Méribel Summer Fun - Part 5

Hi everyone and welcome to another post from your favourite 3 Valleys blogging ski instructor. I'm back in Leamington Spa now for the next few months after a fantastic summer break in Méribel. The last few days in resort - and then the drive home - went well, but means I'm running a little behind with the blogging. So let's get straight back into it, and aim for the big topic of the new Courchevel cable car. Without further ado, here it is.......

A few days before I left, one of my last bike rides was up and over the Col de la Loze again, which meant I passed by the bottom station of this iconic ski lift. I had, of course, taken my compact camera to record any evidence. I've lost count how many ski seasons this lift has been out of action, slightly muddled by the Covid pandemic lost winters, but I think it's been at least three winter seasons now.

Isn't it nice to finally see the new cabins being installed? Granted we have of course all survived without it the last few winters, but what a relief to see it back.

Harriet and I went for a chunky hike a few days before we left Méribel. It was a bit of a curve ball, and perhaps one that the hiking purists would scoff at, but I'll never forget it. We jumped on the Pas du Lac bubble from Méribel-Mottaret, which took us to the top of Saulire. From there we walked south along the ridge towards the Aiguille du Fruit, an up and down ridge walk. For the ski lift 'nerds' out there, we walked past where the top of the creaky old Creux Noir chairlift used to summit.

From there we continued gradually towards the Col du Fruit. En route we looked down into the Méribel Valley, with the Gebroulaz Glacier and the milky River Doron featuring. Scenery wise, it's an incredibly dramatic landscape to walk within.

From there we made it to the Col du Fruit, which marked the start of 1,000 metres descent back into the Méribel Valley. Granted most of the hike is downhill instead of grunting uphill, but tiring nevertheless!?! Let's just say that the delicious burger I bought afterwards at the Refuge du Plan didn't touch my sides. And I slept for both Britain and France that night.

Regular readers of this blog page will know that I love to photograph local wildlife in the mountains, in particular Marmottes. You will often hear about a chalet, hotel, mountain restaurant, a ski lift and even a piste called Marmotte. And this is what these cute creatures look like. Here we are with some favourite Marmotte images from my summer trip.....

It's a real privilege to observe them up close, or when hiding behind my big camera. As mentioned at the start of this post, Harriet and I are now back in Leamington Spa. However after we left Méribel we broke up the drive and had a couple of overnight stops. I know that many of you drive to and from resort, and will sometimes stop over. So in a couple of weeks time, I'll post again about where we stayed. I hope you've enjoyed this mini series from the summer. Don't worry, ski blog posts will return as we move from summer towards autumn. Live With Passion. Martin.