It was Fall 2020, and we were naïve. Everyone was planning a trip to satiate their hunger for travel after a full year of lock-downs and travel bans. Obviously COVID-19 had been conquered and we were on the final downward slope out of this worldwide pandemic...
A couple of friends asked if we wanted to take a ski trip with them to The Alps during Christmas week, in a village called Val-d'Isère. Yes, of course! It sounded amazing. Hotels and train tickets were booked. We. Were. Ready.
The first sign
About a month before our trip, France announced that it would be "impossible" to open ski reports by Christmas. Apparently the pandemic wasn't quite over yet. Shortly after this we received an email from our hotel basically saying "I assume you want to cancel since there's nothing to do here?"
This trip has been canceled... for now.
Actually, over a year later, we decide to try again. After a lot of planning, discussing, and price checking we have once again booked all of the things. This time we're aiming for the end of the season, late March 2022.
Sign number two
A week before our trip, my employer has decided to host a small party as a morale booster it seems. After two years of declining offers to join co-workers at outings, I decided since this is a company event, I'll attend for a short time before heading home. I was probably the first person to leave, and things were only getting started as I walked out.
Fast forward a couple of days, and I feel terrible. It's probably nothing, but I'll go get tested for COVID on Monday, just in case.
Monday morning, I see a notification at work that someone at the party has tested positive. Great.
I go get tested, and guess what? I'm positive for COVID-19!
We will have to cancel or reschedule, because we can't travel for a minimum of 7 days.
At this point, we can't be refunded if we cancel the hotel. So, we reschedule for 2 weeks later. Hopefully there will still be snow in April. This also means our friends are going without us, and we'll have to go on our own.
They went, and had a blast. Even brought back a ton of recommendations and insightful tips. At least there's that.
Let’s go!
Third time's the charm, right? We're ready to go.
Day zero is here. Picked up the car rental, dropped off the fur kid, and packed the car full of snow-things. And it's even snowing in Paris for our sendoff!
So close, yet so far
We're less than 10 kilometers (around 6 miles) from our hotel. As we climb the mountain roads the flash snowfall continues to come down harder. Suddenly, the roads are no longer safe. Everywhere you look there are cars littered across the road, stuck in the snow/ice.
This is why we rented an SUV, just in case something like this happened.
But we're getting stuck too. This is when we realize, the SUV they gave us doesn't have All Wheel Drive or 4-Wheel Drive. It's only front-wheel drive. Fantastic.
Two hours and a missed dinner reservation later, a snow plow has cleared the way and we're slowly making our way to the hotel. Or so we thought.
Except, it's not there...
The search begins
The GPS has taken us to a residential building. I spent the next couple of hours walking up and down the main road in the still falling snow, going into any building that is open, and asking anyone found if they know of our hotel. It was at this point I discovered my snow boots have a leak, causing my feet to grow more cold and wet as the evening went on.
Apparently nobody has heard of our hotel. We tried calling the hotel, but it only lead to an automated message, stating their office hours and to try again during the day.
At 10pm we decided to take a break for some dinner. While at the restaurant we asked if the owner was familiar with the hotel. He took a moment to look it up online, and said he was familiar and gave us some directions.
After dinner, we tried once again to find our hotel. We drove around once again, heading further along the road than previously, trying to follow the new directions. After driving down some back roads, Kristy spotted a building that looked like one of the photos of the hotel's listing online.
We drove around to the front of the building and noticed the signage for the hotel is of a completely different name. As we pulled into the parking lot we noticed a small temporary sign with the name of the hotel for which we were searching.
Finally! We have found our hotel.
Only, reception is closed. The doors are locked, and nobody is around. We attempted calling once again, and then walked around trying all doors and windows we could find. Everything is locked.
At this point, it's nearly midnight on a Friday evening, and we're stranded in snow without a hotel. At least we have a car if all else fails. It wouldn't be the first time we've slept in our car.
A new search begins
We decided it's a lost cause, and we should find other accommodations. We drove through the village, stopping at any hotel we could find and asking if they had vacancies for the night. Everyone was booked of course.
As per the recommendation of one such hotel, we tried a small hotel across the street. I walked into reception, but nobody was to be found. I spotted a sign on the desk stating they would return shortly, with a phone number on it. I called the number, and a cell phone sitting on the same desk begins to ring.
At this point I let out a loud laugh. What else would I expect?
I sat in reception for a while waiting. Nobody showed up.
After a bit I decided to try the building next door. It's supposed to be a hotel according to the GPS, but at this point I'm not having the best of luck with GPS and hotels.
I walk up to what I presume to be reception. The lights are off, and it does not appear to be open. I try the door anyway, and it opens.
I slowly walk in, feeling as though I'm trespassing into someone's shop after hours, and say with uncertainty "bonjour ?"
After a few moments, I hear some rustling from the darkness. Slowly a man shuffles from a dark room with disheveled hair quietly responding with another "bonjour." Cleary, I've woken him up, and I immediately feel terrible.
After asking if they have any openings he gives me a look that clearly states "are you serious?" I responded to his look, stating that I understand the absurdity of what I'm asking, and explained our situation to him.
After some time, he discovers they do in fact have a vacancy! And not only for the night, but the whole weekend. At this point, I'm ready to take it so that we don't have to worry about switching hotels. We're only there for 2 days, we need to make the most of it.
It's 2am, and we're finally settling into bed. Well, beds. Our room had two tiny twins. Whatever, they're warm and dry. Perfect.
Day 2 (Saturday)
Friday was a rough, and long day. We slept in on Saturday, even though we wanted to get as much out of the weekend as we could.
We took our time getting bundled up and ready for the slopes, then headed to a ski shop to rent some helmets. Then we headed for the gondola lift where we could retrieve our ski tickets. It took us a while to find them, but we eventually made it.
Printed the tickets, jumped on a lift, and started riding up the increasingly steep and tall mountain. I forgot we were in The Alps, but this was a good reminder.
Once at the top of the mountain, we had to take a few minutes to adjust our snowboard bindings. Fortunately there are little workbenches for this purpose everywhere.
Let's fall down a mountain
We made our way to the green (beginner) slope to ease our way back in. For me, it's been over a decade since I last snowboarded. For Kristy, around seven years. And for the past two years we've mostly stayed in our apartment, losing any physical conditioning we might have previously received from life in the city.
As we're strapping in my binding snapped. Unfortunately this wasn't something I could fix at the workbench. The plastic snapped in half, and I needed a replacement.
Oh well, we're this far, I'll just deal with it. Let's do this.
We both fell, a lot. We took quite a few breaks just sitting in the snow gathering our energy for the next stint followed by a tumble.
The snow is fresh and oh so powdery. It's perfect. It's still actively snowing, so visibility is terrible. This doesn't help my confidence as I peer down a mountain and can barely see ahead of me.
We made it probably halfway down the run when Kristy flags me down to stop. It seems her Plantar Fasciitis has gotten worse since her last time snowboarding. At this point she is in excruciating pain. It is overwhelming any enjoyment she might otherwise be getting out of falling, I mean snowboarding, down a mountain. It's time for a break.
On second thought
Fortunately we're at another ski lift which will take us back to where we started. We rode back up, and then back down the mountain. As we unstrap and start to head back to relax at the hotel for a bit, Kristy noticed her snowboard boots are falling apart! The souls are falling off of the boot. This explained a lot of the problems she had controlling the board. And the wet feet.
Tired, discouraged, and in pain we worked our way back to the hotel. We relaxed a bit and planned our dinner.
We need a drink
Our friends who were just here told us about a blueberry beer they had which was delicious. They said it didn't even taste like beer, just like a blueberry drink. Sold!
We decided to have a drink before dinner and try this blueberry beer.
If you don't know, I can't smell. It's not COVID, it's just me. And due to this, a lot of flavors are lost on me. This drink was recommended because so far I've never had a beer that tasted different than every other beer. No flavor, just bitter.
I ordered the beer, and Kristy had a cider. The cider was pretty good, as they usually are.
The beer... tasted just like every other beer unfortunately. Kristy could taste the blueberries, but it still tasted like beer. I couldn't get any blueberry out of it.
We later found out, after returning home, that I received the wrong beer. The beer they recommended was a dark beer, looking almost like a grape juice.
Let’s try our luck at eating
We booked reservations at the restaurant we were supposed to eat at the previous night. They were recommended for their fondue. We've never actually had fondue in France, so we should definitely have some.
This part is quite boring. The food was good, the desserts were great, and the restaurant was a lovely cabin-style building. Things are boring when they go right, aren't they?
Day 3 (Sunday)
This time we woke up for breakfast and planned our day while eating. We both decided that we are too out of shape, and too sore, to try another day on the slopes. Not to mention the broken boots and bindings.
What is there to do other than ski in a village built for skiing?
We decided to walk around the village, this time actually taking in the sites and enjoying the beauty around us.
Once we made it to the town square we decided to pop into the tourism office to ask for suggestions. When we explained we are looking for things to do other than ski, they looked at us like this was the most bizarre question they've heard before. They tried to convince us to ski because the conditions were the best they have been or will be in a long time. After we explained that we just aren't up for it, we asked for a view without the need of a lift ticket.
They described a couple small "villages" if you could call them that, just a short drive down the road, and a short hike after that. There's a beautiful view, and a large glacier to see. They also said to bring snacks, which really should have been a sign, but we didn't think much of it.
This was exactly what we were looking for. We packed some snacks and water, and hit the road again. We stopped a few times to take some photos of the beautiful scenery, such as Lac du Chevril.
Just a short hike
We found the parking area described to us, parked, and started hiking up the small road. It's a tiny, one-way road winding up the mountain.
After a while Kristy brings up the point that it seems to go on forever. Could we just drive up? How much further is it really?
I decided to go ahead just a bit to scout out the path. There were patches of ice and snow, so our vehicle wouldn't get too far.
Kristy said she was happy relaxing in this area and enjoying the weather if I wanted to hike ahead and see what we came for.
Never split the party
I went ahead.
A while later I came to a cluster of a few cabins. I thought this was the first village, but after consulting the GPS (e.g. my phone), it was obvious that I was not quite yet there.
Snapped some photos and continued up the mountain. This whole time there were footprints in the snow the same direction I'm going, so there must be something worth seeing up there.
After a while I came across four people coming down the mountain. This was the first time I had seen other living beings since Kristy and I parted ways earlier. They were dressed in full snow suits, and carrying snow shoes... meanwhile I'm over here in blue jeans and some leaky boots.
Was this a mistake?
Oh, but I spotted a hiking sign, showing the names of the two villages. The furthest one says 20 minutes. Perfect. I can make it to both in 20-ish minutes and head back down. There were also signs for a longer, easier path to reach the same destination, but I’ll take the shorter one up, and decide which to take back down once I’m there.
Village 1 - Chenal
Not too much further up the mountain I finally see the signs welcoming me to Chenal, the first village.
There's one building.
So I keep going. Another sign showing the next village is 15 minutes away.
On the way up I come across a couple more buildings here and there. Now I see why they said "village" was a bit of a stretch.
At this point, the pathway is still visible, but completely covered in snow.
I'm so close, might as well finish this.
Snow. Snow everywhere
After a while longer of slowly crunching my way up a snowy path, I find myself at another couple of houses, or something like that. I also notice that I can no longer see the path, only snow. However, there do seem to still be some tracks going in the direction I’ve been traveling.
I can see off in the distance a sign for the next village, pointing in the direction of the tracks. Why not? I’ve come this far.
It’s at this point that I start to fall into the snow as I walk. Each step I take is a chance of sinking into it up to my knee. After a while I struggle to get out, and need to crawl my way out of the collapsed snow pit I’ve created.
And now I’m so focused on staying afloat, the thought of turning around doesn’t even come to mind. And then I look up and realize there is only snow as far as I can see. I also realize the tracks I’m following, I’m pretty sure, are dog sled tracks.
Welp. I’m lost in the alps, stuck in snow. This is how I die. At least it makes for an interesting story, I hope.
At one point I look up and finally see another yellow hiking sign off in the distance, up a small cliff. This must be it!
I worked my way up the small cliff, and as I crest the peak I finally spot the next village off in the distance. There’s still a sea of snow between us, but it’s in sight.
Village 2 - Le Monal
Slowly I waddled/crawled my way to the village. And it was… underwhelming. It was a quaint little village, but definitely not worth that hike. I also didn’t see a glacier, but it was probably covered in snow at this point.
I found the hiking signs in the village, and decided to try the easy path back down.
Back down the mountain
I started to follow the direction for the long and easy path back down, but I notice I’m still going up the mountain. I tried to look on my phone to see if I was headed in the right direction, but it was not helpful - just a bunch of green. I also noticed I had absolutely no service here, so no way to communicate my situation.
Oh well. Let’s keep trying, because I’m not going back through that nonsense behind me.
I eventually reached the peak of the path, crossed another hiking sign reassurning me that I was on the right path, and it started heading down the mountain.
This path, however, is untouched. Any signs of life are now gone. Zero tracks, just untouched snow. Whoever was on that dog sled must have vanished. But I can see a building in the distance and another hiking sign.
Still falling through the snow, I work my way to the next milestone. There’s a beatiful view at the edge of the property, and another sign showing me to continue my way down the path.
As I continue I come to place where I can no longer see a path, only the edge of the mountain. I pulled out my phone, realized I had service, and immediately texted Kristy that I’m alive and on my way back.
Then I followed the path on the GPS hoping I was actually walking on the path and not about to fall off the mountain. This only lasted for a short while. Soon the snow was melted enough to see the path again.
The rest of the way was easy, and almost all of the snow I had hiked through is already melted away.
By the time I made it back to Kristy, it had been a little over two hours. I just said “Well, it wasn’t worth it, let’s go get something to eat by a fireplace.” and got in the car.
Snack, shower, sleep
We drove back to the village, parked, and walked to a small bakery. We ordered a couple of blueberry treats and some hot chocolate, and enjoyed our delicious and sweet snack.
My feet are cold and soaking wet after that “little hike” so I took a hot shower, and we relaxed and napped until our dinner reservations.
Dinner was delicious again, and a delightful flight of dessert samplers.
Day 4 (Monday)
The next morning we woke up, had some breakfast at the hotel again, packed up and headed back home.
The drive home was pleasant and uneventful. We spotted some castles, and drove through a town that was both lakeside and mountain foothills - the best of both.
We arrived home safely, picked up the pup and grabbed some dinner. Then it was time to return the car.
The adventure isn’t over yet
Normally I return the rental car on my own and it’s usually not a problem. This time I rented from a different location, closer to us, but busier. The area is called La Defense, and it’s sort of like Paris’s mini New York City.
I asked Kristy to join me this time, because it’s dark and I had no idea where I was going.
The rental agency sent an email to explain how to return the vehicle (it was an after hours return). Their instructions gave us specifically what to put into the GPS along with some directions and a picture of the entrance.
The GPS took us about halfway to La Defense, then told us to park and walk the rest of the way… and our destination was a parking garage.
So we spent the next little bit driving around La Defense, following any parking garage signs that seemed like it might be it. After many wrong turns, and with hopeless spirits, we finally spotted the sign from the photo in the distance.
We finally returned the car, took the tram back home, and ate our dinner we previously picked up.
Lesson learned
This is a perfect example of why we travel with other people. We seem to adopt their luck, which is always better than our own luck.
Thanks for reading along. If you made this to the end, either it was an interesting story, or you’re just really nice. Either way, thanks for reading!