We started by going up the La Daille bubble lift, which pops you out underneath a rather excellent bar we were told about yesterday - at the moment, they're having a live music collective up there at 4pm through to 5 (I think) each day. Good vibes and a truly massive PA which you get hit full force by when you come over the crest of the Diebold piste above it.
I digress. I'll relate the day, as it had great contrast for me.
So:
- Up the La Daille telecabine
- Down to Tommeuses 6-man chair - Jim was most amused by the travelators they have under this chair, which is a great way to compensate for the turning angle the chair has to go through before it comes up behind you.
- Down the Edelweiss piste - the first piste of the day - after negotiating the slight congestion around the top of Toviere where Tommeuses dumps you.
I'm feeling pretty good, but soon realise I've got less energy than the day before, despite getting a good breakfast including the Magic Muesli and eggs/sausages. I decide to be a little careful and keep tabs on overall energy levels.
- Up the Mont Blanc chair, which goes up over the back of the Val D'isere snow park - good views, but nobody was jumping apart from a little 5 year old kid who had a little slide over one. Aw!
At this point Nic and I were definitely feeling a little stiff and "unarticulated" so we told the guys we'd be doing our own pace while we warmed up properly: Nic's lesson was a 2pm today so I didn't want her tired out by the morning efforts.
- Down to Marmottes lift via moutons piste - not too bad, still a little creaky.
- Marmottes lift back up to Bellevard (it's just Nic and I at this point, although we did meet the others and give them a few sage words of advice)
I should mention about the sage words of advice - they didn't include telling the guys not to try Piste M, which they did, and it was slushy and busy and a bit horrible by all accounts ;-)
- Now Nic and I head down Diebold - I decide I need to warm up a little more so I go straight over the middle of the lump between the two pistes, and have a nice little splash which works out well.
- We pick up the Borsat express after discussing energy levels for a while, taking some water on and sharing a Twix (THIS IS A VITAL ON-PISTE SNACK - TAKE SOME!).
- Now we head down the Green Genepy, thinking we'll back off and work on technique, zoning out a little on our turns. This turns out to be an excellent idea - after the break (mainly talking about energy levels and how long!) we're both starting to look a bit better, smoother - Nic's enjoying herself, and I'm off piste, I'm in gulleys, I'm taking kickers INTO off-piste (another first for yours truly).
- We head up the Grand Pre lift, to take the sweeping Grand Pre piste around (first time this season) - this is a lovely piste, it's huge, gentle, a great place to practice a little carving at low speeds. I head off piste again. This is FUN...
- Now we resolve to head down to the bottom and take Fontaine Froide back up to Bellevarde and meet up with everybody else at Sun Bar in Val D'isere for lunch. Mainly everybody has pasta carbonara, a large helping.
- Once we drop the girls off for their lessons (Nic and Becky) the three amigos - Me, Jim and Nick P - resolve to head to the Grande Motte in Tignes.
- We take the Tommeuses / Piste H route to get over to Tignes, grab the funicular, check the Motte cable car (rammed - massive queue) and decide to check out the runs into Val Claret.
At this point, everything seems to become very Zen. My board, bindings, boots and bones fuse somehow and I actually underSTAND how to do it. Cut up pistes? No problems, find the route and find the snow. Ice? The edges bite every time. Open, wide, empty red runs into Val Claret? I'm tanking it. I'm keeping up with Nick P, and he's a monster!
Normally, I have holidays here where I improve during the week, and at the end I feel like I've reached a new level. It's day 2 and I've had an afternoon which contained the best boarding I've ever done.
What a cracker.
At the end of all this craziness (taking in Fresse lift out of Tignes - the coldest thing you'll ever have!) we ended up at the Folie Douce bar, where the band are in full effect, the crowd are dancing on the tables (with the band), the drummer can't take the roof off because he's ON the roof (little red bobble hat going mental) and we all share a beer to an excellent day (with more sun than ever, by the way!)
Here's a couple of shots and a video!
Epic ending!
