A School Year in Provence: Le Grand Puy, Chabanon and Orcières-Merlette

View from Le Grand Puy

One of the reasons why we picked the Manosque area to live in was because we would be close to the mountains to go skiing. Driving north from Sainte-Tulle to Manosque there are beautiful views of the snow-capped southern Alps off in the distance. We joined the ASPTT Manosque ski club and I volunteered to give ski lessons while Sophia took her lessons. We were both in for a culture shock!

We usually ski at the same few mountains in Upstate New York every year. We drive to the mountain, park the car, schlep our gear into the lodge, get dressed and ski. We do this routine at Willard Mountain, West Mountain, Gore Mountain and Whiteface. Now, I'm not saying that this is the only way to go about skiing, but it is what we're used to.

The snow was not great on our first outing with the ASPTT. We knew that there was one trail open and that would be have to do for the first day. As we got on the bus I noticed that everybody was wearing their ski pants, but I just thought that that's what people do here. I HATE driving with my ski pants on, I get too hot. We boarded the bus at 9:15 am and drove 103 kilometers, kids puking on the way, to arrive at 11:00 am. As we were pulling up to the mountain, I started asking about the lodge and where we would put our gear and get ready. One of the ski instructors on the bus explained that everyone gets geared up in the parking lot next to the bus. We also eat lunch in the parking lot next to the bus with the kids rolling around in the snow or mud. I think of it as primitive skiing or ski camping. Although it was a shock to us, this is the way things are done. Everyone got dressed and geared up in the cold, used the public toilet in the parking lot and were on their way!

I have to admit that by the 4th or 5th outing we almost got used to the routine.

Parking lot - Le Grand Puy

Café and ski rentals

Le Grand Puy is a small mountain with about 15 trails. There is one chair-lift and several palma lifts (tire fesse - butt pullers) to bring skiers up the slope. I have not used a palma lift since I was little skiing at Hickory Hill. What great fun! We skied like crazy the first day even though the conditions were not perfect. We only missed one weekend of lessons during February break and every time we went out with the ASPTT we had a great time even if the snow wasn't great (from what I hear the snow wasn't too great at home either!)

Our last trip to Le Grand Puy was by far the best! There were more lifts and trails open. The group of kids that was with me varied in ages from 6 to 13 and even though their ability was similar they each had various levels of confidence. Some wanted to go fast, another wanted to go off the trail (hors piste) and some wanted to roll in the snow whenever possible. We made our way to the top of the hill, kicked off our skis and climbed to the overlook. From that spot, we could see the mountains a valleys all around us.

(Just today, as I was watching the news about the memorial for the Germanwings plane that crashed one year ago, I realized that we were near the crash site.)

We went to a different mountain, Chabanon, for the final outing with the ASPTT. This mountain was much bigger with more lifts and more trails spanning across several peaks. It took me awhile to get the lay of the land and the first hour we tentatively explored some of the trails. The kids were awesome! The snow was great too! By the time we made our way back to the bus my quads were burning and the lower mountain was slushy.

Cross on the highest peak

Views from Chabanon

I was very lucky to find the ASPTT ski club. I was worried about navigating different ski resorts and driving there by myself. Being a member of the club allowed me to go to the mountain without the worry of the road. I also got to meet a great group of people who love to ski and who obviously love kids.

having fun in the bus!

We went skiing one other time with the ski club to Orcières-Merlette. This time is was not with the lesson group but rather a traditional ski bus trip. This time we left much earlier as the mountain was about 2.5 hours away. As we got closer to the mountains we could see the topography change and the last bit of the drive was absolutely crazy. We had the best bus driver in the world who took switchback after narrow switchback in an enormous bus with grace and ease. Orcieres-Merlette is a ski resort on the top of a mountain and just when you think you can't go any farther, the mountain opens up into snowfields above the tree line. The views are breathtaking!

Orcières Merlette

Mind the gap!

skiing above the treeline

What is amazing about most mountains here is that you have access to trails even if you are not skiing. You can buy a lift ticket that will take you to the top where you can have lunch, go tubing, go dog sledding, go for a hike/snowshoe and take in the views. We returned to Orcières-Merlette with our friends Mike and Heather for a non ski day and it was wonderful! We even saw a group of people marching on the slopes playing some instruments. They were having a great time!