Life affirming trip for two on the piste
This year I made just one resolution - to stop limiting myself with fears of what ifs…
First on the list was the ski trip I’d put off for six years after seeing one too many friends arrive home with various alarming injuries. I’d let fear get the better of me and put off doing something that I have always known makes me feel completely alive and full of joy.
I was going to go alone - another first for me - but daughter Hannah so kindly offered to accompany me:)
Four day window
We had a four day window so the challenge was to find an area that was a) reasonably close to an airport b) catered for rusty (and admittedly rather nervous) returners and c) (perhaps most importantly ) was snow sure after an unseasonably warm period pre Christmas.
Through extensive research one area kept cropping up. Avoriaz, a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. Known as a high altitude resort it is also known for being a pedestrian ski resort where people get about on horse drawn carriages or snow mobiles . Transfer from Geneva is just over an hour.
Finding accommodation was a little more tricky. There are two main hotels in the area: the traditional Hotel des Dromonts by Sowell Collection and a newer one called Hotel MiL8. We wanted a hotel as we felt it would be more sociable for the two of us.
Reviews of both of the hotels were very mixed and one could easily have been put off booking. I find this about so many hotels now - such wildly mixed reviews it’s hard to get a sense of what is genuine or not. In the end we opted for Hotel des Dromonts - just because I really liked the quirky looking architecture (not everyone does).
We couldn’t have chosen better
We couldn’t have chosen better. From the moment we walked in the door we were greeted by one of the warmest and most professional teams of staff I’ve ever encountered. I just cannot understand why anybody could not like this charming 37 bedded four star hotel. Nothing was too much trouble and we immediately felt completely at home. This kind of reception feels especially important when one is travelling alone or in a small group.
We really couldn’t fault anything in the hotel. We opted for half board and the food was great. Half board was good as a lot of the restaurants close in the evening. The rooms were spacious with the most outstanding views onto the mountains. We skied directly out from our hotel and the main chairlifts are about five minutes away, There’s a great variety of slopes - some fabulous and pretty challenging blue/red runs were a particular appeal for me. Just enough adrenalin , but not too much. I do think my days of black runs are now behind me. Views are unbelievable and the resort is one of the friendliest I’ve been to - lot of people on trip advisor mention this last point.
A private two hour ski lesson really helped us get on our way. I so recommend this as it enabled us to find our confidence again (I was a pretty ok skier in my early 20s) and to quickly fall madly/wildly/passionately in love with the mountains again. Why oh why have I let so many years go by without this in my life!
Pre-ski yoga
Two things helped me feel safer on the slopes. One is I’m a yoga teacher and studied and practised ski-fit yoga for about six weeks pre-trip. The strength and balance that yoga gives you definitely stopped me falling on more than one occasion. The second was my weekly march up Boxhill in Surrey - a place where Olympic cyclists go to train - this had improved my fitness to a significant extent.
My last ski trip, about six years ago, was ruined as I hadn’t pre-trained. I’d felt unsure on the slopes, everything ached and I’d got exhausted. My experience this time couldn’t have been more different and I easily kept up with my super-fit 30 year old daughter.
We are already booking for next season and who knows I may even slip off again myself before this season ends. This is a place you could definitely travel to solo or to join a group I was reading in the paper today that taking risks and pushing oneself out of our comfort zones are key to healthy ageing - both emotionally and physically.
As one gets older it is so easy to slow down/close down with the understandable fear of not wanting to break anything/do anything that affects one’s health in a negative way. I do think fitness and flexibility training are more important in our latter years - but as long as we are properly prepared we shouldn’t deny ourselves such exhilarating pleasures in life.
Fear of heights
I felt so revived and energised by this trip - so much better than some of my recent holidays sitting around on a beach. Only one minor problem. whilst I felt much more confident on skis than I had expected, I can’t say the same for the chairlifts. For some strange reason I’ve developed a fear of heights - never had this before.
I shall now be enlisting the help of my brilliant hypnotherapist friend as I can’t have this ruining my next trip. I don’t want anything to stop me now.
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