This time a different trio – Mark 2ts, St.Cergue Stephen and myself signed-up for a day in the Grand Massif starting from Samoens, where we met up shortly after 10am after an easy drive.
By 11o’clock we were coasting down towards Flaine to enjoy the still surprisingly good snow above 2000m. We weren’t alone as the half-term holidays were still attracting lots of intermediate skiers who bloated the lift queues and littered the slopes. However they seemed to head for the restaurants before noon leaving the well prepared pistes down from Grandes Platières delightfully empty. Stephen, fresh from his numerous outings in Les Rousses, but venturing into the Alps for the first time so far this year, exhibited fine form on his unforgiving GS planks.
Stephen and Mervyn spoiling a stupendous view of Mt Blanc
An al fresco mid morning coffee was followed by a late lunch at Le Blanchot. Were the portions too generous or was Mark just too exhausted even to finish his salad?
Under continuing clear sunny skies we headed back up to the top of Flaine for a final descent before covering the several kilometres back to Samoens. We set off for the return drive at 4pm after another glorious outing. Thanks guys!
Not sure in which activity category this fits – walking, dining, culture(?), or a new and separate activity – just drinking?
After yours truly had availed himself of a BuyClub voucher, back in the autumn, for a private group guided visit to the Calvinus brewery in Carouge plus beer tasting, he set about fixing a date for interested members. This proved far more difficult than he would have imagined, given the attractiveness of the offer. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that five beer lovers were able to finally settle on a mutually agreed date – February 26th.
That evening saw four of us, Peter D, Peter T, Stephen and myself assemble at Coppet station to catch the 17:41 Leman Express to Lancy Pont Rouge, the nearest station to the brewery at 51 Route des Jeunes near La Praille. Not having these beer lovers behind a steering wheel that evening was considered a prudent decision! A fifth member, who shall remain nameless, having forgotten the date, drove to the venue, arrived late, missed most of the brewery tour, passed on the substantive tasting (he did sip them all) and drank only the non-alcoholic beer.
Calvinus, the latinisation of Jean Calvin, one of Geneva’s most famous residents, was chosen as the name of the only brewery in the canton of Geneva in 1999. Although not exactly known for his riotous or even pleasurable life-style, but instead for his strict religious teachings, Calvin was apparently experimenting with the brewing process in later life:
In Birae Predestinas
“Shortly before his death in 1564, Calvin, who was already unwell, would spend many hours cloistered in his house at rue des Chanoines in Geneva. Strange odours would emerge from his laboratory and percolate right up to the foot of the ramparts. He was even suspected by his enemies of practising alchemy – a pursuit forbidden by the Inquisition. In fact, assisted by a former Trappist monk, he was learning the art of brewing beer. His doctors had forbidden him to consume any communion wine, so terribly did its abysmal quality affect his complexion and gnaw away at his internal organs.
Alas, one fine Sunday in May, a dreadful bilious attack put a premature end to his life and his work. In memory of Calvin, we, Les Frères Papinot, have resumed his valuable research. After countless efforts, we have finally succeeded and the Calvinus beers have been born.”
Calvin on fire
Our guide for the visit, Arthur Papinot, son of one of the founders, showed us round the small brewing plant and explained the process.
Arthur explains the early stages of the processesArthur with some malt The fermentation vessels
He emphasised the attention paid to using quality raw materials – malted organic barley, hop concentrate in pellet form, yeast and spring water – and the absence of artificial preservatives, stabilisers, or pasteurisation. The ancient brewing traditions are respected, although the equipment used is stainless steel and ultra-modern. Calvinus produces about 100,000(?) litres of beer of various types annually – blonde, blanche, ambrée, IPA, noir(stout). It is sent to Appenzell for bottling and sold to restaurants and shops and at festivals in and around Geneva.
A fifth member arrives just in time for the tastingsIn the Brasserie, tasting the BlondeMark with the five beers we tasted
The tour concluded with a tasting of five of the beers produced accompanied by a cheese and cold meat platter. The consensus was that all the beers were indeed pleasant but not outstanding. The stout was characterised by its distinct coffee aroma and taste. The price of beers has gone up during the past couple of years due to the Ukraine war forcing a steep rise in the price of raw materials and energy. After a rapid expansion in the number of small artisanal breweries in Switzerland during the past decade some are now proving uneconomic and are closing. We hope Calvinus will not be amongst them and so to show our support we stayed on and sank several additional glasses.
Poor old Calvin. He never got to drink Calvinus! (Neither did Mark…(Ed.)).
8am on a rather grey drizzly morning saw four of us (Ralph, Mervyn, Mark and his grandson Henry) set off in Ralph’s comfortably commodious car in a Champéry direction, hoping to find more clement weather.
By 9:30 we were parked up and heading for the téléphérique to take us up to Planachaux and the start of our skiing – to our 10:30 rendezvous with Stephen, who was joining us from Morgins having escaped grandparenting duties for the day. Our French resident member was unable to use his on-line purchased ski ticket because seemingly he had specified Morzine (in France) rather than Champéry (in Switzerland) as his entry point into the Franco-Swiss Portes du Soleil ski domain. This was rectified by the payment of an additional supplement, but because of the queue at the guichet, also cost him two missed cable-cars and, in true GIN fashion, some mild piss-taking.
So somewhat behind schedule we set off but were soon enveloped in thick cloud as we groped our way along the ridge and down the long but gentle Abricotine run to Les Brochaux. The youth member of the team, on his first outing of the season, found that his skiing improved markedly once he’d done up his boots. Hot drinks and banter raised the spirits and with the visibility improving we headed towards Avoriaz to enjoy the Coupe du Monde and other long runs.
Lunch was taken at an old favourite, the erstwhile “soup kitchen” above Prodain whose menu now included fondue and tartiflette. After a tasty draught IPA we were soon tucking into the afore-mentioned fare plus wine and coffee for a very reasonable €40. For the information of our only €uroland dweller it’s a cash only establishment. He has now ratcheted up a debt as well as sundry fines.
Timid blue patches of sky were now turning into the forecast sunshine and we spent a pleasant afternoon playing on Arare and Fornet. The exciting off-piste was the scene of much sitting down skiing by one of our number, who complained that an old war-wound was giving him some gyp.
Returning to Switzerland, we rather sensibly opted for a descent of Chavanette by chairlift and enjoyed(?) the spectacle of numerous skiers who had clearly overestimated their ability to handle one of the most fearsome mogul fields in the Alps. Stephen left us at Les Crosets to ski back to Morgins and tired legs was the excuse for the rest of us to head back to Champéry the shortest way.
The return home in just over 1h30 was surprisingly easy and thanks to Ralph for his excellent driving and general bonhomie. Thanks too to Stephen for his guiding, to Henry for fitting in so well and lowering the average age of the group and to Mark for his customary good humour and displaying unorthodox drag-lift technique.
We were so busy enjoying ourselves no one had time to take any photos. Nor was distance or denivelation recorded, but it seemed lots.
A rather short-notice proposal for a ski day on Tuesday, to take advantage of recent good snow and very favourable weather resulted in just two of us, Joe and Mervyn, heading off in Joe’s car to the easternmost end of the canton, Les Diablerets, for a high-level adventure.
We duly arrived at the Col du Pillon, boarded the téléphérique and were quickly up at 3000m by 10:30. The sky was stunningly sunny and cloudless, the snow deep but firm, and crowds absent. After taking a few moments to absorb the view we decided to test our legs firstly on the relatively easy slopes on the top of the glacier. Indeed the T-bars were the most problematic feature, the skiing being effortless on the pristine pistes. Suitably encouraged we ventured down the magnificent Combe d’Audon, the first of several descents on this 7 km long, empty itinerary piste to Oldenalp some 1200m lower. The only disappointment was that the normally forgiving powder was crusty and uninviting.
Easy pistes to start with on the glacier
Time for a mid-morning coffee at the only open restaurant on the mountain, the recently restored Le Carnotzet at the summit, Scex Rouge. My all-time favourite watering hole, Refuge de l’Espace, nestled beside the iconic Quille du Diable is closed (for ever?) and the Cabane des Diablerets had its shutters firmly closed and no sign of a flag flying. One cannot visit Glacier 3000 without making the exhilarating Peak to Peak suspended walk, widely promoted throughout the region and the country. It was the perfect day to do so and we were rewarded with a breathtaking full 360° panorama, extending from the Jura, the cloud-covered lake, Gstaad and the Saanenland, the Bernese Oberland, the Valaisian Alps, to the Mt Blanc massif.
On the Peak to Peak walk.Joe on top of the (Vaudois) world
After more runs we took an al-fresco lunch at the cowshed at Oldenalp, now bathed in sunshine and transformed into a pop-up bar with barbecue. The menu was limited but wholesome – bratwurst mit rösti – and almost made the infuriatingly long wait worthwhile. Perhaps the cowherd needs to stick to his day job, or get some extra help. The afternoon saw us completing all the available runs and repeating the best of them. We were relieved to see that the recently constructed and infamous Black Wall was closed, requiring us to descend to the Col du Pillon by cable car, but with a clear conscience. A long 46° icy black run is not recommended at the end of the day! We were back in the car by 4:15 and home well before 6pm. All in all a great day and one to repeat, but only in sunny weather and preferably after fresh snow has fallen.
Two outings were scheduled on consecutive days this week due to the excellent prevailing weather conditions at altitude. The call to action received a disappointingly small response due to injury, sickness, therapy, travel and work(?) commitments. Time for some realignment of priorities, surely.
Bright (or rather, foggy) and early on Monday morning Mark and Mervyn set off to Champéry. The autoroute traffic in our direction was pleasingly fluid and we were soon booted, ticketed and on the 10am téléphérique and up into the glorious sunshine. Some gentle cruising on empty pistes saw us rendezvous with Stephen and Kate for an early coffee at Les Brochaux. Stephen was making his first GIN outing of the new year, having led us to expect him to be hors de combat for the season. Having a stubbornly gammy knee has done nothing to reduce his speed on skis but has required a modified technique for getting on and off chair lifts.
The rest of the morning was spent enjoying at speed the long, almost empty, slopes around Avoriaz before a welcome lunchtime beer and excellent plat du jour Chez Flo. Stephen departed to return early to Morgins leaving the two elder statesmen to wend their way back the pretty way to Champèry via Mossettes, Les Crosets, Ripaille and Grand Paradis. It was a testament to the good snow conditions that the long itinerary route was skiable, with the delightful Chalet Clavets open to provide drinks en route.
We left at 4pm and were back home by 5:30 after a trouble-free return journey.
Stephen and Mark chez FloMervyn and Mark at Les Portes du Soleil
The next day, Tuesday, a different trio (David, Ralph and Mervyn) ventured out to ski Le Grand Massif. We drove via Bardonnex onto the A40 to Cluses and thence to Samoens. There was thick fog in the Arve valley and high polluting lorries were forbidden from using the autoroute, which was something of a blessing. We duly arrived without incident and in sunshine and were up on the snow by 10am. The two super-seniors in the party were granted free lift passes whilst the youngster paid his dues with good grace. Whether the same largesse is available to him when he reaches 75 remains to be seen.
This had all the makings of a great day and so it was to be. The slopes everywhere and particularly above Flaine were in remarkably good snowy condition and the mountain vistas quite breath-taking. The photos don’t do it justice, not least because there are three guys spoiling the view. We enjoyed the long, wide sweeping blues and reds above the treeline from Les Grandes Platières (2480m) before stopping for a late lunch of classic mountain fare at Le Blanchot.
Unfortunately, the long scenic route down to Sixt was closed so we retraced our way back to Samoens the way we came. It’s quite some distance but the lift system is very efficient and the crowds at this time of year are virtually non-existent. There was the suspicion of a fall by one of our number, but as it wasn’t witnessed and is therefore unverifiable, GIN rules imply that it never happened. Three tired but happy and injury-free bodies set off for home shortly after 4pm.
I shall be away for the next two weeks, so if anyone reading this wishes to organise an outing then, please feel free to do so.
2 Super-Seniors on top of the worldMountain panoramaDavid, Ralph, Mervyn spoiling the view
Four faithful fellows forewent broomsticks for bikes this Hallowe’en (31.10.24) – Ivan, Mark2Ts, Peter T plus yours truly. The usual litany of excuses for absence, ranging from the forgivable to the feeble, was received from…….. no names, but you know who you are.
We met up at Divonne Lake at the appointed hour of 10am and after a brief conflab agreed to try to find the elusive sun which was reported to be shining above 800m. This entailed a ride past Bonmont and further up the road towards La Barillette. At the junction leading towards the pond we were still in mist so decided to head on up to the junction at 888m. En route we were pursued and, much to our astonishment and shame, overtaken by an elderly ironman on roller-skis out training for the upcoming ski de fond season!
Still not in sunshine we ventured further up until, at 990m we were finally rewarded with clear blue skies and an appreciable rise in air temperature. Our own temperatures were decidedly on the high side after 90 minutes of exertion, not least Ivan, who had for the previous couple of kilometers struggled with the added handicap of a back tyre rubbing hard up against the bike frame. He had been putting so much pressure on the chain that the wheel had become misaligned. As none of us possessed the requisite spanner (Peter D, you were missed) it was an easy decision to head back down. After all we had reached our goal – the sun.
The descent was decidedly on the chilly side with cold air blowing on sweat-soaked clothing so it was with great relief that we repaired to the restaurant at the foot of the hill in Crassier soon after 12 noon. We’d eaten there some years back but it is now the Restaurant La Semplicità, under new Italian management and to be recommended. Beers and the plat du jour plus desserts were thoroughly enjoyed, except by a very strong-willed Mark who is still on the wagon for another week.
A satisfying outing and a rewarding contrast to the washout of two weeks earlier. Hope we can fit in a few more rides before the snows come.
Of the seven who had signed up for this outing two sensible souls – the Honourable Members for Founex and for Rolle – believing their own eyes rather than the weather forecast, decided to stay in their pyjamas in preference to donning wet weather cycling gear. That left five of us who duly assembled at the start line at 09:30 – Ivan, Mark, Mervyn, Peter S & Ralph.
The grounds of the Everness Hotel are the usual meeting place for our biking trips but today, under leaden skies and heavy rain, the invitingly warm interior was the unanimous choice. There we shed wet outer clothing and ordered coffees and teas. It continued to rain so we had another round of coffees and discussed the options for the morning. By 11 o’clock, with no improvement in the weather expected for several hours, we had decided to abandon any thought of cycling other than to head straight home.
Oh well, next time?
Blog written by a fully signed-up and unashamed member of the Fair Weather Biking Group.
PS: There are no photos of this non-event because no one had a waterproof camera.
With apocalyptic weather events currently affecting much of the planet it might seem churlish to be concerned about our local météo. But there were some apprehensions expressed about the conditions we could expect on our planned ascent of the mighty Môle. However, with Ralph’s confident prediction of a temperature of 23°(where?), Mark 2Ts, Mervyn, Nathan & Ralph confidently set off from Divonne at 9am in Mark’s new e-car to rendezvous with Ross and Peter T, plus faithful four-legged friend, at the start of the hike.
After a few minor detours, but at the last minute wisely excluding the option of going via Bourg en Bresse and Lyon, we duly arrived to be met by a slimmed-down, shaven Kobie bounding down the track to lick us all. The two-hour ascent from the parking at Chez Béroud 1160m via Plan Meulet to the summit at 1863m was completed in under the signposted 2 hours.
Hard to remember the early sun
It began in sunshine while we traversed the forest but by the time we emerged above the tree line the clouds were gathering and the mountain tops were frustratingly obscured.
Ralph looked happy, before we got to the steep bit
The path became steep and the heavy recent rain had made it muddy and slippery. It was reassuring to know that there was an alternative route down.
What – up there ?Just before the trail really got steep
At the top, wearing our warm outer-layers and gloves (it couldn’t have been much above freezing) we duly celebrated with champagne, chilled gamaret and warming Knockando.
Getting ready for the celebration – Mervyn’s n’th birthday!!! (where n=x+3)Cutting the hostage, er, sausage..
Absent friends amongst you readers were toasted. The promised full 360° panorama was not to reveal itself on this occasion, much to the chagrin of the two Môle virgins amongst us, but we did get fleeting glimpses of the some of the peaks and the lake. Another time?
A view from the topSummit party
The threatening shower accelerated our picnic and we quickly descended to Le Petit Môle, where it was sunny, tantalizingly revealing the peak we had just left. No-one was keen to reclimb 330m!
Time to go downFrom Le Petit Môle – looking back upSun shining on the righteousANother Mervyn Birthday Bash. Note – sun on the summit …
The easy route back down became a stony track and we were reacquainted with the cars within an hour, all the while enjoying good views of the Arve valley well below.
I for one enjoyed the day immensely.
(PeterT Notes:- A great day out, pity the weather was not great, but it could have been worse. A really tough last few hundred metres, my heart rate went higher and for longer than any on other hike in the last 4 years…)
Another Thursday, another ski outing. And what an outing it was!
Whilst I’m sympathetic to those of you with understandable excuses for a no-show, the rest of you really did miss out on an absolute humdinger of a day. The chosen venue was Glacier 3000, because your humble correspondent was staying with his brother-in-law, David, in nearby Les Diablerets and 50cm of new snow had fallen at altitude in the previous 24 hours.
The two of us headed up to the Col du Pillon to rendezvous with Stephen (Langton) and catch the 9am cable-car. Stephen was driving up from St Cergue that morning and was delayed by the usual motorway traffic and roadworks on the mountain road above Aigle . We couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with the acres of fresh powder on the glacier so decided to meet up later on the mountain.
Without doubt these were the best skiing conditions so far this season – and indeed for several seasons. The gentle runs at the top had just been lightly groomed and it was like skiing on silk. Those with steeper gradients were untouched, giving endless possibilities of skiing in deep, light powder. It was a thrilling and all-too-infrequent experience and perfect to build one’s confidence in off-piste skiing.
The weather that day, which had initiated an early start to the GIN biking season, was sensational in the mountains. There were breath-taking views in every direction from the 3000m summit at the Scex Rouge where we even decided to forgo our skis for a short climb up to the celebrated Peak to Peak walkway. David just about conquered his fear of heights to cross the 110m “floating bridge” and live to tell the tale. A welcome coffee stop was taken on the other side of the glacier at a favourite of the writer’s, Refuge de l’Espace, which is situated beside the Quille du Diable, an impressive column of rock towering out of the snow and ice and overlooking a 1500m sheer drop to the ruined hamlet of Derborence (familiar to some of the GIN hikers and immortalised in C.F.Ramuz’s novel of the same name) and the Rhone valley 1000m below that.
After another couple of hours skiing our legs off we treated ourselves to Boxer beers and croutes at the Cabane des Diablerets, where the large resident dog was frolicking outside in the deep snow and dazzling sunshine, wearing a pair of goggles. Doggles?
After lunch it was more of the same until we were ready to descend to the cars. We wisely decided against taking, at the end of the day, the recently opened tunnel bored through the cliff which opens onto a seemingly near vertical un-pisted descent of 1000m to the bottom station of the téléphérique. Younger, fitter legs definitely required.
Again, the return journey was not entirely traffic-free, with roadworks and the usual congestion between Lausanne and Morges – the only negative to a truly splendid ski day. More of the same please.
Next outing is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 21 March – DV&WP (Deo volente and weather permitting)
David at QuilleDavid overcoming his fearDogglesFrom Scex Rouge looking NEpeak to peak walkwayPeak WalkSnowfieldsYounger fitter legs
Well, for once this season the weather forecast indeed turned out to be both positive and accurate.
Encouraged by the promise of a grand beau I cheekily proposed a ski day on what had already been declared a snow-shoe outing, albeit with no snow. However, none of the skiing members of the snow-shoers could be persuaded to change their allegiance, preferring a meander on Mont Mussy to a day’s piste bashing in the Valais.
So it was only the two faithful stalwarts, Joe and Mervyn, who set off bright and early and headed for Veysonnaz, one of the satellite ski stations in the huge 4 Vallées domain. We arrived without incident and were ticketed and booted and on skis by 10am. Cloudless skies above and a good depth of snow underfoot greeted us. The 360° views were magnificent and even the distant Matterhorn showed itself.
Above VaysonnazAn upright Joe
Being so youthful, Joe had to pay full whack for his lift pass so we decided to get his money’s worth by exploring as much of the area as possible. Oldies like me and Portes du Soleil season ticket holders go free! After a quick sampling of the Thyon runs we headed, direction Verbier, to Siviez, Tortin and Nendaz. Lunch was taken on a sunny terrace above Siviez to fortify us for the return journey to Veysonnaz. There we enjoyed the perfectly groomed and empty black runs of Etherolla and the celebrated Piste de l’Ours (twice) before descending down to the village via a much anticipated vin chaud/beer stop.
Luncheon terraceView from lunch stop towards Verbier
The return journey was not entirely traffic-free, with the usual heavy evening traffic between Lausanne and Morges – the only negative to an otherwise splendid Leap Day ski day.
Next outing is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 7 March – DV&WP (Deo volente and weather permitting)
