So Close

Hi everyone, and a very warm welcome from Méribel from your favourite blogging ski instructor! Thankfully everything went to plan the last few days or so with the packing up in Leamington, and then the journey down. Harriet and I attended a big family Birthday celebration in Essex last Saturday which was fun, and then the following morning I went straight to Folkestone to catch a Eurotunnel train into France. As usual it was a long old drive, and this time I stopped overnight in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

I know some people can blast on through all the way down to the Alps in one go, but I prefer to split the journey in two. And to be honest, after driving 500 miles in one day, I was a yawning frothing tired mess by the time I reached my hotel. However it's always nice the next morning after breakfast to then go for a walk (with my mate Canon the camera).

It's a lovely reintroduction into France to take a stroll like this, instead of spending hours and hours on the autoroute. After I posted on Facebook, my sister-in-law left a particularly good comment: "There is nothing in this world quite as French as France. They really have nailed it." And I believe Sophy is spot on there.....

Anyway, enough of that. Who wants to know what Méribel looks like at the moment?

To be honest, most of the time it's been tricky to tell because the weather has been rubbish. However yesterday morning the sun appeared and it was minus 8C when I popped out to take a look.

You know with skiing how we sometimes get lucky with the weather and snow conditions? Yesterday morning was one of those times.

It's been proper chilly and good to see that the resort was making the most of these conditions with artificial snow making.

It's quite a sight isn't it? I'm very aware that it is a privilege to be able to witness this stage of the pre-season especially when the views are like this. Yes, they are familiar, but appreciated all the same.

The sunshine didn't last long unfortunately, and another big weather front is moving through again over the next two to three days. It's not nearly as cold today as yesterday, but fingers crossed the negative temperatures at resort level will return tomorrow. This is one of those weather fronts where you have to be patient and sit it out!?! It's a little too early to say what the conditions are like at the moment, we won't know until getting up the mountain. Confirmation came through yesterday that some of the ski lifts will open on Saturday. With that in mind, I need to go and grab my ski lift pass, and scrape the summer wax off my skis. Gotta dash. Live With Passion. Martin.