Confessions of a 30 something seasonaire or “Hello from Les Arcs”

A snowHead

Boredsurfing, for some bonus points, how many resorts can you see from that area?

A snowHead

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bertie bassett, Looking at your fartbag photos has made me wonder if the pink/red fartbag-clad monoskier who spends his afternoons monoskiing under the 2300 chair lift in Plan Peisey has returned again this year? Toofy Grin

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So it was xmas eve, which passed in a bit of a haze, and I had a lie-in on xmas day for a bit, before getting up and opening some pressies. Nice pres from my mum was a new avvy transceiver, now that was an inspired choice wink

now all I need to do is to find some decent pow in order to make it worthwhile, doesn't appear to be much around here at the moment, although I did spot someone getting on the grizzly today with an ABS backpack, which I thought was perhaps a little excessive for cruising around the piste - as it didn't look like he had touring skis or much of the rest of the gear.

Anyway back to xmas day skiing, hooked up with some of the squirrely guys for an arvo of boarding. On with the santa outfits and a bit of a blast around, although going into the 2000 bowl was a msitake, due to the strong breeze. Still we got some laughs, some 'joyeux noels' and a few waves from people who were enjoying the xmas spirit. So if you 4 santas on boards, then that us!! Stopped for a vin chaud in the arpette around 15:30 and then cruised home.

Had been invited to xmas dinner at the squirrel, so trooped along there for 6, and set into a full xmas dinner ably cooked by Joyce & Eamon with some help from Will & Andy, whilst the rest of the staff went boarding! Fantastic effort guys and thanks for the invite. Several hours later and the odd drink or two, the evening rapidly degenarated, whilst the crazy kiwis attacked the shooters with a little help from the ski-beat nannies. Turned into a messsssy xmas wink

Headed out on boxing day to see what was going on. Grabbed a couple of the guys from last night for a quick sesh come 12. TBH it was rubbish, whatever powder was on the slopes was being whipped off by the breeze. The upper lifts to the 2000 bowl were closed, and the pistes were hard-packed to say the least. If the word earlier in the week was 'springlike' then the word for today was 'ice-skating' so we sacked it off pretty quickly and I headed home for a well earned kip, before making it out to watch a bit of footie..

The resort is really starting to fill up - the queue at the checkouts in the sherpa in vallandry at 6 was huge. The car park spaces are filling up and the kit hire shops are all starting to look busy. Could be a tricky week next week with icy pistes (no new freshies apparently), big queues and busy pistes. Might be time to switch to lunch-time only skiing, although I have ski lessons with ESF from 09:15 on Sunday.

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It's quite interesting being a seasonaire as opposed to being a tourist - it totally changes your approach to the whole sliding thing. You're much more prepared to not rush to make 1st lift unless the conditions are great, wiating that 45 minutes for the pistes to soften this week have been a really good call. Plus like the owners or regular visitors, you get to have such a better knowledge of the domain, even down to the extent of knowing where the entrances are for the lift lines, rather than looking for them, which side of the line generally moves the quickest, and how to avoid the bottlenecks.

I haven't really looked at a les arcs piste map at all whilst I 've been out and about. There are still some bits I need to go and find however - I couldn't reliably find 'Rob@Rar's' black in 1600 however, and I still haven't made it down to villargoer, but I'll probably leave that now until we've had a top up.

Right time to go home for some dinner, and to unwrap a few more xmas pressies...

After all it is free

genepi, Havne't seen a fartbag monoskier yet, but will 'keep em peeled'

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Hi Mr.Bassett, love this page, keep it coming please!! Can I just be a bit of a plank though and ask what is a fartbag??

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DAB, a stylish & becoming one-piece ski suit, preferably of '70s era and as garish as possible.

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OK......never did like those, us girlies were always going to be disadvantaged in the toilet department, the sleeves often ended up either on the filthy floor or worse, in the loo-i say never shake hands with a lady in a fartbag. Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

So saturday turned up bright and sunny...having seen how icy the pistes were on boxing day, then it was time to get the skis out and go for a bit of a trip around the pistes, should have brought my camera as it was bright and sunny (again!) but still not feeling confident enough on skis to ski with camera, oh well there's only another 4 months for photos wink

Had a bit of a warm-up in the beginner area above plan-peisey, largely to get my legs back in but also as an excuse to checkout the cutest lifty in the resort who seems to work the bottom station on 2300 most days. Although she's got some competition on this side of the hill - is that why they call it 'paradiski'? wink

Then headed off on a little tour, did a couple of laps of the renard before shooting down to 1800 and hopping in the transarc. Went down col de la chal, which is almost as dull on skis as it is on the board, took arcabule backup and then tried plan des eaux which ws marginally better. Stopped at 2000 for a bit of a look about, the new development look nice, but you'd really want to be on the sunny side of the block! The pootled down through 1950 village (also my first time having a look about - looks pretty but don't think I'll be stopping to shop there!) Took Bois de L'ours up, and watched some people come down the black ours run, depsite the fact that it mainly looked like stones and grass rather than snow. Getting off the lift at the top then it was obvious that the pisteurs had closed the run (along with clair and fond blanc) but despite this people had still decided to ski down it. I just don't get it really the piste itself is closed, the off-piste in that area is just like being on a piste and yet still people are heading down that run. Oh well it's their bases, not mine.

Stopped for a minute to take in the view at the top of the arpette piste, before gently heading back home. All good till I got to the bottom and on 'retour plan-peisey' parts of the run were so icy it was impossible to actually turn, or slow down - not sure how to deal with that and pointers? In the end rather than head down the last 100 yds, I dived off-piste and cut back in round the back of the ski-beat chalets before unclipping and walking home. Didn't really enjoy the last bit so didn't head out in the afternoon, but on reflection I should have headed up again, and just downloaded on the peisey lift - nothing wrong with that right? We definitely need some more snow, otherwise come the end of NYE week, the pistes are going to be cream crackered.

Thought about popping down to BSM for some retail therapy, but having heard on Radio les Arcs that they were predicting 24,000 vehicle movements between BSM & Moutiers today, I knocked that idea on the head and just chilled in the flat. Not sure of the plan for tonight, but something will probably turnup...

Tomorrow starts my 3 week stint of no lie-ins... Sad

Ski School from tomorrow..then the following week have some '1st lift' friends out before heading up to Cham for a McNab clinic..

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bertie bassett, I'm loving your reports - keep them coming please Toofy Grin

I've been known to come down on the Peisey lift if its too icy down the bottom - no shame in that wink

A snowHead

i agree with genepi! great reading your reports i always wanting to do a season just never had the bottle to do it!

A snowHead

Agreed about the repotys - love them, having been to Peisey twice already and returning for the third time in March, great to hear a trip report where you recognise the pistes and bars (!), will only get worried about the lack of new snow about mid Feb......LOL at the Ski Beat Nannies on the shooters, hope their 'charges' were'nt screaming too loudly on Boxing Day!!

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So saturday night, had some dinner at home and then headed out for a cheeky bevvy. Most of the usualy crowd in the bar, but met eloise (tom-a*se's gf) for the first time. Rather wished I hadn't as later on in the evening I was rugby tackled off a bar stool right onto the floor, and ended up with a very pissed french bird lying on top of me. Still no harm done thankfully, and the rest of the evening progressed in similar vein, prior to me turning so I could get up early for ski school

At the meeting point at 09:10am, readhy to do some standing around in the cold, and yes there was quite a lot of that as we had to wait for a quite a few people to turn up - ok so no doubt a few of them were dropping off kids and their lessons, but not that many in our group seemed to be old enough to have kids so that wasn't really the reason. Not wanting to name names but I did notice a rep from one of the larger chalet outfits in this area wandering around with a pile of passes and a clipboard at a time not unadjacent to 09:15 - so if these were being 'dropped' at the chalet, prior to clients leaving for the slopes then it's not surprising that some of their clients were late.

No drama we eventually set off up the hill at about 09:40 which is a bit crap for a 09:15 start. guess having done about 4 days already this season, I'd found my ski feet which is very diffetrent from the newbies straight off the bus. Plus being a boarder and happy on all of the mountain, then hacking down the hill at speed it something I'm used too.

I had been booked into class one which is described as 'I can take a drag-lift, do snowplough turns and stop on blue runs' - perhaps I should have been in class 2 - "I can side-slip and begin to do wide parallel turns on red runs". Given that I didn't feel I was upto red runs then I'd gone for class 1 - Big error - all we did all frigging morning was plonk around on the nursery slopes.. taking the drag lift which then broke down for about 20 minutes during the session. Once we'd stopped caterpillaring behing the instructor, I was 'lapping' the nursery slope in less time than it was taking other people to get 1/2 way down the run. God it was dull. Still I hoped that it would be good to get some technique hints but i didn't get more than 'relax' and put your hands in front of you.

Still on the way back to the bottom, the instructor took us off the cat-track across to derby and then down on of the easier reds, as the traffic on the blue was terrible with about 20 classes all trying to wind their way home. So off starts the caterpillar, and I think "bug it - I'm going for it" - shot straight passed the instructor and did 10 shortish parallel turns in a row, then stopped nicely at the edge of the piste, waiting for him and the group to catchup. So when he catches up, he stops and says tomorrow you go in a higher class - thank fck for that I was about to die of boredom if I'd been stuck in that class.

I guess I'd expected the 'sorting hat' to come out, as I'd seen ESF do previously albeit in La Plagne 1800 - even though some people might have booked class 1, class 2 etc - and we ended up with about 4 groups of adults across those classes - surely all they could have done was watch us ski down and sort accordingly - something they did for the morass of the more experienced kids. After dying of boredom during the lesson, I had to grab some water, a scooby snack and then go for a blast to avoid the cold. Headed across to derby and did a couple of laps of the renard blue, before thinking 'in for a penny' and dedicing to give bellette a go (the red) - well managed to get down that wihout too much side slipping, or falling over so happier with the idea of skiing reds tomorrow.

Quick lunch back at the gaff, and headed over to La Plagne for a couple of photos. Went up to the top of biolin and skied back, but rather wished I hadn't bothered. It really was shockingly icy, busiier than the m25 on a friday afternoon, and generally as much fun as sticking pins under your finger nails. Met a brit couple on the lift who said that the snow in LP is rubbish and much better on the LA side, and based on my experience there's some truth in that.

Not sure of tonights plan, perhaps a couple of 'quiet' beers and then an early night Laughing

ready for school tomorrow and meeting some fellow snowHead

for lunch in the arpette.

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bertie bassett, You would learn more in a 2 hr one to one ski lesson than 12 hours in a ski class.

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bertie bassett, take your point. Is there a SCGB rep in the village, you could have a days skiing with them without any cost

After all it is free

bertie bassett, there's a reason I recommend NewGen Wink

Still OK for meeting tomorrow?

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bertie bassett, Avoid the top of the Peisey lift tomorrow (monday) at about 9.45 - 10am - Club Med organise their classes there & it is Skullie

(or they did last year, & it was wink

)

You know it makes sense.

Boredsurfing, you're a very naughty man...

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Well if yesterday was rubbish then today was fun..moved up a group in lessons together with James from my level 1 group. Funnily enough we turned out to be the 2 fastest in the level 2 group as well. Perhaps being younger (a bit in my case) and a bit more gung-ho made up for any lack of technique. Still did some reds and some interesting exercises, and didn't spend any time on the boring nursery slopes. Come enf of lesson shot back up for lunch at the arpetter, but the queue at the vagere was ridculous. Still got there about 12:25 and bumped into Rob@Rar, Mrs Rob@Rar and AllanM on the terrace. Arpette had no spare seats so shot down to 1600 and ate at the 3 arcs restauraunt.

In the afternoon skied as a group and Rob was able to give me some useful tips on technique as well as do a decent tour guide impression! So we did the montblanc a couple of times working on technique and then a couple of other runs before calling it quits..

Thanks to Rob for his useful tips, and nice to meet up with the other snowheads...lets see if the snow-lies brings us more snow later this week as promised - might be time to get the board out again!

A snowHead

HI all

Just read this thread for the first time - having just returned from Plan Peisey - highly interesting thread
Especially as I can add votes for the winner in the multi coloured ski suit - as we ssaw the same guy several times and had already
voted that the best ( worst outfit) - however did you know that ther were TWO of them - we saw them on the same slope on one occasion.

Glad you had a good lunch with Joyce - She was in the same ski school group as us for a couple of days ( remember Hilary & Gary ) !!.

Shame about their apartment !!!

Good luck for the rest of the season - I envy you

A snowHead

I don't know whether it was the cold, or 3 arcs pizzas for lunch, or the amount of skiing I'd done, but I was completely cream crackered on Monday night. Took me a good 20 minutes for the extermities to warmup over a hot coffee. Had some dinner in the flat, sat on the sofa and 5 seconds later I was dead to the wind. Woke up at about 10:30pm, thinking shugar I'm late for the quizz. Dropped into the squirel and it was completely rammed, but got shanghaied onto a team with the noisy kiwis for the last 3 rounds. Didn't totally cover ourselves in glory, largely by wee wee-poor selection of when to play the joker 'a new variante' for this week, which the boys chose for 'celebs' thinking that theri gf's were avid heat readers, but in typicaly squirrel style that didn't really help much. Still a not bad 4th place to continue the tradition of 'just off the podium'. Made it home about 1am, and then didn't sleep that well having slept too much earlier in the evening

Tuesday arrives bright and sunny (for a change!) but I was feeling rubbish - like I'd drunk 10 pints rather than none at all (as was actually the case!) - still made it down to ski-school, whereupon Michael (ESF Instructor) decided to take us on a little tour, as the forecast was better than for tomrrow. So we went across to Gd Renard lift via Derby, and then dropped down into the Arcs 2000 bowl for a couple of runs. A quick pole through the 1950 village to complete the tour process, and a return by the Bois De l'ours lift. Interesting that none of the group had previously been upto Arcs 2000, even though it's pretty obvious that you can get there and back via blue runs. Again I guess being a boarder that's using to racking the miles up when with skiers, then I'm qiute used to grabbing a map and disappearing to the far side of the mountain.

Post lesson, got my comeupannce for the 1st time - pushing the pace a little on the blue next to 2300 ended up grabbing and inside edge (I think) and ending up in a crumpled heap, not unadjacent to the entry to the drag lfit. Skis didn't come off wihch surprised me, perhaps we need to revist the DIN settings. Still straight back on the horse, over to derby and did a couple of laps of the blue before heading down Bellette (red) 3 times before calling it quits. Interestingly the queue at the derby was bigger at 13:00 than it was at 12:30 - right out to the entrances. Then you get the wombats who just standaround waiting for their mates blocking up the entrances - FFS why not wait to onside!

As the sun went in, I decided to call it quits and headed home for lunch. Took a couple of hours over lunch before heading down to BSM for a bit of shopping. The traffic was horrendous and heading towards the Super U (between the St Bernard Hotel and the Maccy D's roundabout) I was waved over by the gendarmerie - oh tish, I wonder what this is for. checking papers perhaps - good they're in the boot. So I got out my car and spoke in my best franglais to the lady genandarm - random breath test was the order of the day - oh well not had a drink for a few days so I'm all right jack, not as sophisticated a tool as the brits use but it came up with the right result and I was able to go on my way. So in 20 years of driving in the UK, I've only once had to give a breath sample after a massive shunt, and in 2 weeks in France, I've been stopped by customs and then breath tested by the feds - is it just the UK plate, or do I look particularly dodgy? BSM itself was completely rammed, I got the impression that everyone was in SuperU stocking up for New Year. I'd dread to be anywhere near it on transfer day.

So how do you know when you are a local? Well when you overtake on the resort access road! Did that on the way home just to prove my 'seasonaire' credentials!

Tonight will be the Irish night in the squirrel as apparently the singer is fantastic...I must go drinking in another pub soon though but it is only 50 yds from my front door Laughing

Snow forecast over the next couple of days - bring it on!!

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bertie bassett, really enjoying your accounts!

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bertie bassett, Check out the back road to SUper U - turn right in Vallandry & keep the mountain side of the railway line wink

Is your Michael instructor the local electrician, Michael (Mengholis, I think, or something like it) - good tel. no to have in your phone, if so! Smile

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bertie bassett, enjoying your blog. Yours (and johnnyboy's last season) is reinforcing my thoughts about what to do in the first winter after I retire!

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Really enjoying this, would love to know the '£end figure all in£' for your adventure.

Love the overtaking bit....lol

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After all it is free

Bloody computers - got the update all ready to go yesterday and then the laptop crashed..grr

Oh well, not that much to report from NYE in terms of the skiing - Went out with the instructor and did various blues and reds, did a couple of exercises which were quite interesting - one where he went down the slope and then indicated by moving his poles around which way we were meant to turn. Seemed a good exercise to get people looking down the slope rather than ski gazing which apparently some 50% of us were all guilty off. Also did another exercise wihch showed that I still Z turn too much, which is something I need to really work on. Going down renard (blue off derby) about 11am it was full of nervous 'improvers' and then a couple of 'park rat kids' tried blasting through on their twin tips. Well Michael, our instructor wasn't having any of that, and sticking his poles out horizontally like he was a 5 year old playing airplanes, he cut them off so they had to full emergency stop, and some words were exchanged in french that I think out instructor got the better off. He also took us down some gentle off piste, which was quite tricky as with the amount of traffic that had been down that route it was fairly hard and icy.

NYE itself went to La Vache with Eamon, Joan and some friends of theirs over from Ireland. Bit of a blow out really, and the ladies of the Vache did us proud. This is definitely a restaurant to go to if you're in Peisey-Vallandry, got a real nice feel to it, excellent food and some great staff. If you have fussy eaters then it might not be the best place to go, as the work off a small menu that changes fairly frequently, so there's not as much choice as perhaps in other places. After dinner headed back to the squirrel for the countdown, and then most of the crew moved on to the mont blanc, but feeling as I did 10 degrees under the weather then I chose to pull the cord (dull I know but it was snowing!)

One of the things I like about going skiing are the 'sounds of the resort' - whether preent or absent! It was very noticeable last night that the bashers weren't running at 7pm as they had previouslly. I guess the waiting til most of the forecast snow fell before getting out early in the morning. Lying in bed @ 07:30 in the morning and hearing the snowplough going up and down outside your window is another great sound of the resort.

Made lessons on NY day, which was great fun - with the freshies our instructor took us straight off piste, albeit in quite an easy section under the 2300 chair. Interesting that some of the group members were moaning about their legs after the 1st run - doesn't anyone focus on getting fit for skiing? We then did a bit of a tour down to Vagere and back via Gd. Renard, and we fitted in a couple of exercises on the way. One whicih was called 'human slalom' where we line up on a slope with 3m gaps between us, and then the last person slalom's through the group and then stops, and this continues in a 'stripping the willow' fashion. The other exercise involved holding the poles horizontally, but only resting them on your wrists - apprarently this would show who moved the shoulders as the poles would fall off. With the group size down to 7, with a couple of the others having dropped out, largely to ski with family rather than hang-over reasons then I thought the group would move a little quicker. Unfortunately one of the ladies in the group decided that this was the day she'd loose her mojo and so she was skiing incredibly slowly much to my frustration, as we could probably have done twice as much again! Choose to ski down l'ours rather than the windy blue at the end of the lesson, much less traffic but the snow on it was not nice, as I think it was mainly artifical. Called it a day at that as feeling less than 100% and have a busy couple of weeks coming up.

loving your reports

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bertie bassett, snowHead

Excellent. Doesn't take long for the frenetic "first lift to last" mentality to wear off, does it? Take it easy and smell the coffee - great. Glad the lessons are OK now, and I think it was a good decision for this week. We went out this morning, and the first hour or so was great, empty pistes in fantastic condition but then the crowds got out of bed. Only one day of this lift queue and traffic madness - then you can settle in for a long, quiet, January.

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Confessions of a 30 something seasonaire or “Hello from Les Arcs”

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