Summer Reset - Part Two

Hi everybody, and a warm (!) welcome back to another post from your favourite blogging Méribel ski instructor. So, how are we all coping in this nonsense summer heat we're experiencing at the moment? What coping strategies are working for you? Placing your feet in a bucket of iced water, or even your head? Non stop ice creams? Sitting in front of a fan or air con vent? How about having champagne on tap? Shall I tell you how I'm coping, jumping on a ski lift and going as high as possible. Then opening my windows in the apartment to let the cool evening air waft in.

Of course, mountains aren't always this generous. But I'll take it whilst I can. There are three ski lifts open during the summer season here in Méribel, the Tougnete telecabine, the Tougnete 2 chairlift, and the Pas du Lac telecabine in Méribel-Mottaret. Compared to what's available during the ski season, these three ski lifts don't sound like much, but they open up a large amount of terrain for the summer visitor. I had a sniff up and around Saulire, the highest point between Méribel and Courchevel, the other day. It's always interesting seeing this area without snow. My first point of call was to see what the latest is with the damaged Saulire cable car that comes up from Courchevel 1850.

Just under a year ago, the ski lift company was stress testing the cable car, where it runs with very heavy weights and at a much greater speed that's normally permitted. Well, the stress test stressed things a little too much. And one of the big cars crashed at the top, mangling the infrastructure. I guess that's the purpose of stress tests, right? This meant that the cable car was completely out of action last winter. It's good to see that work has started up there. Apparently every piece of the metalwork needs to be taken away and checked for fatigue/distortion.

There's no guarantee that this will be complete in time for this coming winter. A definite question mark over that. Granted, a first world problem, but I can't deny that it is an inconvenience for route finding etc. Plus, the Panoramic mountain restaurant didn't open last winter, because of the loss of access for Courchevel clients!?! If the cable car stays closed, I wonder what the restaurant will do again?

Another way of trying to avoid the heat is to head up the mountain late afternoon with my hiking boots on, and spend some time up there until it gets dark. A bit extreme I know, but I'm loving the sunsets at the moment. Another of my favourite areas is going up beyond Méribel-Mottaret, up towards the Lac de Tueda, and then up the nasty 'gut buster' wall of death stretch onto the Vallon du Fruit. A sharp but steep brute of a hike, but well worth it when up top.

I wanted to visit the Lac des Fées, just because it's soo pretty. I half hoped that there would be no breeze, to get that magical photograph of a reflected Aiguille du Fruit on the lac. But, it wasn't to be. Stunning all the same, maybe another day. But the evening wasn't over. The second part of the plan was to climb higher, and find a suitable location to shoot the late evening light on the Col, and Aiguille, du Fruit. It was truly magnificent. Well worth the effort of heading all the way up there. However, stumbling back down the 'gut buster' in the dark wasn't exactly a bundle of laughs.

Right, that's it for now. I've been mountain and road biking the last few days, and scouting out new sunset locations for my mate Canon and I. Oh, and it looks like we might have some rain on the way towards the end of the week. I'll be back again in a few days. Now then, where's that bucket of iced water, ice cream and champagne? Live. With. Passion. Martin.