All aboard the Southern Alps express!
Join Gary from our Admin team on an educational trip to the Southern Alps…
So as I’m sure you’ve all read a little further down the blog, Rob left the company on Monday after six years of service. Of course, this left us with no option but to head out for a few farewell drinks. ‘Great’ I thought, I like a beer as much as the next man – ‘this should be good’. And then it dawned on me… Wednesday night was chosen for the soiree, with my taxi booked for 4am on the Thursday to start the journey to Serre Chevalier. Problems.
After an hour sleep and a little bleary eyed, Louisa and I set off on our merry way. We flew into Grenoble and after a couple of hours on the windy road (with several double espresso coffee stops) we arrived in the village of Chantemerle, Serre Chevalier.
We were staying in the SARA residence L’Adret and our first impressions were good. The residence has a contemporary design with an indoor/outdoor pool at the front, bar area and reception inside. We had a studio for 2. Having travelled a fair bit and lived in some suspect places, we fully expected to have little room to relax and the whole resort to know exactly what we’d eaten for breakfast that day, as our clothes gradually release the elegant smell of sizzling sausages – slowly but surely. We were however, pleasantly surprised. The studio was a great size with a large kitchen and dining area and a good sized double bed, separated by a sliding door giving the feel of a small one bedroom apartment. The studio followed the modern theme of the communal areas, with a slick black kitchen, (confirmed as the colour of the moment by the choice of our CEO for the kitchen in our soon to be completed new offices) and modern fixtures and fittings.
The Residence L'Adret in Serre Chevalier
There wasn’t time to head up the mountain that day, so after a quick nap we headed into the night to explore the village and scout out a place for the mountain pizza we’d both been craving for way too long. A short stroll from the residence to the centre of the village showed there was plenty on offer. Although it was already becoming clear Chantermerle is the quieter of its Serre Chevalier neighbours, we found a bar for a quick beer and grabbed some food. After last night’s antics on the famous King’s Road, it was definitely time to call it a night and stroll down the not quite so famous, but by far prettier Route de Grenoble – back to the Residence L’Adret.
Bright and breezy the next morning we were up and ready to head to the resort of Risoul, as SARA had very kindly invited us to have a look around the resort and ski the Foret Blanche area. After fifteen minutes of hard graft, we finally managed to squeeze the snowboards into the back of the rented Chevy Spark. I can only compare it to that first attempt to slip into your favourite pair of skinny jeans after a particularly enjoyable Christmas. It looks like it’s never going to happen – then one final deep breath and you’re in. Getting back out should be interesting.
After an hour’s drive with a couple of snowboards bumping the back of my head at every slight dip in the road, we climbed to 1850m and arrived in Risoul – feeling a little like Churchill… the nodding dog and not the ex prime minister, just to avoid confusion.
Our first impressions of Risoul were good. SARA have a great set up here, with accommodation ranging from 4* to 2* with everything in between. The pick of the bunch for me was the Residence Antares. A beautiful modern apartment building, offering all the facilities and comfort you could ask for – including swimming pool. For those that prefer, there’s also the 4* Residence Les Balcons De Sirius, which offers a similar standard of accommodation but in a more traditional style. The 3* luxe residences offer a slightly more basic standard of accommodation but still have the swimming pool facilities, which is great for families. The 3* residences all fall under the name of the Foret Blanche as they are all built and furnished the same. The apartments here are comfortable and would suit those who aren’t fussed about the extra facilities and just like a good solid apartment to head back to and crash after a hard day on the slopes. The great thing about all of the SARA residences is they are all right by the piste, as far as I could tell – you wouldn’t have to walk (or drag) the kids any more than three or four minutes. In fact, it has to be said – SARA has got the convenience of the resort spot on. Everything is there, in one place ready for you to enjoy. Bravo SARA.
We were then met by Roland Bernaudon, Director of SARA residences and Sermont (the lift operator), who was to be our guide on the Foret Blanche ski area for the afternoon. It was at this point, as I’m sure you can imagine – I began to regret my choice of baggy purple board pants and patchwork jacket. I’m usually not too bad at dressing suitably for an occasion. I’ll put the blame on packing after Rob’s leaving party. There’s a joke in the Erna Low office, ongoing for six years now and set to continue for at least that again. If it all goes wrong – blame Rob.
Gary, enjoying the view in Risoul
Having never really skied the Southern Alps, I wasn’t sure what to expect of the slopes. The Foret Blanche is shared by Risoul and Vars and the resorts are basked in over 300 days of sunshine. We were told the cut off point to be described as ‘Mediterranean’ weather was Les Deux Alpes, about 90km north just over the Ecrins national park. I can hear the cries of ‘what about the snow then?’ echoing out from blogosphere. The Foret Blanche has a great snow record and Roland explained the weather patterns in the area mean when it snows, it snows a lot in a short period of time and then generally goes back to being sunny. Overcast isn’t in the Southern Alps translation guide you’ll be pleased to hear. The area offers over 180km of pistes and it left me wondering whether the 400km of pistes the bigger boys pride themselves on, is actually necessary. There is more than enough here to keep you occupied for at least a week. One of the great things about the Southern Alps is the Melezes tree. They are unique as they grow a lot higher up the mountain then you’d find in the rest of the Alps, allowing you to ski tree lined pistes, almost to the top.
All in all Risoul is a great choice for people looking for convenience and a great ski area, with a superb beginner’s area and plenty to keep the more experienced skier occupied.
We said our goodbyes and headed off down the road back to Serre Chevalier. The rest of the weekend was filled with a great ski in Serre Chevalier and a night with a 22 man strong French stag party. I’m good at wandering into situations like that, but I feel that story is best left for another time – perhaps over a beer at the next Erna Low meet the staff event.
