thetravellingwilbennetts

After last year’s trip to the slopes, getting the ski bug we were certainly raring to go again.  After the go ahead from the doctor (following a reoccurring knee condition) that I was good to go we got planning. Despite the snow conditions last year we opted for a later trip again as it gave me more time to strengthen my knee.

So early November we contacted Treeline Chalets again as we loved Morzine (plus we were keeping fingers crossed to experience the Morzine slopes this time around).  Treeline generally offer full chalet occupancy but do have a few where they just sell per room.  So we booked in to Chalet Linny which is stunning and location wise could not be better for either Morzine or getting the bus up to Avoriaz.  As returning customers we also got a discount which is always a bonus.

With Treeline you just get the chalet – flights and the rest are all booked separate (they do help out though and make it easy for the extras in resort).  The best flights from Manchester are always with Easyjet but as we didn’t book early the best options for us were travelling late Friday with a Monday departure.  We were happy with that as it would give us another city to visit and some downtime in Geneva at the end.

With all the extras sorted – transfers, equipment again with Ski-Mobile  (delivered to your chalet) and ski passes we just had to think about lessons.  As you may have read last year Nigel and I realised we could do with a bit of help but were unable to book any in resort we didn’t want to leave it to chance so we booked 3 morning lessons for us and the usual 6 morning lessons for Ella with one of the bigger companies in France –  ESF

A couple of refreshers at the Chill Factore and we were ready to get going.

We booked an airport hotel for the Friday night and like most of the hotels the NH Geneva Airport they offer a free shuttle.  So after collecting our bags it was only a 5 minute wait and we were on our way.  The room was huge and with a decent breakfast included this was a great start to our trip.  Well rested, we headed back to the airport for our resort transfer.

On the drive up to Morzine we were told that the conditions were brilliant and, whilst we knew that it had been one of the best seasons across Europe for snow, we were still slightly concerned about whether we would get enough snow.  Well, we needn’t have worried –   the landscape was completely different to that of April 2017.  Driving through Les Gets and arriving in to the town we could see that we were in for a treat.

We were greeted by our hosts Cat and Duncan and pleased our gorgeous room was ready.  We quickly unpacked and then headed out to enjoy our first beer – this time in the snow and not the shorts and flip flop weather of the previous year.

We sorted out arrangements for Ella’s lessons the following day and spent the next couple of hours just chilling before dinner.  As usual the chalet hosts sort the little ones out first and as the rest of the chalet guest’s arrival was staggered over the next day we managed to have a fairly intimate dinner.  We experienced some great food last year and so the expectations were high and we were not disappointed.  It was a great start.

First morning and we were up and at em!!  Ella dropped at ski-school and we took the Pleney bubble up to the top and chose a nice little blue run to take us down we did another little blue that took us to the bottom of the Pleney bubble life (now let me be honest – it was all blue all week – still not at red standard yet – but I am happy with that).

A quick dump of the skis, we grabbed a table at The Tremplin and went to pick up our baby girl.  She’d had a great time but was ready for her first holiday hot chocolate.  We decided on some lunch at the The Tremplin but with us having our dinner provided it probably wasn’t the best idea as the portion sizes were insane.  Now if you are self catering then its a good option as you don’t need so much later but we knew pretty soon after the plates were delivered that this was going to be a one off.

 

After another couple of hours on the slopes (to burn those calories consumed at lunch) we headed back to the chalet grabbed a coffee and then one of the chalet kiddies came along with us for a bit of sledging.

The week passed in a flash and our skiing ability progressed but not at the same speed unfortunately.  We were so lucky with the snow, the weather, the people sharing our lovely chalet and our hosts.

The full package at Treeline was just as good as last year.  The food was great but Cat and Duncan deserved their day off after seeing to all our needs.  Wednesday is the typical chalet hosts day off and they even book tables for you at the local restaurants.  It turned out that Wednesday was the only bad weather day and at the end of all our lessons the heavens opened.  We decided to duck out of the afternoon skiing and go grab some lunch.  We had a mooch around the town and then opted for pizza at La Remise.  We grabbed a table, a carafe of red, some food and settled in for an chilled afternoon.

We then hit the shops for Ella to spend some of her holiday money and she loves skiing so much she wanted to get herself a cover for her helmet and opted for bunny ears.

As it was the hosts day off we had booked in to Bec Jaune for dinner.  This is a super funky micro-brewery on the edge of town with a cool menu and plenty of choice of some craft ales and ciders.  After a pretty good lunch we were not starving but chose a few small plates including the highly recommended “Holy S**t Balls”.  They were amazing as was the rest of the food with a good selection of veggie, vegan and meat dishes.  With a selection of games the place kept the little one entertained too so a good family friendly spot to spend a couple of hours.

We spent Thursday “honing” our skills taught to us and finished the day feeling pretty good and definitely improved.  Ella and I headed out on our own on the afternoon for a couple of hours and experienced a snow storm and super sunny skies within this short time.  The ZhouZhou area with all its wooden animal carvings and the Penguin Park which was a small area for doing little bumps and jumps were faves of the little one and it was so cute to see her bombing down with such confidence.

The last day we decided to head back to Avoriaz.  We took the little train up to the Super Morzine and skied and chairlifted to the resort.  As we arrived in the heart of the resort we could not believe the change – all because there was more snow.  The resort looked so different.  After a couple of hours on the slopes (one a little harder than expected but we did it) we stopped at the famous Changabangs burger bar.  It was about 25 degrees outside and so with an ice cold beverage and a burger we were in our perfect place.

We took a lift up to one of the runs and went to see if the Igloo bar was still around.  It was there, with a DJ on the room and the usual ice sculptures inside.

We ended the day heading back to the Super Morzine and via the Lil Stash which as the name suggests is an area for the little ones to turn some tricks, jump around and it was great.  So much so we had to do it twice.  On the second time Ella even got some air.  Nigel tried to copy but completely stacked it.  Shown up by his 7 year old!!!

It was great to be back in Avoriaz and this trip gave us the best of both resorts.  We definitely got to see the Porte du Soleil at its best with sunshine and plenty of powder.  I am pretty sure that there will be slopes open until the summer with the amount of snow still left.

So what have we learnt this year – well aside from gaining a bit more confidence in our skiing, that we now know we love this type of holiday and cant wait to book next year.  However, despite the convenience of having your equipment dropped off at your accommodation and the vicinity of our chalet to the slopes this year – our biggest lesson – we hate carrying skis, poles and walking the streets in our boots.  Our take away is find a hire shop/locker right next to the lifts and wear some comfy boots there.

Another top drawer ski trip for the Travelling Willbennetts completed but the holiday was not over with a couple of days in Geneva to finish.

Morzine/Avoriaz did not disappoint.