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3-Valleys France & Amsterdam
Date:
Jan 27-Feb 7, 2012
Trip Leader: Steven Krapes
Trip Assistant: John Kelly
(Pictures are clickable for high-res images)
 Our
42 trip participants converged at Newark Airport at noon from our Club
bus or their own transportation. We learned that our flight
was delayed and we would miss our connection but Delta arranged for us
to take an alternate flight out of JFK, and provided us bus
transportation to JFK. Delta took good care of us - being in
a large group has pull.
  Thus
began our trek to La
Tania. The 7-hour flight to Amsterdam arrived at 6am, giving us
time for coffee and stuff before our 10am flight to Geneva.
We arrived in Geneva around noon and boarded our bus around 1pm for the
2.5 hour trip to La Tania, where we had 34 people at the Le Montana and
8 at the La Saboia. Most of the hotel rooms were ready and the
group dispersed to the town to go shopping and to get their ski rentals.
Our 3-Valleys orientation was the beginning of our experience with the
casual French way of life - a long delay while the hotel staff tried to
regroup when the orientation person did not show up. We had some
free beer/wine so the wait was a good excuse to socialize.
We had a single group dinner
seating in the Le Montana restaurant. The food was plentiful
and tasty. There was a bar in the lobby that was happy to pour as
much beer/wine as you wanted. A lobby fireplace made a great
place to talk about the day's activities. Breakfast started sometime
around 7:30 (this is France) and included scrambled eggs, ham, cheese,
yoghurt, juices, and of course amazing crusty French bread and the best
croissants on the planet. My kingdom for a good French
patisserie in New Jersey.
  La
Tania was covered in many feet of snow. A stark contrast to what
the United States was experiencing this year. Our first two days
of skiing were sunny with all trails open. A great
introduction to 3-Valleys since we could see all the slopes and get a
good idea of the layout of the mountain. The area is so huge that
you had to pick one direction/town and concentrate getting there and
back. You could easily spend 2 weeks at 3-Valleys and not
still not ski every run. 3-Valleys is not just a bunch of
groomed runs. Most of the ski area is above the tree line so you
can easily ski off-piste the majority of the time.
 On
Tuesday it snowed and snowed. About 1 foot on the lower slopes and much
more at higher elevations. We were in nirvana epic territory.
Snow up to our calves and sometimes our knees. Most of the
locals appeared to avoid skiing while it was snowing and as a result we
had the fresh powder to ourselves. 8 hours of powder skiing.
What more can I say.
  On
Wed, 22 of us gathered as a group and skied over to the top of Val
Thorens (pronounced tor-ens). It was a clear sunny day,
perfect for the long trek to the far side of 3-Valleys. 3 1/2
hours later we arrived at the top of the Caron Tram, with awesome views
of the French Alps. Val
Thorens is a large ski
vacation area high up in the French Alps, at 7,000', way above the tree
line. While La Tania is a quiet area with hardly any people, Val
Thorens is a bustling ski town with people/hotels/apartments/lifts
everywhere. Much of the day was spent skiing up to a
ridge and stopping for a mandatory photo opportunity. The
place was massive with skiing as far as the eye could see.
  Thursday
was yet another sunny day that allowed for an excursion to the far
reaches of the ski area. 12 of us ventured over to Meribel and
eventually to Saint Martin De Belleville, where fine restaurant-quality
lunches were available for under $20. Friday brought
in clouds and a bit of snow yet the skiing was still excellent.
The Club was extremely lucky to be in the French Alps when they had the
most snow in 20 years.
  On
Saturday we woke up before dawn and boarded the bus for our flight to
Amsterdam. We were at our Hotel (Die Port Van Cleve) by 5pm and
the group immediately ventured out into the city for dinner and
entertainment. Amsterdam appears to cater to tourists
and entertainment. Your eyes were surrounded by hotels,
restaurants, bars, smoke shops, and fast food joints. And then
there were all the museums and cultural activities. It is
incredibly easy to have a good time in Amsterdam.
Sunday morning started with a great buffet breakfast followed by a
3-hour city bus tour. We visited a gouda cheese farm
and a wooden shoe factory, and then a windmill. Very touristy but
it was fun. We ended Sunday by going to a local Irish bar that was
broadcasting the Super Bowl, which began at 12:30am. Many
lasted until 2am - some stayed until the end.
  Monday
was a free day for the group to tour the city. Indonesian food
seemed to be a popular restaurant choice. You can pretty much get
any cuisine in Amsterdam. And of course the beer in Holland is
quite good, on par with our Prague trip.
 Steve
and John would like to thank everyone for being such a great
group and making it a memorable trip for all. |
Steve
and John would like to thank everyone for being such a great
group and making it a memorable trip for all.
