A Week Skiing in the French Alps

Sophie Uden
Jan 15, 2019
4 min read

Updated: Jan 30, 2019

Best way to cure the going-back-to-work-after-Christmas blues? Go on holiday on the 5th of January! Last summer my parents started talking about wanting to organise a family trip (which we haven’t done for quite a few years) to go skiing together. This is me, my 2 brothers, my parents and mine and my brothers’ plus ones – 8 of us in total!

The resort we chose, the highest in Europe at 2300m, was Val Thorens. We’ve been here many times before as a family when we were younger so it is a nostalgic choice for me – as well as having an immense ski area and guaranteed snow all season. And it's pretty picturesque too!

For me, my boyfriend, my brother and his friend, our roughly 750 mile journey started at our house at 1am on Saturday morning. We opted to drive and take the Eurotunnel instead of flying which is good because you don’t have to worry about how much luggage you’re bringing (as long as it fits in your car) but obviously does involve a bit of a drive! I took the first leg to Dover and for about an hour the other side before handing the wheel over to my boyfriend and I could have a sleep.

We repeated this until getting to Chambery at around lunchtime when my boyfriend did the final leg up the mountain. I was happy to be the passenger and enjoy the increasingly stunning scenery as you climb higher and higher. We finally arrived at the resort at around 3:30pm and could get some rest before our first day of skiing!

As a group of 8, there were a range of experience levels so we weren’t always skiing together. 2 members of the group were taking morning lessons, me and my mum enjoy skiing but don’t go mad and then the rest of the group like to tire themselves out by throwing themselves off of multiple black runs every day… each to their own! The first 2 days were gorgeous and sunny and the resort was quiet which made for lovely skiing. In the evenings, we would eat and chat together before relaxing our weary muscles and getting an early night!

On the Tuesday and Wednesday, we got our dose of snowfall for the week… and boy did it snow! Tuesday was just about manageable but we all took Wednesday afternoon off (didn’t fancy skiing in 40mph winds and heavy snow). On the Tuesday evening we went out for dinner at amazing tex mex restaurant Johns! Would highly recommend this small restaurant run by Norwegian John but make sure you prebook even for a table of 2 on a 'quiet' night - the whole place probably only seats 30-35 people.

After a couple of days of limited/no skiing, I was super keen to get back on the slopes in the sun! And boy wasn’t it the best couple of days. A must do when in any ski resort is to find the highest peak for the best views. In Val Thorens this is at the top of the Cime Caron lift. I’ll let the 360 view speak for itself…

In Val Thorens there are a couple of gorgeous runs (Cime and Tete Ronde I’m looking at you!) which are just the most picturesque. Whizzing down these in the sunshine admiring the views is the dream, and makes me temporarily forget how cold my hands and feet are!

The last stop of the last day was via renowned apres-ski location La Folie Douce!

The journey back to the UK was fine until we got to the Eurotunnel and discovered that I had booked the return trip for the wrong day. Had to pay £88 for the pleasure of travelling a day early yay! Not my favourite way to end a holiday.

If you’re a first time skier/snowboarder, check out my checklist for booking/planning a trip like ours!

Accommodation (I would recommend an apartment but there are also hotels available). Consider a ski in/out option so you can avoid shuttle buses etc.
Equipment hire – unless you have your own equipment you will need to rent boots, a helmet and skis/snowboard. This will be available in the ski shops around the resort
Lift passes – available online or in the resort. Very important to remember before you hit the slopes or you will be stuck at the bottom of the mountain!
If you’re a beginner, I would strongly recommend skiing lessons! I would say that they are reasonably priced (much cheaper per hour than ski lessons in the UK)
Clothing – do not come skiing without proper clothing. This means a ski jacket, trousers, gloves, socks and hat/scarves/snood. For my boyfriend we found a good bundle deal online

For driving there:

Snow chains, a warning triangle and a hi-vis are required by French law. Make sure you have them
Eurotunnel/ferry booking. Eurotunnel is significantly faster and although it’s more expensive it’s worth it
Car insurance documents – make sure you are insured to drive in Europe
Car parking while at the resort. Some accommodations may offer a space for free but otherwise you will need to book into a long term car park for the week

For flying there: