Got back to Morzine last night after a week in the UK. The drive back was illuminated all the way by a full moon so I could see the huge banks of snow that had accumulated in my absence. But nothing could prepare me for just how much had fallen when I went for a stroll around Le Chargeau this morning. There is tons and tons of snow, and everywhere you look there's the most beautiful white blanket covering chalets, mountains, cars, trees... everything!
The rush for snow tires is on with massive amounts of snow forecast for Morzine at the end of this week and into next. There's already been a fair bit up in Avoriaz and rumors are awash that the resort will open on 29th November. We've still got space on 6th December if you want to make the most of the wide empty slopes.
This weekend saw the Fete du Cochon in Morzine. Never having been to a 'Celebration of the Pig' before, we didn't really know what to expect.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were pigs. Lots of them. Metal pigs, fabric pigs, fake pigs, real pigs, raw pigs, cooked pigs. Apparently it all goes back to the fact that pigs were traditionally killed at this time to see Savoie families through the winter. Now it's something of a secular tradition.
But there was also a real emphasis on getting closer to where and how we get out food. Traceability and quality were the watchwords, and it was a real celebration of what we can take from the soil in all its forms. There was even a Slow Food representative there.
And with it falling on All Saint's Day (a bank holiday in France) there was a real carnival atmosphere about the whole affair. For anyone interested in a quirky, charismatic and decidedly Slow Autumn break, you'd be hard pushed to beat this. It would make a splendid half-term holiday (book now for November 2009 and make the most of our early bird discount).
Thursday 30th October. Oops...
Winter is here. It arrived properly last night. And now Morzine is awash with a blanket of white. And with it, the whole place suddenly changes.
Everywhere is quite. Except for the odd swoosh of the snow plough. Jumpers are thicker. Cows are grumpier. And dogs are madder.
Cold feet. Bobble hats. Four wheel drive.
Tree branches are lower. Fires are brighter. Journeys are slower.
Yes, winter most certainly is here.
Photos taken 30th October 2008.
Laurent Cochard runs the Ecole des Portes du Soleil - a top paragliding school in Morzine. He is also pals with falconer Jacques Olivier Travers. This is what happens when the two of them get together.
Assuming this new-found fame hasn't gone to his head, those staying in Morzine during the summer may well bump into Sherkan (having grown up in captivity, he's more comfortable in urban settings). Alternatively, they could simply emulate him with their own tandem flight.
All Mountain Holidays have a great article over at their blog. It's a thorough analysis of historical snow conditions in Avoriaz versus some of the big name high altitude resorts like Tignes. Some of the highlights include:
Snow for the season
Tignes 5.82m
Verbier 6.31m
Avoriaz 8.39m
(Avoriaz even had 6.95m at 1800m altitude)
Snow in the last week of March
Tignes 233cm
Val Thorens 224cm
Val d'Isere 171cm
Courcheval 158cm
Zermatt 218cm
Verbier 211cm
Avoriaz 242cm
(Yet the UK Press advice that week - 'go high to resorts with glaciers to get the best skiing)
And they've found that this isn't a one-off season. Indeed, it's the prevailing trend thanks to the micro-climate that exists between Mont Blanc and Lac Leman. Read the whole article and why they think the Portes du Soleil doesn't receive the glowing snow reports that some of its under-performing rivals seem to get. Hats off to them for all their digging...
If anyone’s read Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island, you might recall how he’s surprisingly bowled over by Durham. "I got off at Durham... and fell in love with it instantly in a serious way. Why, it's wonderful - a perfect little city.... If you have never been to Durham, go there at once. Take my car. It's wonderful."
Well, that’s pretty much how I feel about Autumn in Morzine. Why, it’s wonderful – a perfect little season. If you have never been to the Alps in Autumn, go there at once. Take your car. It’s wonderful.
(The photo is the view towards Angalon and Nyon from the balcony of Chalet de la Manche this morning).
Credit crunch. It’s snowing. October 3rd and the first
snow of the season has arrived. The cows on the slopes by Chalet de la
Manche are a bit miffed it has to be said, but everyone else is walking
round with a big grin on their face. It threatened it last night, when
the upper slopes of Angalon and the Tete du Bostan were given a
dusting, but we woke up this morning to a good two inches and big
fluffy flakes still falling from the sky. It’s still to warm for this
snow to last, but it doesn’t half bode well for the season ahead.
