 Poster: A snowHead
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A snow report with a difference, from a friend...
While the almighty Compagnie des Alpes keeps the skiers of the Paradiski area waiting, down in the southern French Alps the less commercially-minded resorts have been galvanised into action following the recent snowfalls. One such example is the tiny Mont Serein village on the north-facing slopes of the Mont Ventoux in the Vaucluse department, otherwise known as the 'Giant of Provence'...
Two years have gone by with skiers making do with icy, rutted slopes, the resort's sole piste basher and its grizzled old driver not daring to venture anywhere near, for fear of removing the few centimetres of 'snow' that separated the skier from the grassy slopes beneath. At last an early season fall has brought real soft powder to the Ventoux, with even the possibility of some off-piste, despite the occasional patch of long grass and thistle poking through the snow...
Slaloming through the thistles is a particular pleasure reserved for connoisseurs of the slopes of the Mont Serein, during the summer months on grass skis, and when the snow gods smile on the mountain and rare clouds appear in the Provencal skies, now and again - if, sadly, less frequently these days - during the winter as well.
After the pistes had been bashed, a base of between 10 and 20 centimetres covered the meadows last weekend, compact yet powdery, a genuine pleasure for the locals to slide over the prepared Lisière, Chapelle, Gros Pin runs, and much more...
No fighting to get to the lifts, button ride after button ride the few skiers in the 'resort' found themselves alone climbing the mountain, and frequently sliding back down as well, with burning leg muscles after tackling the challenging reds and blacks without a pause.
Sunny weather, cold, but no wind... Pure pleasure, away from the commercialism of the mega resorts.
A distant memory for me, but still a touch of envy, wistful memories of my first days on skis; no pressure, no racing, no Compagnie Des Alpes, few tourists, just the Provençal sunshine, quiet slopes, friendly, cheap bars and restaurants, and the company of friends...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PG, Sounds perfect to me (apart from the button lifts)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| PG, Sounds perfect to me (apart from the button lifts) |
Luxury, we dream of upgrades to button's from the t-bars round here 
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