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Knee Deep in the Grand Massif |
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 Posted by sneakerfreaker on Thursday 1st December, 2011 @ 16:12 GMT |
News Category: Camps/Courses | Visited 573 times |
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Last year Will of Learn-2-Live and L'Oreade Chalets invited SurfGirl out to ride the never-ending powder of the Grand Massif. Jane Chambers reports on a gem hidden deep in the sparkling Alps.
I was a bit unsure of what to expect, as the Grand Massif Resort, close to the beautiful French town of Samoens, isn’t exactly famous. I assumed it might be a bit, well, B grade — oh how wrong I was!
Words and Images Jane Chambers |
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First impressions were, where are all the crowds? And why was there still powder after 11am? Was I missing something? Then I realised that the only reason this resort is not exploited more is simply because it isn’t marketed. It’s certainly nothing to do with height, the number of runs or the off piste possibilities. Grand Massif is the third largest ski area in Europe with over 264 kilometres of piste, and it has more powder than you can shake a stick at, but the best thing is that no one knows about it…until now that is! Sorry Grand Massif!
 
The four of us in the group were all of a similar standard — we’d all either done seasons or spent a long time holidaying on the slopes, so we rather considered ourselves experts who would give Will (a qualified ISIA approved Snowboard Coach and a level 3AASI qualified instructor) a run for his money. Or so we thought…
Day one and Will said he would break us in slowly with a warm-up run. After two seconds on our boards we were traversing across a scary ledge onto some plain open fields of powder. Nothing like being thrown into the deep stuff to separate the boys from the men, or the gals from girls in this case.
Will has spent over seven years in this resort and knows every inch of it. Having him by your side is like having a sat-nav that actually works. We went from one powder-filled run to the next. Each day we were out from dawn ’til dusk on the mountains, never repeating a run. Will took us to all his secret spots, places where the powder is still untouched two days after it’s snowed. Sometimes we were blindfolded to keep the spots secret, which added to the excitement — and injuries!
The best run was our home run leading back to Chalet Loreade. I’m under strict instructions not to reveal its name, so I’ll call it the C-Spot… With a bit of effort, you could ride untracked powder for a few kilometres. It opened up into an amazing nature run, where deer sometimes cross your path. You can’t beat such a natural high!
Most evenings we were just too exhausted to leave the chalet. We were battered from trees, powder and too much French wine. When we did finally venture to a bar, a local asked us why we hadn’t been out before. To justify our laziness one of the group said, “Will had been riding us ragged for four days.” Naturally, this was taken the wrong way, and Will became a local hero.
  
Our big night out was down to local Irish bar, Covey’s. On arrival we were greeted by two Irish lads, Shane and Bunty, and within seconds we were downing caramel vodkas (be careful, they are addictive!). That night they had a DJ from Manumission on, so the party was rockin’. Even our taxi driver joined in for a pint… Only in France! These guys know how to run a bar — someone came and ordered some sambucas and within seconds the whole bar was ablaze. The light fittings are topped by drum bits, and if anyone looks like they might be fading, BANG, they hit the base and the party kicks off all over again.
So despite being ridden ragged and forced to drink by the Irish lads, we did manage to get the local’s low-down on where to eat, sleep and drink!
Resort: www.grand-massif.com.
Getting there: Fly to Geneva with Easy Jet, Bmi, Baboo, KLM etc, Grand Massif is only a one hour transfer from Geneva.
Sleep: L'Oreade Chalets www.chalet-loreade.com, Luxury Ski and Snowboard camp/ holidays as endorsed by Ride Snowboards UK, Volkl, K2 and Line Skis.
Ride Snowcamp: Will Giles. Tel: 0033 450 897073, email: info@learn-2-live.co.uk camps, video coaching and photo's.
Cheap Eats: Sherpa shop, or Point Chaud in Flaine — baguette and drink for 5 Euro. Cafe de La Poste- Samoens town.
Top Mountain Fair: L'Epicea, Lou Caboens — great big portions of fresh pasta and the staff are pretty hot too!
Party: Covey’s Irish Bar. Monday night is season-airs night with great happy hour specials. Also check out Le Bois de Lune and Cafe de la Poste in Samoens.
Slopes : Beginners snowboarders can begin on Sixt, a much quieter mountain with mainly blue and red runs which are steep enough to give you the speed you need on a board, but not so steep that you sh*t yourself! Also try Morrilon.
Airport Transfers: Go Massif. email: info@gomassif.com web: www.gomassif.com ph:+33 (0)6.26.07.41.00.
Massages: Ruth from Massage Grand Massif, gives the ultimate massage in the comfort of your own chalet. Tel +33 64 738 70 99
Don't miss: Views of Mont Blanc: on a clear day make your way to the top of Samoens or Flaine and take in he breathtaking views of Mont Blanc (highest mountain in the Alps)
Other Activities: Ice Driving, Dog-sleding, Snow-mobiles, helicopter tours of Mont Blanc .... snow shoe walking..... yoga....... massage. |
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