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In February of 2000, the ski group which consisted of Brian, Warren, Todd Frech, Drew Frech, Dave, Kristin, Christine, and myself went to Val D'Isere in the French Alps...or in the Swiss Alps of France if you are Warren's mother. It was great just being in France for skiing because the culture is so different than here. Even if the skiing wasn't phenomenal, it would have been a great trip. But the skiing was great, primarily because the terrain was unlike anythng anywhere else...and it didn't hurt that it snowed the entire week before we got there, and then was sunny and warm the whole time we were there. View the pictures as a slideshow Val D'Isere is much larger than anything in the US...larger than even Whistler/Blackcomb combined. There are no trees and the skiing is wide open. They don't care if you go outside the ropes - its at your own risk. The snow is heavier than in North America, but it doesn't matter. We had so much of it, that skiing was great the whole week.
In order to go backcountry skiing...what Europe is really good for...its best to get a guide..so you don't get lost or die. Todd, Dave, and I got a guide for two separate days...his name was Zavatt and he was a great guide. The first thing he taught us was how to find each other in an avalanche - we got avalanche beacons. He then took us all through the backsides of the mountains where there were no other people, and where there was fresh snow everywhere - most places were very steep and very deep with snow. We skiied from one resort to another - taking the lifts up the south facing side, and skiing down the north facing side - we would catch buses and cabs on the other side to take us to the next place. We would get 3000-4500 feet of vertical each run - about 10,000 in a day. It was truly amazing skiing - probably the two best ski days of my life.
We stayed in a very quaint part of Val D'Isere just outside of the center of the city. All the buildings were made of stone and made in the 1600s. We had much wine (not a bad bottle ever) and cheese every night at our place (a 5 room home we rented from a local dentist). Since it was France, we ate fabulously every night...lots of fondue. Even on the mountain, we had to do as the French did...take leisurly lunches and make sure to get in some sunbathing.
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