Alpe d'Huez Ski and Snow Trip 2015 - Day 8

14/02/15

Happy Valentine’s Day!

We woke up this morning to a much whiter Alpe d’Huez. After 7 days of brilliant sunshine the snow mounds were beginning to look a little brown and the snow on the trees on the mountains was beginning to melt. The weather forecast shows it is meant to snow for the next 3 days, so the skiers and snowboarders will have some fresh powder to play on soon.

Today we just travelled back home. We waited outside in the heavy snow for BensBus to pick us back up again. The coach was so late we ended up waiting over an hour - the novelty of the snow wore thin after half-an-hour and we were all freezing. Finally the coach arrived and we made our way to Grenoble Airport. The drive there was excruciatingly long.

When we arrived at the airport we had to check-in and rush through security because the bus was so late. Security at Grenoble Airport was painfully slow but we got through and ready to board the flight. After all that, the flight was delayed for half-an-hour so we were able to grab a quick bite to eat. I slept the majority of the flight home.

I have enjoyed our holiday so much and I cannot wait to come snowboarding again soon. I would highly recommend visiting Alpe d’Huez, particularly if you are a learner as the green and blue runs are fabulous. There is plenty to do there – which I fully intend on doing next time I am there – including Husky sled rides, paragliding, driving snowmobiles and even a zip line. I am leaving with amazing memories with great company, a lot of bruises and even a horrendous goggle tan line (despite wearing sun-cream) but I wouldn’t change any of it.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the daily blogs of our Alpe d’Huez ski and snow trip as much as I have enjoyed writing them!

Thank you all, until my next blog post…

We woke to a much whiter Alpe d'Huez

We finally got to see some snow fall!

Bye for now x

Alpe d'Huez Ski and Snow Trip 2015 - Day 7

13/02/14

Friday the 13^th… No bones were broken, we all made it through the holiday in one piece!

Today was our last day snowboarding and skiing; it was a sad, sad day for all (although our bodies are in need of a well deserved rest). It was rather overcast which was a change after being beautiful sunshine all week but it was nice to have a day where we weren’t swamping after putting our boots on. The cloud did make it a bit harder to see the grooves and turns on the slopes though – we do have some goggles designed for the overcast weather but getting those would require too much effort so we just made do.

After brekkie we went straight to the slopes and got going. We ventured over to the other side of the mountain for a few runs before stopping off for lunch at Marc and Marie’s local (they stopped there at least 6 times for a drink and/or something to eat during the holiday – the waiter even knew their drink order off by heart). Aimee, Richie, Mum, Dad and I then continued boarding for a couple of hours, even heading to the practice stunt park. Come 2 o’clock we decided to call it a day, after a great final run. We didn’t want to push ourselves to do too much more because it would be Sod’s Law that we would seriously injure ourselves on that ‘one last run’.

Instead Marc, Zak, Aimee, Richie and I all bought some ‘bum-boards’ and had a play around sliding down a man-made hollow in the snow – we must have been the oldest ones playing on the slope but it was such a laugh and worth the €2.50 for the bum-boards.

This evening we browsed around some shops, popped into O’Sharkey’s for a drink and made our way to Smithy’s for our dinner reservation. Again the food was absolutely phenomenal – if anyone reading this is going to Alpe d’Huez you NEED to eat at Smithy’s Tavern, there is no faulting it. While we were in Smithy’s it started to snow for the first time since we’ve been here. This was the first time Richie has seen snowfall and it was rather exciting.

One of the nicest runs, mum stalking

Zak falling off the bum-board

Richie also had a go

Nope, I didn't know I was that flexible either...

Marc was the biggest kid having the most fun!

Bye for now x

Alpe d'Huez Ski and Snow Trip 2015 - Day 6

12/02/15

First of all I would like to apologise if these holiday blog posts are becoming repetitive in any way - what can I say, it is a snowboarding/skiing holiday, it is pretty repetitive but tonnes of fun - so I hope you are enjoying reading what we are getting up to as much as we are doing it!

We had a relaxing morning today. We had an extra hour in bed, which was much needed. Mum, Dad and I then browsed in the shops opposite the hotel and Dad needed to go to the chemist to get another support, this time for his ankle. He already has wrist guards, an elbow strap and a bad back – he’s getting old! 

It's nice travelling in a group that can go off an do their own thing. Aimee and Richie spent most of the day together and Marc and Marie had a chilled day to themselves. At around 11 o’clock Mum, Dad, Zak and I finally got going -  Firstly, we headed to the snow-park and boarded down there (avoiding all the jumps – we aren’t that advanced… yet). Half way down, there is a jump you can go down and land on a huge air bag. You can use your own snowboard or skis to practice jumps or you can use the easier option, a blow up rubber ring. Zak and I both used the rubber rings and had five goes each – it was a lot of fun and well worth the €9.

After a couple of runs we had a spot of lunch up the mountain then worked our way back down toward the bottom. We tried to play around a bit with the GoPro, trying to get some family action shots. Zak went back to the hotel when we reached the bottom as he landed on his shoulder a couple of times during the day and needed to rest it. Me and mum did a few more runs heading to the beginners stunt park – I tried to make it over a couple of the beginner ramps and jumps, stacking it a few times but sticking the landing on the majority. I will definitely be back on the ramps again tomorrow!

Mum then went back to the hotel to meet Zak and go for a swim in the hotel pool while Dad and I went back up to La Folie Douce looking for the others. Once we made it up there we realised no one we knew was there so we enjoyed a few drinks in the sun and admired the view by ourselves.

Later on in the evening we all went for a walk through the town (standard routine now) and had a meal at a restaurant called La Sporting. The food was lovely – we haven’t had a bad meal since we’ve been here – consequently that is burning a hole in my pocket and not helping my waistline! The healthy eating and normal exercise routine will commence when we are back home.

Tomorrow is our last day skiing and we fully intend on making the most of it.

Jump with the rubber ring

Zak flying about - probably how he first hurt his shoulder!

Trying to get a family action shot proved more difficult then we first thought

Dad and I enjoying the sunshine and the view from La Folie Douce... alone

Bye for now x

Alpe d'Huez Ski and Snow Trip 2015 - Day 5

11/02/15

Happy Birthday Richie!

I was feeling pretty fragile this morning after the amount of vodka consumed last night. My head felt fine, but my stomach was in knots – I didn’t even eat my breakfast, which is not like me at all.

Q. What is the best cure for a hangover?

A. Gorgeous sunshine and ice-cold snow.

Marc and Marie ditched their lesson again and headed up a gondola to the top of a green run. Mum and Dad took them down the first time then they continued as we went further up the mountain. After a couple of hours we headed to a French bakery opposite our hotel to get some lunch and something sweet to eat. After having some grub I felt thousand times better.

Once we had eaten something, Mum, Dad, Zak, Aimee, Richie and I headed back up the mountain to snowboard and ski some more then at 3 o’clock we ventured to La Folie Douce (which we now know means Beautiful Madness which sums it up perfectly!). There were people dressed up as Scooby Doo, Woody from Toy Story and Where’s Wally dancing on the table. People had their shirts off, the music was loud and drinks were flowing. There was even a blowup doll flying around. The atmosphere was electric and Richie fully intends on getting us all up there again tomorrow.

At quarter to 5, just before La Folie Douce closes, Richie, Aimee, Marc and Marie headed back down the chair lift while Mum, Dad, Zak and I snowboarded/skied back to our hotel. Once we had all showered and got ready we walked into the main town to a Tex-Mex and BBQ restaurant called Smithy’s Tavern. The atmosphere was great, all of the staff were English and the menu had a huge selection to choose from (including lots of vegetarian food for Marie). The food was totally phenomenal. We all decided on a starter and a main course but we couldn’t squeeze in a desert. We loved it so much we even booked the same table again for Friday night, our last night here.

Slipping into a food coma I thought it was time to go back to the hotel. Mum, Zak and I made our way back home while the others stayed out for an extra few drinks to celebrate Richie’s birthday.

We have some fun plans for tomorrow so keep an eye out for my next blog post!

Donny going down his first green run

Whoops

Richie shredding powder!

La Folie Douce - Champagne spraying - Beautiful Madness

Bye for now x

Alpe d'Huez Ski and Snow Trip 2015 - Day 4

10/02/15

It was a slow start to the day this morning. We had a relaxed breakfast and were in no real rush to get going - Marc and Marie decided to ditch their lesson so they joined us for breakfast. After going down one of our regular runs a couple of times we decided to venture further up the mountain and we managed to find a run with hardly anyone on it which was perfect for us. Mum, Dad and I didn’t fall over at all (result), and Zak, Aimee and Richie kept the falling to a minimum so we all felt pretty good come lunchtime.

At around 11 o’clock, we packed our snowboards and skis away and all 8 of us headed towards the top of the mountain. It started with a quick ride in a lobster pot from the centre of the town to the bottom of a gondola. A lobster pot is a little cage you can stand four people in and it works the same as a gondola. From there we hopped on one gondola that took us above the snow-park and to the mid-point called DMC – this is at roughly 2700m high. Marc and Marie stayed at this point on the mountain, as this is where they felt comfortable. Marie isn’t too keen on heights and Marc is a bit claustrophobic (the next cable car to get to the top of Pic Blanc wasn’t massive and it held 80 people like sardines). While we made our way to the top, they waited at this point for us and visited an ice cave with carved ice and snow sculptures.

The top of Pic Blanc is 3330m (almost 11,000ft) high and the views were absolutely incredible. We chose the perfect day to go to the top – there was very little wind and no cloud, which meant we could see right to the bottom of the valley. After a good look around and a few photos we headed back down to DMC to meet Marc and Marie. From there we rode a gondola half way down and got off at the top of the snow-park at a restaurant for lunch.

In the afternoon we headed to the gift shops and supermarket to pick up some supplies. We sat on a pile of snow outside our hotel and watched the sunset over the valley. The night concluded with another trip to o’Sharkeys bar, too many cocktail jugs, and a gathering at Richie and Aimee’s room for a nightcap.

Tomorrow it’s Richards birthday and we are all planning to head to La Folie Douce – an alfresco bar/club on the mountain. This could be interesting…

Mum and I - all the gear, no idea

The run we practically had to ourselves

In the lobster pot

We also took a Guernsey flag - the image didn't come out as well though

Our view over the mountains

My favourite image of the trip so far

Bye for now x