Avoriaz 2020

Rather than a cup of coffee, can I interest you in a Vin Chaud and a piece of home-made Christmas cake on the ski slopes of Avoriaz just on the border of France and Switzerland?

For the first time we have gone back somewhere two years running, as intrepid explorers it’s not our style.

We were just looking for something in budget, similar transfer time from the airport and somewhere that we know would do good food, somewhere authentic.

There is a little hamlet called Prodain just outside of Morzine with a small family run hotel, les lan.   The prodain lift is minutes away taking you straight to the main ski lifts of Avoriaz.

Getting There requires an early start!

• 2:55am It’s Saturday and the alarm springs to life.
• 3:40 and the taxi is here, there’s a bit of grumpy ness the boys hitting it off well from the start. The taxi moves through the streets with no holdups. There are few folk still out from the night before. Kicking out time from the club we pass.
• 4:20 the bags are checked in and we are sat eating porridge and granola. My wife’s attempt at getting pre-soaked muesli through the scanner foiled!
• 6:20 and the flight leaves on time, a little bumpy due to wind approaching
• 9:20 local time (+1 hr) and if someone poked me in the left ear with a knitting needle I’d thank them for it. I’m in agony from the pressure changes and the remains of fluid from my cold.
• 10:20 baggage claimed, skis in tow we get on the coach. An apple, a piece of Christmas cake and a thimble of coffee I’m almost starting to feel human. The lights different, the sun is shining and despite it being cold it’s an uplifting feeling.
• 1:20pm and we arrive at the hotel, eat our home made Tuna sandwiches in our room….with a plan to explore the resort

Some Thoughts

That first beer on holiday, when you sit down breathe and realise for a week you’ve earned some freedom from the daily grind is worth its weight in gold.

The menu is exciting, mainly familiar to my school boy french….but with nuances. A week of good eating ahead of us.  Nice to be cooked for without having to think.

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The weather, we’ve been fortunate with the first and last days being sunny.  The wind chill in between was punishing. We also had rain and some of the snow was washed away.

The skiing has been defensive, one moment free flowing through powder like coasting over velvet. The next hard packed ice, where the skis take on a life of their own, with a noise that cuts through the bone.

Despite what I would describe as the worst snow and weather conditions we’ve ever had; alongside the aches and pains from the muscles that are used to being sat in a chair all day I feel like I’ve got a glow from being weathered. I’ve not missed staring at a screen all day!

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Tune of the holiday has to be the Blinding Lights by the weekend, seemed to be playing at the bottom of the chairlifts and if it wasn’t being played then, my son was playing it in the hotel room.

Now sat safely at home in front of the computer drinking coffee, feeling blessed. Tuning into the news the weather system is in a crazy state. If we’d been a day either side of our travel days it would be very unlikely we’d got away. At least 170 flights cancelled today. Homes devastated by flooding and my heart goes out to them.

The #WeekendCoffeeShare is an informal weekly link-up hosted by Eclectic Alli that serves as weekly heart beat and sort of of a mind-dump. Helps me reflect on my week, with a list of achievements, thoughts and rambles normally whilst drinking a beverage probably listening to music.