Has anyone been away of late?

A snowHead

Hey y'all,

Just got back from a great week in Les Arcs, Francais. I stayed in 2000 which is the worst place for boarders to stay in the 2000 set up, i.e. as opposed to 1950, 1800 and maybe 1600. The only way back into the 2000 zone is via some horrific blue runs which even skiers were struggling with nevermind pole-less boarders. I have some bitching to do about the company I went with but this depends on whether I get the compensation I asked for. Suffice to say I booked 'premium', being my 30th b-day an' all, and recieved much much less. Anyway, this is an asides as I had a cool as f**k trip.

The riding was fantastic, best on-piste activities were to be found over towards Vallendry and to some degree 1800. Over Vallendry (Grizly lift) way there was a fantastic wide blue with mogully jumpy stuff on one side and shallow stuff on the other for technique building stuff. Riding switch is now a cinch as is jumping more than a few inches. This is followed by a gorgeous wide red which is achingly enjoyably fast, even the ice is enjoyable with that kind of width of slope.

I'm not an off-piste expert but managed to detour off the beaten track into some wonderful tree areas whereby adrenalin replaced hangover as dominant chemical in body. If Les Arcs has any key virtue it must be as an introduction to off-piste riding for both boarders (and skiers?).

2000 is far from being an apres-ski paradise but that was never my objective, I just wanted comfort and great riding. Over Vallandry way it was so quiet that I was wondering whether I was riding closed runs or whether I was riding as bad as I dance and people were giving me wide-berth. No I was just blessed.

No fully functional parks as yet but managed to encroach my way into the Apocalypse park. Lots of nice rollers and lips for the more confident. By this point my knees were swelled to grapefruit proportions with iboprofen from mogul jumps.

If it was not for the last day I would have a whole bunch of stuff to moan about skiers. If it was not for the last day I would say that boarders are not the only a$$holes to occupy middle the middle of the piste sitting, waiting or otherwise causing damage and disruption. Nor, would my major vendetta be lauched against French skiers occupying 1m68 of a 2m blue bottleneck. This may come back to haunt me on SH but I rode straight over his ski's for such rudeness, such was the arrogance displayed. This asides I met some wonderful fellow plankers, one of which who gave me an extended tow into 2000. Rather than let him tow me all the way in I tapped him on the shoulder and suggested a vin Chaud. Aaaah...

Anyway, a stunning time had and I can't wait to get away again soon. snowHead

A snowHead

Boarders can avoid the Plan des Eaux blue at 2000 when coming back into the bowl. There's the Muguet/Comborcière black from the top of the Clocheret, then the (slow) Pre St Esprit lift. Or the Lac red from the top of the Arpette then the Marmotte chair. True from the Transarc you can only avoid part of it by taking one of the reds... Still on skis it's easy enough, with the right wax you can glide the whole way.

Help!!

Has anyone been away of late?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste