Sshh... don’t tell anyone about ski tourism’s best kept secret
Sybil Mulcahy says very few people have heard of Samoëns in the Grand Massif, the perfect village for mindful skiing – and fat biking
Ihad just got on the Gondola at the Grand Massif Express when my companion, who had been chatting away, suddenly stopped talking, started to shake and keeled over. There were just two of us in the ski lift and was afraid he was having a stroke and the thought of doing CPR alone as we climbed terrified me so I thrust my poles out the sliding doors as they closed and shouted for the gondola to be stopped.
The French lady in charge was none too impressed with the busy 9am lift being disrupted even though I told her I thought my companion (a fellow journalist from the UK) was having a heart attack. It turns out he has a rare blood condition which causes him to have seizures and no ambulance was needed in the end.
Away from the drama I was on a ‘mindful’ ski trip in Samoëns in the Grand Massif, France’s fourth largest skiing area located an hour by car from Geneva. The itinerary had me intrigued when it came into my inbox as activities included Afghan walking, fat biking and mindful skiing.
This was going to be a different type of ski trip.
If you haven’t heard of Samoëns, join the club. It’s one of Grand Massif’s biggest secrets. In fact while there I met a woman from Northern Ireland on the slopes, who when I told her I was there to review the ski resort said: ‘Please don’t, Samoëns is a real hidden gem that not many people know about and we want to keep it that way.’
The Irish market at this resort isn’t huge yet. The tourist office only began to market it four years ago to international press. The charming village is not only family-friendly but pocket friendly and if you take the early Aer Lingus flight to Geneva from Dublin at 7am you can be on the slopes by 2pm with ski lift prices that are cheaper than other resorts.
Consisting of five resorts – Flaine, Samoëns, Morillon, Sixt and Les Carroz – the Grand Massif offers 265km of piste. Up to 80 per cent of the slopes are north facing so they hold the snow well.
Samoëns itself is a traditional village and has less of a resort feel to it than Chamonix or nearby Morzine. This is a place where people live which happens to have a ski resort attached.
An espresso here will cost you €1. In Courchevel or Méribel you could be looking at €7 or €8. The centre is also traffic free and if you are selfcatering, every Wednesday there is a market selling local produce and the village itself is bursting with patisseries, cheese shops but, be warned, not a huge amount of restaurants.
The only snag: there is only one gondola (the Grand Massif Express) up the mountain from the village which is about five minutes away from the main street though there are free shuttle buses to it every twenty minutes.
We had no problem getting access in January but be prepared for queues during peak season.
It’s also the only resort classed as a historical site in the world. You won’t find row after row of après ski bars here, the village famed for its stonemasons has pretty stonecut buildings, ornate fountains, beautiful churches and a famous botanical garden, the only one of its kind in the Alps, created in 1906 with more than 5,000 plants so there is plenty to admire off the slopes in the evening.
I was staying in a family-run three-star hotel called Les Glaciers which is made entirely of pine. It was basic but pretty and perfectly located in the heart of the small village, just a short bus journey to the gondola. For those who prefer to ski out of your accommodation, a Club Med hotel opened halfway up the mountain two years ago which is one of very few modern buildings in the area.
The skiing here is fantastic and perfect for all abilities but if you don’t ski there are plenty of other activities like fat biking. For those of you like me who have never heard of it, fat bikes are bikes with extra-large knobbly tyres designed for riding on soft surfaces like sand or snow which you can power electronically.
We hired our bikes from Mountain Spirit in the village and headed out to admire the local beauty spots along the river Le Giffre. I hadn’t been on a bike in years but quickly got the hang of it and I felt like I was about ten years old again as we powered over the bumpy terrain and I didn’t even fall! It was a lot of fun and a good activity for someone in the group who may not want to hit the slopes.
The next day, several hundred feet above sea level I was being told to breathe in for two, and out for three, making sure to time it with our steps as we climbed the mountain.
I was Afghan walking, a centuriesold activity which only became popular in the west about 40 years ago. It’s all about altering your breathing techniques to aid stamina, particularly over long distances in mountainous terrain. It’s considered active meditation and after the walk I felt relaxed and completely switched off. If you are a fan of yoga then this well worth a try.
All this activity in the Alps certainty gives you an appetite and there are plenty of fantastic restaurants in Samoëns. Two stood out for me: Le 8M Des Monts in the village and La Table De Fifine.
The former is a real mountain gem and serves organic and locally sourced produce on a wellexecuted menu which includes snails, veal, beef and chilli. Don’t expect fast food here or a long menu. It’s an excellent spot with a very knowledgeable husbandand-wife team behind it. Booking here is essential as it’s small and very popular but make sure you try the organic wine, it’s delicious.
For a more romantic night La Table De Fifine is pretty as a picture on the outside with a roaring fire inside to keep you toasty while you dip your fork into one of their famous fondues.
A good spot for eating on the mountain is the Alpine Lounge restaurant in Les Carroz which does a decent tartiflette (the gooey, cheesy potato dish which is traditional in the region) enjoy this with a glass of vin chaud to warm up the body after skiing down the mountain.