The second week of the girls’ school winter break took us back to France and into the Haute-Alpes department or region. From there, we headed into the Ècrins National Park in the Dauphiné Alps (or the southeastern part of the Alps), for a week of skiing and snow activities. The Dauphiné Alps are home to the second highest mountain in France, the Barre des Ècrins at 13,458 feet (4,102 meters). We rented a house for the week with our friends Laetitia and Loïc and their kids. We aimed to hit the slopes of Réallon throughout our stay (Réallon is a mountain they’ve skied for years and is great for families with kids).
The setting of the region was as expected, picturesque with 360-degree views of mountains linked together as far as one could see. Upon our arrival in the Ècrins, the mountains indicated that there hadn’t been too much snowfall. Fortunately, that was to change by day 3 when several inches enveloped much of the area over the course of 12-hours. The transformative effects were in place and the park turned into a winter wonderland. For the kids, there couldn’t have been more excitement, snow at last with abundance! This fueled their ambition to ride their sleds for hours.
The advent of fresh snow factored in nicely with the skiing and some of the other activities we had planned. Olivia and I joined Loïc and Laetitia and their boys for a 30min sled session from the mountain top to the base. The 2.5 mile run was a lot of fun although at times it felt as though the sled wasn’t under my finest control, and as a result tipping over occasionally became a thing. In the end we made it all the way down the mountain and enjoyed the Ripaaa as the run is dubbed (and the kids loved the adventure).
Brigitte and Laetitia had a different idea of adventure and signed up for an alpine hike of Réallon. Led by a guide and equipped with snow trekking shoes, their 2-hour hike worked its way from the crest of the mountain through the forest all the way to the base lodge. Along the way, they snapped up captivating views of the Alps in their expressive form, from lining the Lac de Serre-Ponçon (or Lake Serre Ponçon), to huddling up against the blue sky backdrop and posing for the camera clicks. A trek to remember!
The week seemed to pass by at maximum speed, as vacation time often has a tendency to do. The time we had together with our friends will stay with us forever, from the fun we had in the snow to the meals we cooked together, and the good times we indulged in. And as one does when skiing in the Alps (so I’ve been told), it’s only fitting that our last meal was delicious a cheese fondue.
Our Provençal Year 