Les Carroz

“Not being a skier and not wanting to ski at my age I have always stayed away from visiting the Alps when my husband went on his annual ski trip. However, this year as my husbands usual ski buddies were all unavailable I reluctantly agreed to go for the week and set my mind to finding non-ski activities to keep me occupied.

After a bit of research and talking to various people we chose the village of Les Carroz in the Grand Massif for our trip. Primarily because it seemed to be a village which would hopefully have some atmosphere to it rather than an out and out ski resort. We also chose to stay in a catered chalet as there would be other people staying there who my husband could hopefully ski with but also as the chalet people offered a “ski hosting” service where they would ski with guests. That just left me. Having spoken to the chalet owners and explained I would not be skiing they drew me up a list of activities that would have kept me busy for 2 weeks, let alone 1.

My first day I decided to hire some “racquettes” – no not for playing tennis – these are snow shoes which make walking on deep snow quite easy, so, after having been given my lesson on fitting and walking in the racquettes by the very helpful Sylvan at Ski2000 I was ready for the off. Trouble was which one of the many well signposted routes to take – first day a gentle stroll near to the village was my choice. The paths were very clear and took me through some beautiful wooded scenery along gentle paths with no great mountains to climb.

I enjoyed the experience so much that on day 2 I took a guided walk which was organised by the local Bureau de Guides. I joined a small group of 4 people and we headed out with the guide who took us a little further afield but also gave us a very interesting and informative commentary on the local flora and fauna along with some anecdotes concerning local folk law.

After spending the 3rd day around the village itself taking a look around the local market and checking out the boutiques and cafes, I was talked into trying Cross Country Skiing by the other people in the chalet. So on Thursday my husband and I set off for Agy, the local cross country ski centre. Having never been on skis before we took some basic tuition and off we went. What a fabulous experience! To be in the mountains with fantastic scenery and all at my own “snails” pace. The routes were easy to follow and graded into 4 levels ranging from easy to difficult. Needless to say I stayed on the easy route for most of the day but did venture onto a section of the intermediate route (blue). Afterwards we returned to the centre to enjoy a lovely lunch and a well earned glass of beer.

You would think that I needed a rest after that but,no, I was well up for it now and on Friday I went on a Husky Dog Sled ride. This was incredible. I had the choice of sitting in (on) a sled with a guide driving a full pack of 8 dogs or actually driving myself on a sled with 2 dogs (following the guide obviously). I chose the latter and was soon flying through the snowy, wooded area – again in fabulous scenery. This was actually more energetic than the cross country skiing as the dogs take a bit of controlling but the grin I developed has still now worn off.

Although I did the activities on my own (apart from the cross country skiing) I was always with other like minded people and had a fantastic time. Being able to relay my experiences around the evening table with my husband and the other guests whilst listening to their daring ski feats and tumbles was good fun. The week passed all too quickly for me.

We are now back in the UK and back at work but I am already planning my next trip to Les Carroz for a “non-skiing” ski holiday. On my list for next year are, definately a ride in a Hot Air Balloon and a go on a Skidoo!

Would I return for another non skiing ski holiday to Les Carroz?……..Absolutely