I love almost everything about a ski holiday. Wrapping my hands around a chocolat chaud, watching pros whizz down black runs and waltzing around in ridiculous 1980s snowsuits that would only ever be acceptable on the slopes. In fact the only part I don’t love is the skiing itself.
I clipped into my first pair of boots aged 27: too old to be fearless; too young not to give it a go. Tempting me back to the mountains for the second time are the new activities this season in Val d’Isère — but there’s not a ski pole in sight.
Frederik Van Buynder is equally ski averse. He’s an ex-racer who retired after a knee injury but struck gold elsewhere: fat biking. The pandemic was the perfect time to launch his business and buy 13 state-of-the-art e-bikes with tyres as thick as the woolly hood on my jumpsuit.
I hop on and soon I’m ploughing through the snow with disconcerting ease. There are 55km of trails, with off-piste segments too, although we stick to a sedate scenic loop. As daylight fades and the sky turns candyfloss-pink, we stop to gawp at a frozen waterfall. “The best thing about fat bikes is how inclusive they are,’’ Van Buynder says. Unlike on the slopes, everyone has the same ability. His oldest customer was a 77-year-old who spent the entire ride leading the pack.
The views get even better at my base camp. Le Refuge de Solaise is the highest hotel in France at 2,551m. It’s ski-in, ski-out: you can be the first to tackle freshly groomed tracks in the morning and then have your boots off and an Aperol in hand before most have made it into a gondola.
Advertisement
Inside, it’s chalet chic with reclaimed wood, cowhide rugs and floor-to-ceiling windows that peer out over the pistes. The big mountain views continue in the spa where you can watch the snow fall from the 25m pool, hot tubs or cosy shepherd’s hut sauna.
There is a downside to being so high up — and it’s not just that sinking a cocktail will set you back £15. Your only access to the town is by the Solaise gondola and the final lift returns to the hotel at 5pm. This is also exactly why some choose to stay here. “My party days are over; I’ve happily left the après crew behind,” I’m told by a Val d’Isère regular wallowing beside me in the hot tub.
The next day I’m back in the water but there are no bubbles and it’s -1C. Ouillette Lake is the spot where I’m attempting the decidedly niche sport of ice floating. I’m vacuum-packed into an orange drysuit with three huge foam fingers, looking like a cross between a turkey mascot and Tintin. I’m not sure who has the worst deal: me or the guy who has spent two hours digging a hole in the lake in preparation.
However, from deep inside my specialist suit, the water feels lukewarm. There’s an odd sensation of weightlessness — but I soon get used to it and switch off for a surreal but wholly relaxing half-hour afloat.
There’s no avoiding those slopes entirely. In Camille, I have a superb instructor to ignite my enthusiasm. From the gondola she points out the notorious Folie Douce haunt, which — save for a few women in feathered headdresses collecting glasses — is almost entirely stein-clinking men. Women being in a minority on the slopes in the largely British resort is nothing new, according to Camille. Of the 50 guides she works with, 46 are male. But the non-ski activities I’ve been sampling are helping to correct that. “All the new activities Val d’Isère is offering are needed to target a new audience. The slopes have been dominated by men for years but women tend to hold the purse strings. A lovely spa doesn’t quite cut it any more if they’re coming for the week and don’t fancy skiing,” she says.
Advertisement
I’m in the deep powder the following day, but not with my skis on. Hiking in the mountains on a ski holiday is something that precious few visitors contemplate. Yet my fitness walk around the Manchet Valley — with its views of the formidable Mont Blanc massif, and joined by a diverse bunch of fellow walkers, from young families to elderly couples — is wonderfully energising and enables me to learn about the surroundings from our guide, Yannick. I quiz him about the other non-ski activities in Val d’Isère, cursing myself that I didn’t leave time for snowshoeing or dog sledding.
● Best ski resorts in Europe
https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe/best-ski-resorts-in-europe
On my final day I enjoy a visit to nearby Ferme de l’Adroit, where I find a much better gender balance: 13 Brune des Alpes cows to one bull. The farmer’s daughter, Lucille, runs the deli next door where the produce is homegrown or from the surrounding valley. She carves up huge wheels of nutty reblochon cheese and saucisson to nibble on, and I look for something to wash it down.
The stags and après-ski scene of La Folie Douce feel peaks away — and I’m more than happy with a pint from the Brune des Alpes ladies.
Lucy Perrin was a guest of Val d’Isère Tourism (valdisere.com). B&B doubles at Le Refuge de Solaise from £317 (lerefuge-valdisere.com). A one-day ski pass is £53; fat biking is £63 for 90 minutes (billetweb.fr/wattsup-fatbike); ice floating is £75 (evolution2.com); and a guided fitness walk is £8 (centre-aquasportif.com)
