Submerged in a stagnant Tropical Monsoon and getting out of Dingo Beach was frustrating, and took “the neighbour and me” two attempts before reaching the Proserpine-Whitsundays sodden airport. Eventually saved by Virgin, who put on a special flight to collect stranded holiday makers and local stragglers down to Brisbane. Bravo and thank you!
Flying EVA Airlines from Brisbane to Milan (return) with a long stopover in Taipei City was an excellent choice. My day in this progressive city was diverse, culturally interesting and brightened with the company of a humorous American travelling to collect his bride?
There are free Guided Walking City Tours in Taipei, if you can negotiate their simple Metro Route Map and find the starting location? We couldn’t, but had fun making our own tour in the heart of the old city.
My early arrival in Milan after the attentive service and yummy foods on EVA, and the cross city bus ride to the somewhat ‘gungy’ Lampugnano Bus Station, put me on a panoramic FLIXbus and heading towards NICE on the Cote D’Azur?
Well…I wasn’t going to miss the famous Nice and Menton Festivals before travelling up to ski “Isola 2000” high in the French Hautes-Alps. (it’s only a 1.5-hour bus ride from Nice).
NICE is ‘party central’ during these weeks with nightly dancing extravaganza’s and is extremely popular with rhythmic French families in a city of gyrating Mediterranean youth?
Tickets are required for the elevated grandstands, but often seats are available at the gates early evening. ENJOY.
Isola 2000 is a large 70’s purpose-built ski resort, and although it’s a bit dated and sun-tired, there’s plenty of good skiing and boarding from many ski-in-out apartment blocks, hotel suites and stylish chalets above the original infrastructure. All fed by a busy mall of popular retail shops, rentals, a supermarket and gourmand specialists. And endless Restaurants and Bars with terraces and snow beaches for tanning in deck chairs!
On snow there are plenty of options… including race training slopes, a permanent Skier-cross course open to the public, Free Ride areas around the Merlier lift, tricky mogul lines off the lone Mene lift and scary jumps in Espace Tony’s Snowland. There’s even a cute Funiculare up to the posh chalets under the Combe Grosse lift, or take the sunny Lombarde chair for coffee and cake on Le Solarium’s deck.
During the chaotic lunch times, snacking early at Le Schuss and then using the mini Pelevos gondola for endless fast lapping over grippy rollers became de rigour. Or take the two steep chairs up to Cime De Sistron at 2603m for spectacular views…including the faded denim hue of the Mediterranean sea.
“Le Lounge” Bar-Restaurant and their ‘frantic’ sun deck was my go-to bolt-hole. The Cappuccino was great when buckling up my boots and in typical ‘kiwi style’ a late Pinini was relaxing and tasty, and the beer was cold!
Isola Village does have a Tourist Office, a good bakery-coffee bar and the pub-restaurant “Le Touring” is popular with the locals, and presently being renovated to include affordable accommodation.
I stayed in the cute ‘Studio Isola” apartments in the historic village as there was no affordable solo rooms at Isola 2000. This worked well for me (it’s a 15 minute bus ride) and convenient to visit AURON 1600 ski resort and Saint Etienne de Tinne further up the valley.
Auron is an attractive mountain village with a tight commercial centre around its Ice skating rink. Twin gondola cars lift off from the plaza, and most steep piste runs are fed from the connecting Las Donnas Telepherique.
There are testy off-piste shots under the lift or from the Dome chair, and a good mix of intermediate slopes above stylish Saint Etienne de Tinne. Both are worth a visit,t and use the Isola 2000 ticket.
NOTE. Being close to the Cote D’ Azur and the Nice metropolis, it’s best to avoid booking at Isola or Auron during the French school holidays (last 2 weeks of February and first week of March) or at least over the chaotic weekends?
Getting to the Northern Hautes-Maritime resorts of VARS and RISOUL from Isola 2000 was a mission. It required me going back to Nice but with no immediate train or bus connection.
Refreshed at the funky OZZ adult hostel, I took the fast bus to Marseille and then a regional train up to Eygliers Gare, and finally a quick taxi to Guillestre Village and the Cap Verb Ancien Hospice.
With the bus stop out front it’s a free twenty minute ride up a switch back road to Risoul…with your boots on! Then a quick walk thru the Foyer and snow terraces to the base lifts.
RISOUL and VARS are connected at the top near the Panoramiou 2500 Restaurant and Bar.
From here you can drop down into the mammoth back basin to the Clos Chardon chair and eventually return to Risuol or take a poma and a chair up to the Col Des Saluces ridge line to pick your steep…
Most take the blue traverse into the heart of Vars Les Claux or ‘the full monty’ and drop under the PEYROL chair down to pretty Vars Saint Marie. 1200+m.
Get your return timing right when you ski both these resorts in one day and don’t forget to up-grade your pass.
They don’t link up at the bottom, unless you are staying in Guillestre Village. Then its UP to Risoul and DOWN from Vars…by bus.
There can be a bottleneck getting up the Plate de la Nonne chair early at Risoul but using the steep race poma from the base area fixed that.
VARS and RISOUL are similar but quite different! The road up to Risoul is a steep and narrow switch-back, while the road up to Vars is relatively straight and gradual, going right through their ambitious commercial development and higher towards the Col De Vars.
On my last day (5th) I ended up at the bottom of the Vars Speed Master chair and in the corral with a couple of Speed Racers? “are you a BRO or a MATE” I shouted in my best Kiwi.
“I guess I’m a Bro then “, was the reply? It was Tawny Wagstaff, the speed skier from Mt Hutt and his French mate Simon Billy no less…the holder of the World Speed Record on Skis at 255.5 km per hour!
“We’ll be back in 20” said Tawny, starting at half way and dialling in some new skis”?
(Atomic Speed Skis at 240 cm long). I waited, and eventually their dots became humans and then very large air brakes.
Done and Dusted, we chatted for some time as Speed Skiing at Vars is definitely on my ‘must write list’ and I had already approached the Vars Tourist Office about the 2026 dates and accommodation options.
Leaving Guillestre for the lower Maurienne Vanoise reads easy, but it was a Saturday and when European ski-weekers travel. I also had 3 connecting buses…and it was the last French school holiday weekend!
Arriving in Briancon Gare was chaos. The TGV was late leaving, and my second bus never arrived at its allocated platform? Saved by a savvy SNCFA travel assistant (who spoke English) and escorted me to the buses parked in the yard and waiting for me?
We then travelled in convoy via OULX in Italy and eventually back to St-Jean-De-Maurienne Gare in France for more ski-week chaos, and my last bus change. Reunited with my misplaced ski bag I clammered on the ‘Saturday only’ bus to Modane and up the steep switch-back road to VALFREJUS. It’s a purpose built resort sitting on a shelf high above the Maurienne Valley floor and close to it’s sister resort La NORMA.
BodyGo Hostel is well located, about 200 metres from the major gondola and the heart of Valfrejus.
It’s on the 2nd floor and has easy internal access to the secure locker room below for skis, boards and boots. BGH is well patronised with interesting solo travellers, young families and active skiers and boarders. All the staff were cheerful and accommodating, and the inclusive breakfast offered from 8 was fresh n’ scrumptious in the casual common room. BodyGo has an inviting village-mountain vista, and the warm deck and outdoor hatch-bar above the Charmasson lift ensures plenty of fun in the sun and apres hoo ha!
The slopes at Valfrejus are steep and were running fast. Even my warm-up blue run from the Plateau Arrondaz to the Petit Vallon lift had slick drops between the tree-lined pistes and with congested ski school snakes sprawling everywhere. UP was better, although Blustery at the top of Punta Bagna (neck gator and hood up). With only steep, fast groomers down the ridge and into the huge Corniche bowl before taking the pick of the big push bumps or fast race groomers.
Eventually stopping at the Punta ‘restaurant d’ altitude’ with its open fire, library, games, and snooker table at 2737m? And the hearty onion soup with a ‘Croque top’ ensured I would return.
Tomorrow did come, with light boot-top powder down to the village plaza. It was fresh tracks on the ridge line and ‘take your pick’ on the lower slopes… and eventually one solo tour in the Punta Bagna bowl, past the ‘locals only’ cliff face and rocky couloirs.
All justifying the hearty late lunch in the Punta Restaurant and chats with the chef and engaging staff.
My last day at Valfrejus was enjoyed scouting all the lower tree lined slopes on grippy groomers and “last run” meandered from the top via Pas Du Ro and Lavoir down to the village plaza on the blue JUE (12 ks).
La NORMA resort is owned by Valfrejus and they offer boots-on free bus rides and interchanging lift tickets between the resorts (not on weekends). Both are on the ‘colder side’ of Haute Maurienne Vanoise and La Norma has a reputation for keeping cold pow longer on their steep open faces and in the lower tree belt.
It’s a modern and compact resort with well-organised mountain infrastructure and topped with two chairlifts to 2500m and 2750 m. Most upper runs were steep n’ fast (yawn), and the traverse Route de la repose joining the two upper areas was cold n’ scratchy and not much fun.
After Scouting the tidy base areas I enjoyed a ‘really french’ Croque monsieur and a very cool 1664 beer at Ho Fourneaux, to celebrate skiing the 6th and last ski region in the Haute Maurienne Vanoise.
This continued back in the Rock N Beer pub under BodyGo with Chan my Chinese bunk room mate who was training to teach Speed Riding (on skis) while using a small parachute as a brake down Valfrejus. Crazy?
Next morning Xavier, the congenial manager of BodyGo Hostel, “made my day” and shuttled me down via Modane and up through the mountain diversion to HOB.Orelle.
“Thanks Mate”.
HOB.ORELLE.
Arriving in HOB.Orelle was gobsmacking! Nestled under Cime Caron (3195m) and overlooking the deep Maurienne Valley, it compliments the historic Francoz Village perfectly with a subtle and purposeful presence.
Francoz is the largest of eight historic hamlets cut off from the previous regional highway between St Michel-de-Maurienne and Modane, and now the anchor (with a huge car park) for the stunning Orelle + 3 vallees Gondola.
Its a two minute ‘mini stretch’ from the HOB.Orelle locker-drying room (on the ground floor) to the magnificent Gondola and social plaza with the usual necessities of skiing and boarding life; including a Ticket office, Ski school office, Coffee and snacks, General tabac shop, Pub and restaurant, Food truck and even heated lockers in the gondola building for day trippers.
Add the comprehensive and friendly Orelle Sports 3000 ski and board rentals (thanks guys for the ‘sharp’ 87 bevel tune) and you’r good to GO!
HOB.Orelle had only been open 6 weeks and as my expectations were… easy-as, it was pleasing to be casually checked in by Mathilde and given all the ya ya about electronic keys and other stuff, then left to it. Skis unpacked and with my warm locker opened, the whole basement floor was mine and I even had a cosy bunk with a view!
Being a travel day I enjoyed a Cuppuccino and cookie in the Hob.activities area and then went for a walk. Receiving a warm reception (in English) at the stylish Tourist Office as they had recommended me contacting HOB.Orelle way back… when trying to find a single room in a hotel or Air BnB and within walking distance to the gondola. 6 months later I am there!
Oh… there is a post office, a somewhat neglected chapel and an attractive kindy too.
Up Top, after a steep hike on the road (with shortcuts) is Le Hameau des Eaux d’Orelle residences.
Breakfast at HOB.Orelle was bordering on excessive. With juices, coffees, cold cuts, pastries, breads, cereals, fresh fruits, yoghurts, cheese and more… all beautifully presented in the classy dining area with a view.
The Orelle gondola goes up to Plan Bouchet station at 2350m. From here, 2 chairlifts or the second Cable Car will ascend you to the ridge separating the Orelle ski area from mammoth Val Thorens and the beginning of Les 3 Vallées.
These 3 Cols are at 3000+m and lead you down to Val Thorens Mega Village but only 2 will bring you back. AND No Latter than 4 pm! Remember…there are no trees and few reference points on some pistes or bowls and if the light goes flat and the slopes have developed big push bumps (as some will) skiing-boarding back down to Plan Bouchet can be uncomfortable, difficult or downright scary. And you can’t download on a chair!
After a couple of ‘blue bird’ days with Ryan and Marie in Orelle and Val Thorens, I hitched the first can from Orelle and smoked through Val Thorens to Meribel with the possibility of completing a return tour to Courchevel? Skiing ‘as you pass’… the Mont Vallons steep Combe piste before arriving at Meribel Mottaret.
The view up the Saulire Express gondola to Courchevel did not look good with extensive dirt patches and sun bleached pasture? In fact as I got lower in the Meribel valley the snow deteriorated but not enough to soften the acres of bump lines down Tougene. Bad choice Bro!
Time for a coffee and rethink? Now being ‘on tour’ with warming temps and blue skies I read a sign pointing to Les Menuires…for late lunches. Na, but it did inspire me to change tack and head up to the Col above Mottaret to ski Granges twice, before finding Roc 2 then 1 leading down to a laid-back Les Menuires base. It was fun in the sun and the casual beach chair service pre-empted Apres at Val Thorens.
You can ski through the mixed residential-commercial heart of Val Thorens and this afternoon in front of the posh Goitschel Store I spotted STOECKLI banners and stopped. Going strait to skis I had been wanting to test. Their W.C. Slalom and the popular (for those who can afford them) S.C. Race Carvers.
Positive chat and exchange of credit cards worked, and with bindings adjusted my focus honed in on evaluating both pairs as a pro should. (I have used 2 pairs of their world cup models before).
Even ‘late in the day’ in big push bumps and on the slick spots, both these skis gave me the confidence they will hold high edge angles and turn at will.
More than satisfied, I returned the S.C. Carvers and agreed to test more tomorrow and evaluate their all mountain Montero. AS.
“Back at the Ranch” (HOB.Orelle) I rescheduled my life, cancelled my booking in Courchevel and extended my stay at the HOB for another four days. As after touring Meribel and Menuires it was clear that Orelle and Val Thoren had the best snow conditions in the region and would give me the best skiing for my miserable Aussie bucks. And time to test more Stoeckli skis before meandering back to Milano and jet jumping home.
Marie joined me the following morning and after taking the Cime Caron Telecabine to the magnificent Caron 3220 Bar-Lounge-Restaurant we bombed it to the Stoeckli tent and their crème de la crème choices before lapping in a PECLET can.
Eventually my choice being the STOECKLI WRT. 165cm. We switched Marie on to various lengths of Race Carvers, including the CX Laser and the wider Montero AS, before she tagged the stylish 165 cm S.C.’s as being the perfect piste ski.
Testing skis for three hours was exhausting, as Valentin the Stoeckli tech and sales rep for France, encouraged us to try all their models “Built for Perfection”. Sincere thanks, it was a pleasure.
After spying a subtle change in the weather I quickly dropped down to the Les 2 Lacs gondola and eventually arriving at Col De Rosael in nasty winds and murky viz? Caught with my pants down…
it was not fun skiing to Plan Bouchet and reinforced my previous concerns. Initiating a lazy day in Francoz with skiffy rain in the valley and surely snow in the mountains?
HOB.Orelle continued to impress me with it’s clever design, quality comforts and edgy ergonomics. Justifying the rating of being a 5 Star Hostel. Hotel, Hipstel, what ever you want to call it. All being refined and polished by the competent and casually friendly staff.
My final day on the ‘topped up’ fresh pow completed my extended stay in Orelle + 3 vallees were the best and most consistent conditions on my trip (23 days of skiing in 10 resorts).
Val Thorens continues to be voted the best ski resort in the World?? (9 times in the last 12 years).
Not in my book…sorry. Its Big, its High and it’s Good fun, even value for money. BUT without some tree skiing and other reference points in bad weather it’s up there, just not on the top!
With no regular shuttle service to Modane or St. Jean-De Maurienne my exit from Orelle was a Taxi to Modane, a SNCF bus to Bardonecchia in Italy and finally the “yes we are waiting for you” Italiarail train to Torino’s busy Porta Susa station. (all connecting and taking 3 hours).
Including my fast Bag Drag (5 minutes) to my new digs in the delightful ATTIC HOSTEL.
I was warmly welcome by Carlo and Silvana and daughter Alice (having stayed there before) and quickly got comfy in a quiet family room with a bathroom. Initially booked for only one night as my mate in Colfosco in the Dolomite’s was expecting me pronto for more ski testing.
During coffee and chat in the eclectic lounge-kitchen I noted a news headline…Train Strike, then B lined it to the Tourist Office in the adjacent park and plaza. “Yes” they confirmed it and in pure Italian style then said “well… maybe, as they don’t usually strike mid week”?
If Trains don’t go and Planes don’t wait…then two more days in historic Torino was a good call (it’s my favourite Italian city) and Alice knew all the cool places. And a direct bus will get me to Malpensa Terminal 2 and my EVA flight home… “maybe”?
My Torino picks were the Rugby at the raucous Huntsman Pub or burgers at Murphy’s Pub. Best vino and chicks at CAFFE VINI Emilo Ranzini. For Breakfasts, try cute TARTatea or the cool SICILY, both near the ATTIC Hostel, or the yummy street food in SICILYANI via Porta Palatina.
The trains did strike on my exit day, and getting to Terminal 2 at Malpensa on a regional bus was a breeze. And the roomy EVA Airlines one-stopper in Taipei (3 hours) to Brisbane was gracious, timely and highly recommended.
Murray Sandman
Feb/Mar 2025