A quick Dad & Daughter ski trip to Morzine in France over half term was a much needed break.
We hadn’t been planning a ski trip this year but then Jet 2 released an extra flight on the Saturday night from Leeds to Geneva which proved to be excellent value. We booked these and return flights for the following Thursday. 5 nights and the opportunity for the “Go Go’s” in the family to hit the slopes for some intense piste action was on. With dad in his 50th year and daughter in her 13th. This could be interesting!!
The flight to Geneva went without incident. We’d booked a group transfer with ChamExpress.com as they had proved to be the best value ski transfer company and had availability in the evening. Group transfers are a lot cheaper than private transfers but are more restrictive in timing. There wasn’t an option for a group transfer for the return to Geneva.
In hindsight I would probably have paid the extra few hundred euros to have been able to travel straight from Geneva to Morzine. We had to wait around for a couple of hours and there was a slight delay with getting everyone loaded up onto a coach.
The coach was clean and there wasn’t any issues. It just meant that we didn’t arrive into the ski resort until midnight. We were tired. It did stop though at the bus station in Morzine which was directly opposite our hotel.
As it was half term for both the UK and France, accommodation was limited and quite expensive. We had used Booking.com to find a place for five nights (when most places wanted us to book for 7). We chose Hotel Les Rhodos as it was fairly central, good value and included half board. The potential downside … The rooms were above quite a busy sports bar. Ear plugs and noise cancelling headphones were a taken with us (& we needed them). We unpacked and went to bed for a much needed nights sleep.
After a fairly good continental breakfast we headed over to the ski hire shop to pick up some skis for my daughter. I had taken my own (Atomic Nomad) skis and (Lange) boots. My daughter had borrowed her mum’s (Head) boots, so it was just a set of junior skis needed.
For several years I’ve been using an Osprey Kode 22 rucksack. Originally designed for backcountry skiing, it has lots of useful features. I like it in ski resorts when there’s a walk to the slopes. It’s much easier to carry skis on your back than over your shoulder (which also risks you slicing your jacket if you have good edges on your skis). When the girls were small, I managed to strap three sets of skis to the pack which meant that I had my hands free to help the little ones. Not required now as I have teenagers (and they can carry their own gear!) We used a brilliant independent ski hire shop called Felixski. The shop was located next to the slopes with a simple button lift which allowed you to drop into the main gondola in Morzine. Very friendly and helpful people. You can leave your skis and boots overnight with boot warmers too. Bonus!
Most hotels will order your ski passes in advance for you and it’s worth paying a couple of euros extra each to do this as the queues can be huge in resort.
Our ski jackets both have left arm zip pockets specifically designed for ski passes. Once again the Arc’teryx Alpha put in an exceptional performance. You really don’t want to be ‘that person’ who holds up the line at a gondola, chair or button lift because your pass isn’t in the right place. Arc’teryx make some really good layers that also have these pockets as sometimes it can be so hot on the slopes that you don’t need your outer jacket. Over the years I’ve purchased various Arc’teryx Covert fleeces and hoodies. They are simply brilliant. They are warm but they are also extremely breathable so when you are exerting yourself on the slopes, you don’t get hot and sweaty. I also have several Arc’teryx Delta fleeces. These are thinner than the Covert range, but also have the left arm pocket. Again good for skiing, but these are also good for travelling in to as they are lighter. The pocket doubles as a handy place to store your Apple Air Pods Pro case too!!
The four days of skiing were superb. Despite the resort being busy because of the school holidays, we managed to find plenty of areas to ski away from the ‘debutantes’. Though skiing back into the resorts can be a hair raising experience with everyone having tired legs and new skiers being quite erratic.
Morzine is linked with Les Gets and we had friends staying in that ski resort so we managed to ski over several times to meet up with them.
One of the advantages of Morzine is it is a ‘proper town’ and not just a ski resort. People live there all year around and there is a definite vibe to the place. These Alphorn players gave a lovely performance next to our hotel as we were returning from the piste.
Après Ski on this dad & daughter ski trip simply involved a few drinks before dinner and a game of Bezique in the bar at The Rhodos Hotel. Bezique is an excellent two player card game that we play on every holiday. After the trip whoever has gained the most points becomes “the current reigning champion” of that country.
Food in The Rhodos was wholesome. We particulary enjoyed the tartiflette. There is nothing better after an energetic days skiing in the French Alps than to load up on calorie rich potatoes, garlic, lardons, cream & mmmmmm Reblochon cheese.
The trip home was uneventful. The private transfer back to Geneva with Cham Express was fine. We used the Swiss Air lounge at Geneva to grab some drinks, fruit and snacks before flying home. It’s a perk that some bank accounts include. We get it with our RBS accounts and it costs £20 for the girls to use the lounge, which is cheaper than airports food and drink if your are going to be waiting around for a while.
I just need to get my skis serviced and put away for the next trip.
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