A compact team of four attended this sunny ski day in Portes du Soleil in a week when our leader was gallivanting in higher realms. Stephen had been up at 5 am on an airport run and somehow stayed awake the whole day to lead us on a fine route to and from a fine restaurant. Mark drove PeterT from La Côte while David came across from Villars. We all met up at 9.30 am also with Jeff, a friend of Stephen who skied with us until just before our coffee break in the sunshine up at Pointe des Mossettes. Until then the skiing had been clean and crisp with some nice runs in the warming sun.
Suffice to relate we had only one faller the whole day long, and the clue as to who that was lies in this sentence. As for myself I had been concerned about my knees, but they seemed happier skiing than dog walking in the Versoix forest. Others seemed to make no gripe or complaint, whatever pains they may have been inwardly suffering.
We rested when being whisked up on lifts and then whirled down pistes in a kaleidoscope of ski dancing with the peaks swirling around us. Stephen expertly led us on through Avoriaz and across to his chosen eatery, Le Passage, above Morzine.
We had a fine table in the sun, and beers preceded an excellent lunch of salads and cheesy Savoyard fare, for we were in France. A bottle of Côte de Rhone helped us sort out the problems of the world, Scottish independence, Ukraine, Partygate, inflation, Brexit, Covid/Omicron, etc etc. On the future of Boris our bets were that he would go (PT – by the end of next week, DC – by the end of February, SL – by the end of May, MW2Ts – by the end of June).
There was no shortage of Ketchup
I rather enjoyed my croute Savoyard, but the café gourmandise was also a delight. This restaurant is seriously recommended.
To cap it all off we were left with some large bottles of genepi and similar with which we toasted absent friends, especially Thatcher who would have enjoyed this one :-
It was all too soon time to set off back on the long trek across Avoriaz and on down to Morgins.
The slanting rays of the January sun heightened our sensory perceptions, or was it the genepi?, but in any event it was a wonderful long and strange trip back to Morgins, reached without mishap.
Stephen offered us some tea and Christmas cake before our ride home in the traffic, while David wended his way back up to Villars.
An excellent day for which we were all thankful.
