valentine's day at grand montetes

Happy Valentine's Day from Grand Montetes! Last night we joined friends for a great dinner, and rolled out of bed extra early for today's ski adventures. Our friend Jim is in town, with one day available to ski, so the men gathered their downhill gear and caught the telecabine up Grand Montetes, while I made my way up La Trapette, the fitness route. It was a wet morning, climbing up to meet them for a cozy mountain-side lunch, and I was happy for a chance to dry out a bit. 

We all skied down together, and with a few more hours to pass, and better trail conditions,  I decided to make the 700m+ climb again before we rejoined at the base for our beer rewards.

vattay day

I finally had the chance to take advantage of the ski bus to la Vattay. It only runs school holidays and weekends, but is an amazing deal at 2 euro roundtrip from the Pays de Gex up and over to the other side. After yoga class, I hustled with my skis to the bus stop, and spent the afternoon exploring some new tracks. Twenty five kilometers and some painful blisters later, I decided to have a vin chaud on the patio, and met some of the friendly regulars. Skating has caught my attention this year, and after watching the skate skiers speed around the trails, I really can't wait to give it a try.