Alping in the New Year 2010, Part 1

Click here for Part 2. Click here for Part 3.

I accrued such an immense number of stories and pictures while in the French Alps for the past two weeks that it would literally take another two weeks to compose a blog post to neatly sum everything up. So, over the next couple of days I will randomly chunk non-chronological prattle while trying to maintain some semblance of narrative continuity. That being said, let’s start off with some nonsequitur cheese porn!!

When we go to the French Alps, we go to a mountain village called Montchavin, where Mr. Pinault’s family has vacationed for more than 30 years. Montchavin is entirely dependant on tourism; most of the residences are second homes and/or rental property, and the businesses (bakery, markets, skiing shops, etc) are open seasonally and operated by people who live in the valley. The week between Christmas and New Years is a bustling time in Montchavin, and the tiny downtown hops nightly with games, activities, and complementary shots of alcohol (really.)

Evening in Montchavin

On New Year’s Eve, Montchavin plays host to the descente aux flambeaux — dozens of ski instructors descending the main slope while holding torches.

Descente aux Flambeaux

This year, no one wanted to go see the descente aux flambeaux with me, so I went alone. I get a kick out of it; there’s something primal about the way the skiers roar down the hill, brandishing fire like heroes returning from a conquest.

Descente aux Flambeaux

A large crowd awaits at the bottom, cheering in eager anticipation of their arrival, for afterward, there are more free shots of alcohol.

Descente aux Flambeaux (Beverage Tent)

This year, Montchavin actually had fireworks on New Year’s Eve at midnight (normally, we have to gawk across the valley at the fireworks at other ski resorts). After kissing all 15 of the assembled guests at our New Year’s dinner, we ducked out on the porch into the freezing cold to watch the blissfully short fireworks display.

Fireworks in Montchavin

Montchavin is within La Plagne, an immense ski area consisting of almost one dozen other ski resorts. Our condo is within walking distance of a telecabine that connects Montchavin to the rest of the domain.

View from Telecabine

Here is our condo’s view of the telecabine on our last day (very snowy that day, allowing for magnificent skiing in fresh powder with surprisingly good visibility! Unfortunately, the weather was not always this cooperative, as there were some days of rain and extreme cold. And unfortunately for the kiddies, the sledding park was unusable until this snowfall.)

Snowy Day

Skiers can buy passes for the entire La Plagne domain and then ski freely from resort to resort, finding reprieve in any one of the dozens of restaurants or bars along the way. We frequently found it necessary to stop for vin chaud, a spiced hot wine drink that can really help carve out some turns by keeping the knees nice and loose. Whenever we stopped for vin chaud, the tables would be swarming with high-class English folk, downing beers, cheese plates, and french fries. If the British take two-hour lunches during a day of skiing, what do they do on days when (if?) they actually go to work?

Vin Chaud & Snow

I did mostly Alpine skiing, with a 3-4 bursts of XC skiing when the conditions were too cold or foggy for Alpine skiing. Here’s me, taking a break from XC for some vin chaud.

I Break for Vin Chaud