On the January 5th we drove to Folkestone where we stopped overnight at the Holiday Inn Express ready to use the Euro Tunnel the following morning. We had a meal in the hotel restaurant and then retired to bed. It was a bit noisy in our room as we were near a lorry parking area and it was a windy night so we didn’t sleep too well.
We were booked on the 9:50 crossing but arrived early and left on the 9:20 (which actually left at 9:30) arriving in France at 11:05 (French time). We got straight onto the A16 and then the A26 towards our overnight stop at Nuits St George. We had a message from Santander Bank following a couple of failed attempts to use a credit card to buy fuel. Fortunately we resolved this after speaking to someone at Santander, thank goodness. We also had to stop and buy some cables/plug in USB for the Mifi and phones so we could charge them all up and use them on the journey (mainly for navigation). This all added to the time needed for the journey.
Our destination was the Ibis Nuits St George where we had a lovely (expensive) meal in the restaurant and settled down for a slightly better night. We left early the next morning and continued our journey towards Vallandry. We had some problems trying to fill the petrol tank due to a resurgent blocked fuel pipe, but eventually managed to fill up at the Leclerc service station in Aime. We also took this opportunity to do a big shop of food supplies at the Leclerc supermarket. The final leg up to Vallandry was on clear roads, arriving at about 1.30.pm. There was no snow all the way up or in the village which was good for driving up the narrow, winding mountain roads and parking/unloading the car. We collected the keys to the apartment form the CIS Immoblier office and paid the deposit (500 Euros). The apartment is in an excellent location, very close to the (new) Vallandry Gondola.



We unloaded the car and unpacked our bags, Mel took the skis to the ski locker on the ground floor. To save cooking after a long day we had a take away pizza from a cafe very close to the apartment for our evening meal.

On Sunday morning it was snowing quite heavily so we decided today would be a good day to shop. I desparately needed some new boots, my boots are 18 years old, very painful to put on and take off and a nightmare to put my skis on as the snow loves to stick to the soles. We went to our local ‘Sport 2000’ (Sport deux mille) shop, they recommended an experience boot fitter, Ben, at the Intersport shop in Plan Peisey. A 10 minute walk to the shop and with excellent guidance from Ben about what to get, I bought a new pair of boots. I spent more than I meant, but I’m sure they will be much better than the ones I have.

Monday morning looked promising for good conditions on the slopes so we went up on the Vallandry Gondola and had a good couple of hours getting our ski legs back. The snow was mostly very good near the top but some ice on the red run (L’Aigle) back to Vallandry. We stopped at lunch time as the weather was closing in again but we were pleased with our first day back since January 2020.
There was quite a bit of snowfall Monday night and Tuesday morning gave us sunshine and blue skies. We skied a couple of runs from the top of the gondola and then took the Derby lift and skied down the Belette piste, one we have enjoyed many times in the past. The conditions were good and we continued down to Arcs 1800 to catch the Transarc up to the middle station.


We skied back down to Vallandry via the Plan Bois and Poney (Mel going down the red piste instead). After lunch back at the apartment, Mel went out again but this time on his snowboard.
The next day we skied over to Arc 2000 via the Vallandry gondola, Derby lift and Transarc 2. We met Carol & Steve Walls in the queue for the Derby, they are here for the same time as us staying in their apartment in Plan Peisey. We came back via the Comborciere chair lift and skied down the Belvedere and Le Foret runs; it was a good morning on the slopes. Mel went out again on his snowboard after lunch but it was snowing and the visibility was poor so he came straight back.
On Thursday we decided to go across to La Plagne via the Vanoise Express. We found our way to Plagne bellecote; it was busy but the snow conditions were pretty good and the sun was shining. We stopped for a drink and then made our way back to the Vanoise Express. Some parts of the runs were a bit icey so not so good and when we arrived back in Plan Peisey we decided to walk to back to Vallandry.
It snowed all night and the next morning so we stayed in the apartment but then Mel went out again in the afternoon on his snowboard. Saturday was a lovely sunny day so we skied all morning, meeting Carol & Steve twice! We had lunch in the apartment and then Mel went out on his snowboard in the afternoon.
There was heavy snow Sunday afternoon, Monday and Tuesday so didn’t go on the slopes but hoping for some good conditions later in the week when hopefully the sun will be shining again. Mel cleared the snow off the car on Tuesday morning and we walked up to La Bergerie de Raphael restaurant and had a very nice coffee. We booked a table for Friday evening as the menu looked good and the people were welcoming.


It snowed again on Wednesday (and it has been snowing at home too) and we were both feeling a bit unwell so we decided to have a rest day. Thursday was sunny and dry but very cold but we skied over to the Vagere in the late morning. We came back to the apartment for lunch and stayed there in the afternoon as Mel was feeling quite poorly. It was another very cold but sunny day on Friday and after clearing the snow off the car and starting the engine, Mel went skiing. He came back later again very cold and ready for a hot cup of tea!
Mel went across to La Plagne on his snowboard on Saturday and then to Arcs 2000 on Sunday; it was still very cold. On Monday we both went across to La Plagne to ski some of the runs which Mel had already explored but it was very busy. We came back to Vallandry and decided to book a lesson to improve our carve turns. On Tuesday we went up to the Grive slope to practice before we returned to Vallandry to meet Lucas for our lesson. We were given some useful tips and advice by Lucas and we both felt the lesson was worthwhile. Mel went out again later to practise.
Mel removed the car battery the next morning as it had gone completely flat in the very cold weather. He put it on charge in the apartment after sussing out how to remove it without setting the alarm off! Then we went out and had a good ski returning via Arcs 1800 and the navette back to Vallandry.
We skied over to Arcs 2000 on Thursday morning before returning to the apartment for lunch. Mel put the battery back in the car and he drove us down to Bourg in the afternoon to give the car a run and to do some shopping.
On Friday 27th Mel went across to La Plagne on his own and I did some jobs in the apartment. In the evening we went up to the restaurant up the hill – La Bergerie de Raphael – and had raclette. This was a very nice treat and they are very friendly and welcoming.
We skied over to the Vagere on Saturday and then back via the Foret run, stopping at the Caverne for a coffee. We chatted to some people who were staying on the campsite in Bourg and shared our experiences and also talked about Peter and Keith who we knew from previous years.
We went to La Plagne again on Saturday and had a good ski despite the crowds. In the evening we joined Carol and Steve at the Hotel Vanoise for a meal whcih was very enjoyable. We caught the navette there and back. Mel skied again on his own on Sunday but when he returned we decided we would leave early as the snow conditions weren’t so good. We have enjoyed our skiing so it is a good time for us to leave. I changed the Eurotunnel booking and the hotels and we packed up Tuesday morning ready to go on Wednesday.