luebird
(
adj) bloo-berd
Skier
slang for a sunny
day with fresh
powder snow
–
also known
as optimum
conditions. As
in, “It was totally
bluebird in Alta
Badia, perfect
for getting some
air”. Place you’re
unlikely to hear
this: atop a
glacier in January
in the midst of
a white-out (ie,
a blizzard with
zero visibility,
where the only
trick worth doing
is trying not to
ski into a tree).
Cheese
(
noun) cheez
You wouldn’t normally ingest your body
weight in one sitting, but throw in snow,
a chalet and a bucket of mulled wine, and
suddenly it’s a brilliant idea. In the French
Alps, anywhere between Geneva and
Grenoble, it’s de rigueur to dunk bread into
smooth fondue Savoyarde made with Em-
mental, Beaufort, Comté and white wine.
Not convinced? How about
tartiflette
–
baked reblochon cheese, potato, onion
and lardons from the Savoie region (see
our entry for the Three Valleys)? Or in the
Tyrolean Alps,
kasnocken
–
mini dumplings
with cheese. Yum.
B
Altitude
(
noun) al-teh-tood
If you want deep snow and the
option to ski well into spring,
then you’ll need to get high –
really
high. At a lofty 2,300m, Val
Thorens is Europe’s most elevated
resort. That means it has the
network’s longest season – 24
November until 12 May this year.
This far up, the snow is crisp and
dry, and sparse vegetation gives a
lunar feel. For fancy haute cuisine
in the truly literal sense, head to
the Freeride Café. At the top of
the Cime de Coran peak, 3,200m
up, it serves delicacies like bison
burger and reindeer sandwiches,
to be enjoyed with a thousand-
summit view. It’s a head rush that
won’t leave you feeling groggy the
next day.
valthorens.com
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