Peelies travels

When we were in the cable car, a Frenchman heard our Englishness and asked if he could give me something. I was hoping that it wasn’t advice about what to do “now you aren’t Europeans”. That has been said a couple of times and I’ve allowed myself to be drawn into a discussion once but that was enough. This was different. He passed me a UK driver’s license, saying that he’d found it the day before and asking if I could do something with it. I only had time to ask where it was found and he said Courchevel and then he melted into the cable car ‘crowd’ again and I lost him. The license has the driver’s name and address on it and so I made a quick request to members back at Peelies base and within a few minutes, following up these basic details on the internet, telephone contact details were provided, not for the ‘youth’ featured on the license but his Dad’s business! Peelies base sent the Dad a message aaking him if he could confirm his Dad position and of course telling him that his son’s...

It’s just luck that we came to Pralognan-la-Vanoise in time for Le Weekend and thus the cable car was running. We were able to avail ourselves of it again on Sunday, this time each getting a €2 reduction, as we now have the ski pass on which the turnstile access charge is placed. We therefore started the day at 2,000m rather than 1,400m which could be considered a cop-out. Well it was but it meant we could hike with earnest above Mt Bocher. Down at the campsite there was a list of walks on the notice board and all were advised as ‘oui’ except two which were ‘non’, due to ‘beaucoup de neige’. Obviously we wanted to test the ‘non’ theory and so set off for Col Rosset at 2,570m. The idea was that we would get a stupendous view down and across our route of the previous day and see La Grand Casse in all its splendour. It was baking hot but we set off in a straight line direct to Cirque du Creux Noir, following the stony slope under a chairlift. Straight up. This is where alpine walking diff...

We came a little south and west, to what has turned out to be the best mountain walking area, that I think we have ever been in. Arrival was during a particularly unsettled day and it wasn’t at all obvious that this village is in the most dramatic setting but there were a few signs. We had a night of heavy rain but not before we’d had long chats with the owners of this 130 with their homemade living accommodation, sitting on the back of a crew-cab late model TD5. He apparently made a lifting roof for his Land Rover 109 (so 1970s) and drove it and his family around Africa. They are from Brittany and have come to present a paper or chair a discussion (couldn’t work out what) at a nearby conference over the weekend. We eventually determined that they are both geographers and are trying to ensure that Brittany doesn’t turn into Cornwall. Incomers, money, increasing tourism are all putting pressure on the area. I expect they said “measures to mitigate pressures on the shoreline” but my Fren...

We were still in the Tarantaise valley area, so going to Val d’Isère and then the highest tarmac pass in Europe, seemed to be a sensible thing. It’s quite a long way and the road is steep. Also there are lots of tunnels and open sided tunnel things that allow avalanches to slide over. One had water pouring over it as we turned a curve - quite a shock to see. Val d’Isère was what we expected; a ski town that’s not really awake. The wooden chalets of lower down have changed to stone and that reflects the distinct lack of trees around here. We didn’t know what the Col would be like but did know that it’s about 1,000m above Val. So as you can imagine, the road ascends steeply. As it gets  higher, it gets narrower and just when you want some barriers, everything at the side disappears. Driving a right hand vehicle meant that I was looking straight down over the edge, driving  one leg to a hairpin and then safely tucked against the mountain on the next leg. Soon we were passing snow...

The next day we tried an easier walk, towards the ski area of Vallandry and Plan Peisy. Mostly this was on an agricultural track, once we were up and past the chalets but in part it was walking up a steep grassy path. We appreciated the myriad of wildflowers that are everywhere. The grasses are left to grow far longer than in Derbyshire, even accounting for making hay which is universal here, rather than the silage at home. Even the cows graze very long grass pastures, where the grasses have seeded, which is unusual in the UK. Reaching Plan Peisy was reaching a building site. Everywhere there are vans, lorries, holes, dust, timber and chalets being built. It’s as if they can’t help themselves and need to keep developing. Many years ago the Vanois Express cable car was built. Two cars transfer about 180 people in each, across the valley to reach the La Plagne ski network. The joint complex is referred to as Paradiski. Reaching Vallandry for a quick fond reminder of the 2013 ski trip, we...