Off We Go

Hi everyone and welcome to another post from your favourite blogging Méribel ski instructor. Tell you what, it's suddenly turned chilly hasn't it? I'm not going to lie, I quite like it because it reminds me that winter is on the way. I've gone onto some webcams again this week, especially this one here: it's a panoramic shot of the ski slopes in Val Thorens (part of the 3 Valleys). If you click on this link during daytime you will see that it's cold in Val Thorens, and that snow making is taking place. In fact Val Thorens is the first of the ski villages of Les 3 Vallées to open their ski lifts this coming Saturday. Courchevel is due to do the same on December 5th, with Méribel the following day on the 6th. All of my photos were taken last winter by the way.

I'll be leaving Leamington Spa for France tomorrow for the winter, arriving in Méribel at the weekend. Harriet and I will be travelling together for a change; it's normally me by myself. We've had loads of work done in our apartment over the autumn and can't wait to see it! On a practical level, she will help me move our belongings, especially furniture (all safely stored for the past few months in friends' garages down in the valley) back into the apartment. Since we are travelling together, I've booked us into a hotel part way down through the country. It will be a nice way to break up the journey and reintroduce ourselves to France.

Just like here in the UK, the French Alps went through a very mild phase, but it has definitely got colder there. In fact the weather forecast for next week is freezing cold, and quite snowy. I've got my winter tyres fitted to the car already, and have just put some -20C windscreen wash in the squirty thing under the bonnet. Plus I'll be topping up my cool bag later with my favourite sausages from Aubrey Allen (a local butcher); packs of bacon and a couple of slabs of M&S mince pies. Life is looking good.

So what will this coming winter bring us? I've no idea. But I'm sure there'll be plenty of times when the scenery will blow me away. There will be many incredible ski days. No doubt when it's snowing, we will all get as excited as children. I'm sure I'll be called up by the school to do a few torchlight descents. The odd tartiflette and tasty pizzas will be consumed. Loads of hot chocolate stops on the mountain will be enjoyed, whether sat indoors or on a sunny terrace. Maybe even a cheeky vin chaud or a beer after skiing as well.

But before all of that, the big drive needs to be completed, and the early season chores gradually ticked off. Not sure when I will get my first ski days, hopefully not too far away. I'll send out a blog post as soon as I've settled back in to the apartment. As ever, I plan to publish the posts regularly, like previous winters, giving you the latest news and what the weather and snow conditions are like - on the ground (snow) reporting! With plenty of photos of course. And do keep an eye on my Socials, as I post more frequently there: links can be found in the top left hand corner of this page. Right, back to the final packing, and see you when I'm in France. Live With Passion. Martin.