 Poster: A snowHead
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Our Aravis season pass included a special red ticket - 3 days in other Haute Savoie resorts, for an extra 1 EUR on top of the season pass price. It seemed daft not to go for a deal like that. So we spent a third of it up in Megeve today. Stayed around the Arbois/Joux/Joly area.
Conditions were great on-piste. Spring-like, crystally snow in some places, bit slushy here and there, but pistes in great nick. I dipped a toe off the side, and that was a bit heavy and meringue-y - not so great. It seems odd to say after such massive recent snowfall, but it could do with a topup! It was incredibly warm - when the wind blew, as it did especially high up, it actually felt warm like a summer wind. Not a pleasant sensation, and a portent of more snow damage.
Traffic-wise, it was very uncrowded. Away from obvious/green pinch points we often had entire runs to ourselves. Blue skies overhead mostly - views to the South were smashing, Northwards looking at Mt Blanc it was a bit more cloudy. Mt Blanc never revealed his summit to us out of the cloud all day - and there was a definite lenticular dome-like clound hanging over him.
All in all a great day out, but a good day to be an on-piste thrasher rather than an off-piste guy. Favourite descents of the day: Princesse and Voltigeurs blacks down to Mont Arbois, and the red Grand/Petit Epaule combo down to St Nicolas. Fabulous runs to absolute hammer it down with barely anyone else around.
Pics!
Looking down toward St Nic (I think!)
Bit cloudy over Mt Blanc.
Rather clearer skies the other way.
Most pistes were about this busy. This was looking up from a cafe near Mont Joly. Good Croque Monsieur, appalling 'Boer War latrine' style toilets with empty 'antibacterial gel' dispenser. Would eat there again, would avoid urinating there again.
Completely deserted black run home.
Looking down the same run from the same spot. Nary a punter in sight. Apart from that shady looking gentlemen in the trees on the left. I wouldn't trust him if I were you.
We'd been wanting to give Megeve a proper crack of the whip for ages. We'd been a couple of times but only stayed on the noddy bits with Pie Jr - today we had babysitting courtesy of a visiting grandmother! Definitely a place we'd like to go back to. Nice variety of runs (not keen on the 'Monte Carlo rally' descent from Mont Joly though!), very pretty scenery, and for us today at least loads of empty space to play in. Considering we only spent 33.3 centimes on it, I would have to disagree with anyone who says it's expensive or exclusive. If anything, I would happily have payed twice as much.
Oh yeah, and one of the most dilapidated turtlesque lift systems I've ever been on. Seriously Megeve, you're a town full of diamond rings and fur coats and affluence. Maybe upgrade a few of those decrepit plastic two-seaters, yeah?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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you're a town full of diamond rings and fur coats and affluence.
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who don't bother to go skiing! I drove through Megeve today and though you can't see much, from the roads, the pistes did look decidedly empty, though Les Saisies had looked quite busy on the way through, in contrast to yesterday when it was deserted. The town was busy, driving back at about 6.
I have 3 free Haute Savoie days with my lift pass too (without paying an extra penny). I wonder where I shall go??
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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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I think Praz sur Arly looked a lot busier than Megeve as we passed through it on the way home...
We're still debating what to do with our 3rd red ticket. Reckon the 2nd one is betrothed to the Grand Massif.
Probably your neck of the woods is looking favourite! Originally thought Chamonix, but it's all spread out and looks all a bit of a pain in the you-know.
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