HAPPY VALLEYS
JON BIRD GETS WINED, DINED AND ENTERTAINED AS HE REDISCOVERS HIS SKI LEGS IN FRANCE
MOUNTAIN man Yann lit a flaming torch to guide our trek into the forest at night. We set off in a line and were quickly swallowed up by giant fir trees, leaving behind the warm, inviting lights of the millionaires’ ski chalets.
On the still, moonlit evening the silence was only broken by our laboured breathing and the crunch of our snowshoes on the steep Alpine slopes as we headed to our goal deep in the woods.
The 10ft-wide igloos were 20 minutes from the town but a world away from the flash sports cars and bling of Courchevel 1850, one of France’s chicest ski spots.
Yann Couillard had built them over three days and they were surprisingly warm inside. The alcoholic apple drink he served in ice glasses also helped and he can offer guests a fondue too.
If Yann was carrying a torch for an alternative Alpine adventure in 1850, then Ski France’s perfectly placed Hotel Courchevel Olympic was doing the same for affordable accommodation.
The snug two-star hotel in the heart of the resort is perfect for a break in the Three Valleys, which has one of the world’s finest ski ranges.
Its 27 rooms have big TVs, excellent showers, retro-but-stylish flock wallpaper and extremely comfortable beds.
Manager Stefane’s welcome was as warm as the wood-burning stove he keeps fired up in the lounge bar, which served happy-hour pints for €4. The hotel’s ski room is across the road from the slopes.
The Three Valleys’ stats are impressive – 370 miles of skiable area starting at 2,000ft and rising to 10,600ft, with 335 runs, more than half of which are easier greens and blues.
No bad thing, as trying to get back my ski legs under ominous, overcast skies after a
two-year break was not easy.
I was on a fine set of Rossignol Pursuit skis going so slowly I had little chance of catching anything but a cold.
After a challenging morning, lunch was a welcome break – and what a lunch. La Folie Douce not only laid on some high-quality food and fine Chateau d’Estoublon, it also provided an extraordinary outdoor show.
An amazing dance troupe, backed by infectiously catchy music, featured stunning athleticism and power from ripped men, and grace and suppleness from women in barelythere costumes, including one in a red frilly gown with a sparkly skull headdress.
Dry ice and purple smoke filled the air and customers danced on tables in their ski boots as the afternoon party really kicked off.
A healthier and less precarious way to exercise, away from the restaurant between Courchevel and Meribel, is by visiting futuristic, wave-shaped Aquamotion, a short bus ride from 1850.
Here you can pump up your muscles or pamper your body.
For the energetic there is a climbing wall, gym, pools for swimming lengths and surfing and even a simulator opening up virtual worlds.
It also offers numerous types of massages and therapies, warm whirlpool baths, slides and saunas.
Baking in the Finnish sauna then dipping into the cold outdoor plunge pool was truly exhilarating.
Ski France offers vouchers to those staying at the Olympic so guests can have lunch at Cafe del Mott, linked to the company’s stylish Hotel le Mottaret, dine at the fabulous fondue restaurant La Fromagerie and enjoy the upbeat Chez Gaston.
It may come as a surprise but ski resorts can get too much snow.
So when a big fall closed a two-mile long toboggan run at neighbouring Courchevel 1650, that meant longer to enjoy
€7 happy hour drinks and free pizza at La Portetta’s Fire and Ice under the glassy gaze of its many stuffed animals.
The other silver lining was the following morning with fresh snow glittering in the sun on 1850’s wide, forgiving and spectacular pistes.
Finishing our trip with a reasonably priced and fabulous lunch of fresh anchovies, shellfish, steak and delicious puddings on the terrace of La Pomme de Pin proved one thing: the luxury world of Courchevel can be your oyster, without costing the earth.