An Extraordinary Winter
While we are waiting to be able we have been reflecting on the most extraordinary winter any of us has ever had. My initial dread of a deathly-quiet, ‘Shining’-style empty resort never materialised - rather than mourning boozy, cheesy lunches, and aprés ski-boot dancing, we discovered plenty of positives we hadn’t considered prior to this ‘saison blanche’.
The main plus points include the realisation of ‘how much more is around to explore beyond the infrastructure provided the lifts, and ‘the amazing community feel of the town with everyone supporting each other’, despite the restrictions on our social lives. And while commercially the season might have been a tough one, from a family perspective many of us had our first complete family Christmas and New year - normally during the busy winter months family commitments get overlooked because the winter holidays are some of the busiest holiday weeks.
What’s more, it’s likely that the population of the Valley has never been fitter! Many committed downhill skiers discovered the joys of ‘uphill skiing’ (ski touring), snow-shoeing and Nordic skiing. You might not get as many kilometres under your belt - and it’s harder work than standing in the lift queue - but the buzz of getting to the top then and earning your turns on the way down (and your fondu at the end), is arguably a more profound feeling of satisfaction!
This accumulated level of fitness is going to serve us well come summer - all of us are looking forward to getting back on the river and in the canyon, as well as some swimming in Lake Montriond, and the road bikers on the team are keen to feel the muscle burn on the way up, followed by the adrenaline of coming down at 50-60km/h on flimsy tires (you’re mental Mihai!). Not to mention climbing, via ferrata, hiking and camping :-)
We'll be updating you with summer options as soon as we know how the restrictions will affect us, and verify we can compy with all safety precautions!
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