We were lucky enough to travel to the Sainte Foy and the Giants Cluster with a group of friends. For us it was all about fun skiing over as many pisted km we could manage without knocking ourselves out. To achieve this we needed that little bit of local knowledge to help us choose the right slopes and resorts on the right days.
We were based in an amazing chalet down in the valley near Sainte Foy and could easily explore the whole region, including incredible bluebird days in La Rosiere and Tignes.
The chalet was perfect for a large group with the pool table (my pub night speciality) and table football, offering evenings of friendly yet fierce competition after exhilarating days on the slopes.
The small village feel of Sainte Foy contrasted with the huge choice of slopes available in the wider area was ideal for us as a mixed ability group, and meant that everyone from the committed powder hounds to the relative beginners got the most out of their trip.
We visited Sainte Foy on the snowy days to make the best of the tree lined slopes and accessible powder. One afternoon the snow became a little too much and we never got out of the convivial atmosphere of the friendly resort pub after lunch.
To have only a week skiing but still to have a really good go at La Rosiere, Tignes, Les Arcs and Sainte Foy was incredible, a completely different kind of ski holiday, though it was not all skiing. We stopped on sunny slopes for long lunches;
We sampled the nightlife of Bourg Sainte Marie and still had time to have evening pool competitions (which I won) while our pre-prepared suppers heated up. Late night boozing may well have occurred as well.
This was a much more real experience than the typical holiday and I am currently organising next year’s trip to the same area. So much to see and do.
We have always gone to a resort in the past and after a week ski-ed the area to death, our ability to speak French is poor and neither of us wanted to drive on holiday as we like our lunch on the mountain with a few beers. This type of ski holiday opened our eyes to something else, which didn’t cause us any stress at all as our driver knew exactly where to go, which suited the weather on each day.
