Skiing in Chamrousse

Okay enough about the crisis, already!

I went to Chamrousse (www.chamrousse.com) this weekend. It's almost three years since a friend of ours sold his house there, so we haven't been back since. What a surprise! The station has changed, alot. Lots of new developments and it is looking quite refreshed. True, there was a ton of snow, perhaps masking the usual graffiti and dog shit. However, it has become a real ski station.

We arrived Friday night in a snowstorm. This has been a great year for snow. I apologise to those friends who were transfered overseas last year. We had a hard time going up, even with the snow tires, luckily we didn't need the chains, that we had forgotten at home. We spent the night in a pleasent Gîte, the "Fanfoue" (www.corole.com). Nice rooms, a jacuzzi, and a hearty breakfast. We had dinner in the station, and discovered that the Chamrousse welcome remains as unpleasent as ever. First time we had seen 'vin chaude' made from carton wine heated by the steamer on a coffee machine! Rather expensive too!
The next day we headed for Lac Achard, a relatively easy walk. As I said there was a lot of snow, and few tracks, as it had snowed all night. There were a few people with us to begin with, but by the time we arrived at the lake, we were alone. We had a quick lunch in the sun and headed back down, as it was quite cold.
We met a lot of people coming up, in various states of exhaustion. The quantity of snow made the walk more challenging than some were clearly used to. Some foolhardy souls were doing the walk without snowshoes, sinking up to their knees every few metres.
When we got back to the station, I was amazed to see the number of people, cars , and particularly coaches from all over France. Chamrousse has clearly invested a lot and taken off as a station. They offer a range of activities from motor scooters to ice diving, that didn't exsist before. If the shops and restaurants can work on thier communication skills and welcome, they might become a great station.