was changing clothes, I looked out and actually saw a small avalanche and a few skiers get caught up in it. I immediately called the front desk of the hotel to report it and within minutes I watched as the ski patrol, St. Bernard's and all, were at the scene to bring the skiers down.

Yes, this was a very exciting trip and an incredible Ski Resort. One I will never forget and would highly recommend to anyone who wants a ski experience a little different and off the beaten track, so to speak.

Happy and safe travels......

Recommended: Yes

Level of Experience Needed: Intermediate
Best Time to Visit: April