what winter blues?
Don’t spend all winter destroying your liver and waiting for summer. Make the most of the snowy season with element’s guide to winter holidays in France.
TEXT OLI REDMAN feedback
In class the other day, we were talking about holidays. A picture in the textbook showed a typical beach scene, complete with crowds, litter and an uninvitingly gray-green sea. My students, as one, lost themselves in a collective, dreamy-eyed reverie, then started cooing about what heaven it would be to escape to warmer climes for a beach holiday. This is something I will never, ever understand. Firstly, if there is a more physically irksome combination than sweat, salt and sand, then I have yet to find it. Secondly, lying in one spot all day while irradiating yourself strikes me as a distinctly odd holiday pastime. Finally — the clincher — going to almost any beach resort in or around Europe means surrounding yourself with hordes of people who are either English, drunk and annoying, or German and just annoying. This is unacceptable. Winter offers so many distinct pleasures: refreshingly crisp air, stunning snowy landscapes and, of course, winter sports. There are obviously several possible destinations for a winter holiday in Europe, but in terms of choice and affordability, France is certainly on the top of the pile. With hundreds of resorts to choose from, you’re sure to be able to find a winter holiday to suit your tastes and budget. France has some of the finest ski resorts in the world, both in terms of snow conditions and variety of terrain. If you’re serious about your skiing or boarding, then high-altitude mega-resorts such as Les Deux Alpes, Val d’Isere or Tignes, all most accessible from Geneva, are the best bet for decent snow. All offer a huge variety of on- and off-piste routes to suit all levels. For beginners, all three resorts offer practice slopes with a free lift. Val d’Isere and Tignes are renowned for their selection of steep and challenging pistes, while at Les Deux Alpes there are a number of guided off-piste excursions available for expert skiers and boarders. While you might think that famous resorts such as these would be ridiculously expensive, it’s perfectly possible to travel to any of them on a budget. A self-catering chalet with sleeping room for eight people at Les Deux Alpes can be booked for a week for a total of $700 (from chaletfinder.co.uk), and ski passes cost around $200 for six days. Val d’Isere offers some great-value package deals, including self-catering accommodation and ski pass for a week, through their website (valdisere.com). Packages start from $900 if you go from January-March. If you’re prepared to take a gamble on the snow and go at the beginning of the season, then you can get an all-inclusive package from $650 for trips in the first three weeks of December. Prices for chalets and lift passes at Tignes are similar to those at Les Deux Alpes. The website chalet-tignes.com is a good place to find self-catered chalets as well as more upmarket accommodation options. Basic but comfortable self-catered chalets which sleep six people start from $700 per week. If you aren’t a ski or snowboard nut, then you might be looking for a slightly more balanced holiday. Most of France’s big resorts have expanded and diversified in recent years, and now offer a range of activities to entertain anyone who wants to do more than just ski and sleep. The resort of Alpe d’Huez, near Grenoble, offers so many activities and events that you might just forget about skiing altogether. You can try paragliding, curling or sumo wrestling, to name but a few. If this still sounds too much like hard work, then go for a resort with a lively apres-ski scene. Chamonix and Meribel are both well known as places where the skiing tends to take a back seat to the partying. On the other hand, you might want to avoid the crowded resorts altogether and aim for a slightly more authentic winter experience. There are a handful of companies offering treks and winter adventure tours in the Alps and Pyrenees, allowing you to enjoy the spectacular winter vistas without a cheesy Irish pub or a disfiguring ski lift in sight. Website responsibletravel.com offers a range of package deals, including week-long winter adventure holidays which allow you to try snowshoeing, skiing and animal tracking. Prices start from around $700 for basic trekking/snowshoeing trips, and go up to $2,000 for hardcore guided off-piste ski trips. More demanding packages can be found on adventure-treks.com, where the week-long trips include dog-sledging, cross-country skiing and paragliding, all priced around the $1,500 mark. Winter doesn’t just have to mean oppressive gray skies, dark drunken evenings and depression. Whether you want a bargain basement ski trip or a luxury splurge in an upmarket resort, the fun of a French winter sports jaunt could be just what you need to banish your winter blues and irrational craving for a crappy beach holiday. • Getting there — For a ski holiday, most of the best resorts are closer to Geneva than to Paris. Flights to Geneva from Sheremetyevo cost 10,859 rubles return with Aeroflot. From Geneva, there are regular and reliable train and bus connections to all major cities on the French side. If you’re Russian, it’s probably not worth getting two visas (Swiss and Schengen) to save the time and money: flights to Paris with Air France will cost around 10,000-15,000 rubles depending on the dates. From Paris, the best way to get to the Alps is by train. Check out sncf.com for schedules and booking details. • Visas — Citizens of the EU, the USA and Australia do not require visas for France or Switzerland for shorter stays. Russians need a Schengen visa for France. Schengen visas need to be applied for well in advance: you will need an official letter from your employer or university, as well as proof of valid insurance for the duration of your stay in France, and proof of return travel. You may also need to show that you have sufficient funds for your stay. • Language — Everyone in France speaks English, but they just pretend not to because they’re arrogant. The best way to overcome this hurdle is to repeat what you are saying, only louder. If your interlocutor persists in feigning incomprehension, simply increase the volume. |
