Snow Shoes are fun!

I've always wanted to have a go on snow shoes, but for some reason it's always eluded me. I've been around snow often enough and for long enough, but no. It's not happened.


So last year I bought some. Still that didn't work. The snow conditions weren't brilliant for much of the season, and skiing always took priority.



With unbelievable amounts of snow this season, it finally worked out. A mere 44 years wait. We hired some kids sized shoes from Stamos Sports in the Grand Roc, and thinking we'd be back in an hour, headed into the woods. We got the camera out and had a bit of fun filming as we went. Here's the finished results.



We finally got back at dusk! It was fantastic! Try some!

Steep and Deep

A little bit of fun with the camera! A shortish video of the kids skiing at Grnad Montets, with a little bit of Le Tour thrown in for good measure!

Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!

Has anyone seen our pool?

Here's a couple more photos for you and a quick game of compare and contrast. One of the (many) nice things about the apartment is the open air heated swimming pool in the garden. Open for use throughout July and August, it's a great place to head for after a day on the hot dusty trails and grab a few rays and a nice refreshing dip.

L'Androsace and the swimming pool in the garden.

In the last few years, Health and Safety legislation has caught up (it's not just the UK!) and the co-proprietary has had to erect a fence around the pool. It's not too bad, and it doesn't really detract from the informal pool side atmosphere. Though, it is quite high - as you can see in the pics.

Mont Blanc and L'Aiguille du Midi down the valley make for a stunning backdrop to your swim.

However, it does seem to have suddenly disappeared! Here's Sam stood on top of the fence last week having dug down a bit to find it.


Told you that there'd been a lot of snow! And this is after the fresh snow of the previous week has settled and compacted. It's by far the most snow we've seen lying in Argentiere.

There it is!

Lots of snow!

That the Alps have seen lots of snow during December is probably not new news anymore. The snows came relatively late, with early December looking particularly bare. However, when it started, it forgot to stop.

The storm rages. Icicles on the roof of L'Androsace - and they just kept on getting bigger, and bigger!

Watching the rain beat against the windows with a hurricane force in the Scottish Highlands over the Festive period whilst reading blog reports of all the snow felt a bit cruel. However, as soon as January arrived we were off on our travels again, and another couple of weeks at the apartment in Argentiere.

L'Androsace apartments looking a little bit wintry.

We kept looking at the depth of snow on the garage and wondering just how deep it would get.
Jodie and Sam in front of our garage which is inlcuded with your stay at the apartment.

Keeping the driveway clear required an extra big shovel.

And it didn't disappoint. Snowing as we arrived, a clear first full day to settle in, and then another week of constant snowfall. In all, around a metre fell in the village in the first week of January alone.

What happens when you book an apartment without dedicated covered parking.

There's a van under there somewhere.

Digging out. Nothing like a ton of snow down your neck when you're filling up at the pumps.

The skiing was mostly very good as a result, although visibility did warrant a bit of Jedi skiing at times. However, heading for the trees above Plan Joran at the Grand Montets and playing in the powder in the steep gullies proved a big hit, even in the worst of the weather. Winds stopped play (first time I've seen this in the last 5 years of regular visits) and while many moaned about the queues for the Pierre a Ric, we found ourselves down at Flegere having one of the most fun days on skis we've had in years. Whilst there was only two sheltered chairlifts running, we didn't need anymore. Only a handful stayed to play in the bottomless powder between the trees. Yee har!

In the woods behind Argentiere.

When the legs got too tired we opted for a walk. Popped out for an hour, came back at dusk! I've always fancied having a go with snow shoes, and it's taken 44 years to make it happen. I've been missing out! More on that in due course.

At the Aire de Jeux

The depth of snow meant that the slide wasn't too exciting!

Off piste snow shoeing above Argentiere. Huge amounts of fun.

But soon enough high pressure arrived over the Haute Savoie, the clouds cleared and some big ski days came our way. 2 weeks flew past faster than ever, and now it's time to plan the next trip to Argentiere. Can't wait!

Evening view from the balcony. Temperatures dropped to -13 degrees overnight this last week.