Samoens, Grand Massif – a ski resort for non-skiers!
An early flight out meant that we beat the rush to the ski hire shop and arrived in time for lunch. Samoens has a great choice of restaurants but we opted for a cosy little place on the square for cheesy crepes, chips and wine!
On Sunday we all started ski school, leaving Mum behind to find the local church and pray that we all made it through the week in one piece! Ski school was great, with friendly bilingual instructors who pushed us and gave us lots of guidance for our afternoon practice! Charlotte and Ann headed over to Claviere, which was a good long run taking in some blues and reds but fine for most levels of skier. Charlotte was a bit of whiz so enjoyed (?) moguls and blacks!!
On the non-ski side, Mum tried Nordic walking, as well as some lovely walks around the lakes which the locals were very happy to suggest. She did a little shopping at the weekly market, and found all the best restaurants for us to eat at. Each day she came up the gondola to meet us after ski school for hot wine and a de-brief. The best meal of the week was without a doubt at La Fandioleuse, it is tiny so you have to book in advance, you may need to pay a deposit, and even pre order your food depending on what you fancy eating. Pre order the fondue, raclette or the most incredible ‘castrated’ soup which is layered bread and cheese moistened with onion soup and cooked slowing for hours till it has a deep brown crust. They also have fantastic savoury and sweet crepes.
Sadly skiing still disappoints me on one front, I never seem to get the calorie balance quite right, and come home 3lb heavier!
