Season Diary - Day 7

Updated: Dec 19, 2024

Monday December 9, 2024

Today was our day off. First things first, that meant a lie in and a late breakfast in the hotel before setting out after a spot of work.

It also mean that today was the day to head over to Val. With the main Face run down to the village closed for World Cup slalom preparations, the two side runs their usual rocky, closed December mess, and not wanting to catch the bus from La Daille, I instead did the unthinkable and downloaded down the Olympic cable car.

Once up on the far side of the valley, I was in shock and in awe at the state of things over in Val. Half the mountain wasn't open, as there was barely anyone around - it was a ghost town compared to Tignes.

But that meant the pisteurs had been able to put a lot of time and effort into making and preserving the pistes, and they were in fabulous condition.

With only the Solaise area open - consisting of the Madeleine, Datcha and Glacier chairlifts, and the corresponding pistes connecting these few lifts, there wasn't much choice but to lap and work on my carving.

I love these pistes. They are fast and rolling, with brilliant and varying changes of pitch that constantly keep you on your toes. North facing and high, they hold their snow really well and can often be found in near-groomer condition even late in the day.

Looking down the run to Cugnai chairlift, Val d'Isere

And boy did I ski the pants off them. One of the notes of feedback I had earlier in the week was my tendency to rip my skis over from one edge to the other, rather than squeezing gently through the front of my boots and allowing my skis, just ever so slightly, to drop down the fall line before pushing the new edge into the snow.

These runs gave me the chance to do just that. I picked up some speed, gently pressed the accelerator to push my edges into the snow and leave two perfect tracks in the snow behind me.

Then I came back the other way, effectively "changing gears" by coming to neutral, letting the skis drop straight down the fall line, the disengaging the clutch, squeezing the accelerator and coming back the other way. The quick transitions that had been picked up by my instructors were a result of a little bit of hesitancy or fear - I had to trust my skis and my technique that I could wrest the skis back the other way without losing control. And that was just what I did.

Quickly knackering myself out, I managed to get in an hour or so up here before heading back to Tignes. Somewhere there was a beer and a sauna calling my name ...