jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
We're now at the final stop of the Savoie Mont Blanc road trip, the Espace Diamant (roughly translated as "the Diamond Region" or "Diamond Area" -- it sounds better in French than in English). We left our hotel in Megève, where five inches had fallen overnight in the village, double that higher up. Here's our Peugeot halfway through the snow removal process:
As the crow flies, it's a very short distance to the Espace Diamant, but in a car you go up and over gorges, valleys, villages, etc., so maybe a 30-minute drive. According to reports, in the next five years they're possibly going to connect Espace Diamant with Megève and eventually neighboring Les Contamines, which would surpass the 3 Vallees in trail kilometers and result in the largest interconnected ski region in the world. We pulled into our base for the next two days, the cute village of Crest-Voland, built around, what else, an old church:
While parking our car, we saw something that we hadn't run into in other villages: lots of children. The very first ski class that a small child takes anywhere in France is called "Piou-Piou" (pronounced PYOO PYOO), which means "baby chicken." Crest-Voland, along with at least a third of the Espace Diamant, is proudly family-oriented: everything from restaurants to ski terrain to activities is planned to make it easy for them:
We stopped for a quick coffee next to the lift:
Booted up and headed to mid-mountain for lunch:
... where I had roasted trout on a bed of leeks and reblochon cheese along with a cheesecake-y dessert topped by Belgian graham crackers:
Finally, it was time to ski:
They'd received the same 6-8 inch top-off that Megève did. Since I was with the wife, extensive forays into the off-piste weren't in the cards, so I bombed through the soft chop alongside the trails:
... while she enjoyed the rolling groomers:
We met up with local ski instructor Françoise, who showed us some of her favorite lines:
Here's is one of the kids' areas in the woods, which are great for giving them glade experience -- they can dart in and out of the trees and through the signs:
The classic tourist shot: the two of us in front of Mont Blanc (disappointing that the photo doesn't capture how impressive it is in person):
Even though all of our accommodations for the past week were pleasant, our favorite was here in Crest-Voland, the Hôtel Mont Charvin, which is ski-in/ski-out, has beautiful rustic décor throughout the rooms, restaurant, and bar, fantastic cuisine, and is run by a really friendly couple who go out of their way to welcome families, including their two American guests. There's something great about being in a full-service hotel where you also get to interact with the owners extensively.
Après-ski drinks at the bar:
Atmospheric dining room:
Escargot appetizer:
Main course: perch, frites, and green salad with a spectacular vinaigrette
As always, my wife makes friends with the hotel pooch:
As the crow flies, it's a very short distance to the Espace Diamant, but in a car you go up and over gorges, valleys, villages, etc., so maybe a 30-minute drive. According to reports, in the next five years they're possibly going to connect Espace Diamant with Megève and eventually neighboring Les Contamines, which would surpass the 3 Vallees in trail kilometers and result in the largest interconnected ski region in the world. We pulled into our base for the next two days, the cute village of Crest-Voland, built around, what else, an old church:
While parking our car, we saw something that we hadn't run into in other villages: lots of children. The very first ski class that a small child takes anywhere in France is called "Piou-Piou" (pronounced PYOO PYOO), which means "baby chicken." Crest-Voland, along with at least a third of the Espace Diamant, is proudly family-oriented: everything from restaurants to ski terrain to activities is planned to make it easy for them:
We stopped for a quick coffee next to the lift:
Booted up and headed to mid-mountain for lunch:
... where I had roasted trout on a bed of leeks and reblochon cheese along with a cheesecake-y dessert topped by Belgian graham crackers:
Finally, it was time to ski:
They'd received the same 6-8 inch top-off that Megève did. Since I was with the wife, extensive forays into the off-piste weren't in the cards, so I bombed through the soft chop alongside the trails:
... while she enjoyed the rolling groomers:
We met up with local ski instructor Françoise, who showed us some of her favorite lines:
Here's is one of the kids' areas in the woods, which are great for giving them glade experience -- they can dart in and out of the trees and through the signs:
The classic tourist shot: the two of us in front of Mont Blanc (disappointing that the photo doesn't capture how impressive it is in person):
Even though all of our accommodations for the past week were pleasant, our favorite was here in Crest-Voland, the Hôtel Mont Charvin, which is ski-in/ski-out, has beautiful rustic décor throughout the rooms, restaurant, and bar, fantastic cuisine, and is run by a really friendly couple who go out of their way to welcome families, including their two American guests. There's something great about being in a full-service hotel where you also get to interact with the owners extensively.
Après-ski drinks at the bar:
Atmospheric dining room:
Escargot appetizer:
Main course: perch, frites, and green salad with a spectacular vinaigrette
As always, my wife makes friends with the hotel pooch:
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