February 10, 2017 - Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour - Day 5 - Val d'Isere, France - A Great Family Ski Resort

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 63 DAYS
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Val d'Isere for a Family Ski Trip

Is it Friday already???
Wow - the week flew by.

Well, of course, having a snow day yesterday absolutely helped make this week that much more fun!

Being stuck in the house all day, we decided to bake cupcakes!!

​French vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting

KELSEY POURING THE BATTER INTO CUPCAKE LINERS (c)travelincousins.com

(c) travelinousins.com

(c) travlincousins.com

FROSTED CUPCAKES (c) travelincousins.com

​The girls were so thrilled to have a day off, unexpectedly.  Kelsey and I bonded throughout the day - watching a movie, eating together.

But, my little "almost teenager," Gianna, was totally bored and eager to go out with friends.  Can you imagine - these kids were planning a girls day out at the mall and "assuming" that we parents were going to drive them when it was still coming down like the dickens and the roads were a mess!

Well, fortunately, we moms were in communication and confirmed with one another that no such thing was happening.

​In fact the mall was shut down with the exception of a few stores!

As the day went on and Kelsey and I were busy making our cupcakes, I get an email from one of the moms telling me that her dear husband was going stir crazy and decided to take the girls sledding!!

Not only was it getting dark, but it was getting FREEZING!!      

This dad, is one of the most involved and active with the girls - I am so grateful that Gianna has friends with such wonderful fathers!!

Well, this brave gentleman took three of the girls down to one of the local golf clubs to go sledding for a bit before they were all ridiculously freezing!!
 
I so wish I had pictures of this (insert sad face).  But, my girl had a fabulous time and as she went back for some eats at her friend's house, I had my team of shovelers come over to clear my snowed-in property in the ice cold evening air!!

What would I do without my dear friend Victor's kids who never fail to show up and shovel us out each time we get hit with a snow storm!  I sent them off with a container of cupcakes, which I hope  helped warm them up on the way home!!

Well, today, Tanya and gang are in the French commune, Val d'Isere.  

What I'm loving about Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour, is that she planned to visit such interesting places throughout Western Europe.

But, here is the real thing...
These destinations, from Montreal to Geneva to Chamonix, Val d'isere and all of the other cities on Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour itinerary, throughout France, Switzerland and Italy, are not only amazing for a "touring" trip But, they are incredible for ski vacations!!

I'm so happy Tanya is traveling first hand to these locations because it gives us an opportunity to expose you to thinking out of the box when planning your ned ski vacation. The Rockies are incredible; Vermont and the Northeast is terrific - but SKIING EUROPE - THE ALPS - NOW THAT'S EXCITING!

Let's take a look at Val d'Isere and WHY it is a place you should consider for an upcoming ski vacation

1.  Long Ski Season
I was blown away when I read the length of the ski season at this resort.  Opening in November, the lifts will not shut down until May 1st this year.  That's about 156 ski days!

This long season certainly provides a huge window of time from Fall to Spring, to plan a ski trip.

The village is at and altitude of 1850 meters and the skiing goes up 3400 meters in Val d'Isere and 3456 meters at the top of the Grande Motte in Tignes. (credit; newgenerationskischool)

One of the reasons Val d'Isere can guarantee such a long ski season is due to the altitude.  The village is at and altitude of 1850 meters and the skiing goes up 3400 meters in Val d'Isere and 3456 meters at the top of the Grande Motte in Tignes. 

Additionally, Val d'Isere's Le Snow Factory, is the largest artificial snowmaking machine in Europe. It can fill an Olympic-sized swimming-pool with snow in 30 minutes and cover a whole mountain in 50 centimeters in under a week.


​2. Lots of Accommodations
Val d'Isere boasts and awesome 28,000 guest beds!

From ski rentals to chalets to luxury hotels, apartments, resorts, villas, and B&B's, Val d'Isere has something for everyone! 

Whatever you are seeking, the options available will satisfy all tastes and budgets from the five star to a great value property in the centre of town.

According to TheHotelGuru.com,

"Hotels here can often be impersonal, pack-'em-in, shove-'em-out processing plants, and those in our list of the best places to stay in Val d'Isere are picked for extra character, warmth of service and owners who care."

Check out their suggestions:
Best Hotels in Val d'Isere
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3. Great Winter Activities & Annual Events

"Val" is the setting for a number of events each winter.
One of the major events and attractions is Criterium de la Premiere Neige in mid-December. This event is a racing ‘meet’ that has been held here since 1955.  It is one of the starting points of the European phase of the Alpine World Cup following the North America segment of these races.  

If December is your month of travel choice, be sure to coordinate your trip with this annual event.

(credit: valdnet.com)

Additionally, the winter activities are abounding for every age, wehter you are traveling solo, as a couple, a group or a family.

Valdnet.com has a wonderful website with a plethora of activities available to visitors. Everything from Winter Walking, Cross Country skiing, Biathlon, Handiski/sit-ski, Heliski, Helicopter Tours, Husky Dog rides, Ice Climbing, Ice Skating and SO MUCH MORE!!

Best Winter Activities in Val d'Isere

Another great site is Valdisere.com - check out there site:

Winter Activities

(credit: valdnet.com)

This morning, who would have guessed that we would wake up to gorgeous sunshine!

Everything was glistening!  The girls were on a 2-hour delay, so it was a nice and leisurely morning for mom!

Sunny Morning after the snow storm (c) travelincousins.com

(c) travelincousins.com

​I don't have major plans, especially with the snow storm yesterday.  But, if things melt and clear up, we will head out to the barn tomorrow for a day of riding.

I hope you have a wonderful start to your weekend!!

We'll be back tomorrow as Tanya makes her way from Val d’Isere, France to Wengen, Switzerland.

CATCH UP ON TANYA'S SIDE FOR HER DAILY FUN TODAY!!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
​VAL D'ISERE, FRANCE

Beautiful Chamonix & Arriving in Val d'Isere
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Happy Friday everyone & GREETINGS from Val d'Isere, France!

I'm so thrilled and delighted that I actually got more than 3.5hrs of sleep last night. Ahhh feels good. I've literally been running on a maximum of 3-3.5hrs of sleep since the night prior to leaving on this trip. Luckily I haven't felt exhausted, but once I had finally settled down yesterday - THAT WAS IT - I started dozing off right away. It was so nice that when I woke up about 2ish hours later that I still had another few hours left to go in my slumber! 

Now I'm ready and rearing for another day and yes in yet another town...

As I mentioned yesterday, this is all of our first visit to this quaint little town.

We had actually started yesterday about 2 hours and 40 minutes away (94 miles) out in one of my faves - Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
 

Just taking in the beauty (c) travelincousins.com

And lucking out because the weather was good, sure it was chilly - some would even say it was cold, but it was just lovely weather otherwise and therefore great conditions to stick with the original plans of going up to Aiguille du Midi.

the Aiguille du Midi Cable Car Station about to embark on the ride to Aiguille du Mid (c) travelincousins.com

Skiers on the Ridge (c)travelincousins.com

(c) travelincousins.com

*For more than 50 years, the most famous and highest of the Aiguilles de Chamonix has been an essential world attraction. From the centre of Chamonix, a 20 minutes ride in the Aiguille du Midi cable car takes you to the gateway to the high Alps at a height of 3,842 meters. 

The cable car ride between Chamonix and Aiguille du Midi is in two stages. At the intermediate stop, at a height of 2,310m, the Plan de l'Aiguille is the departure point for the Balcon Nord hike to the Montenvers site. 

Almost to the tippy top (c) travelincousins.com

High Above Chamonix (c)travelincousins.com

Sights on our way up to the top (c)travelincousins.com

Dave and I had visited this point high up in the clouds that puts visitors as close to Mont Blanc as they can without having to do any mountaineering.  We were wowed back in 2012 and couldn't wait come back and do it again!

The Top of Aiquille du Midi (c) travelincousins.com

Craggy peaks and Glaciers (c) travelincousins.com

AT THE TOP!!! (c) travelincousins.com

Dave stepping into the void (c) travelincousins.com

​After spending several hours at the top, we had finally decided to come back down and spend some time strolling around the village.

Chamonix Village (c) travelincousins.com

Chamonix Village (c) travelincousins.com

The Fountain in Chamonix (c)travelincousins.com

Hand painted sleigh-horse drawn carriage (c) travelincousins.com

The iconic St. Bernard (c) travelincousins.com

In Chamonix (c) travelincousins.com

​Then off we went on a mountainous drive that took us here to Val d'Isere.
Once we were all unloaded and settled it, it was time to go out and explore!
 

Strolling in Val d'Isere (c) travelincousins.com

​From what I could tell last night it seems like a pretty small little skiers town, completely surrounded by the slopes of which we are about to hit this morning!

Check out Elisa's side as she chats about why Val d'Isere is a wonderful Must-Visit Ski Town!!

And on this note, I will bid you adieu and catch ya back here again tomorrow with all the scoop from today.

Time to go swoosh,
-T