Chalet APASSION in Samoëns, France

Samoens ski season ends with 30cms of fresh snow!

Rob — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 07:44:22 +0000

Opened the curtains this morning to find 10cm of fresh snow outside the chalet! Quite a shock given we’ve been basking in sunshine and temperatures in their 20s this week!

The Grand Massif is reporting 25cm of fresh snow at Samoens 1600m and 34cm in Flaine! With the lifts in Samoens closing tomorrow it is going to be another fantastic end to the season!

Fresh snowfall at Chalet APASSION April 2013

Spectacular skiing in the Grand Massif

Rob — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:13:42 +0000

Wow, what a fantastic day to be on the mountain! Conditions on and off-piste in the Grand Massif were simply amazing! A blue sky day without a cloud in sight and what was even better was that there were hardly any people on the slopes (surprising considering it’s the start of the UK half term!) To top it all off we treated ourselves to a belated Valentine lunch at the brand new mountain restaurant in the Flaine bowl, La Pente a Jules. It has a sunny terrace with breath-taking views over the slopes. We can highly recommend the house burger and the mushroom risotto. We will definitely be going back!

Fresh powder and blue skies!

Rob — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:56:30 +0000

After all the snow over the last few days the view from the chalet this morning was picture perfect. Blue skies and an abundance of snow everywhere! In fact Flaine, part of the Grand Massif ski area, has reported 80cm of new snow over the last couple of days.

Our guests enjoyed some fantastic conditions on the slopes today. Wish we could have been out there with them!!!

If you still haven’t booked your ski holiday for this winter season and fancy taking advantage of these fabulous conditions just get in touch and find out about our latest offers.

Perfect February skiing

Rob — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:07:50 +0000

The recent snowfall over the last couple of weeks has resulted in superb ski conditions across the Grand Massif with some of the best off-piste skiing and stunning mountain views we’ve ever experienced. Soft fluffy powder and plenty of it, and more is forecast this week!

Experience these fabulous conditions for yourself and book a last minute stay with us this February. We still have places available so get in touch to find out about our latest offers.

A Perfect Autumn Day in Samoëns

Rob — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 09:29:23 +0000

With crystal clear skies and the autumnal colours of the trees we picked the perfect day for the walk up to the Refuge des Fonts. From the parking at at the village of Les Fardeley, just a few minutes drive from Samoëns, the walk-up took just over an hour and followed the course of the Giffre des Fonts and an impressive series of gorges and waterfalls.

The views of the trees on the surrounding upper mountain slopes were truly stunning with numerous shades of greens, oranges and reds – as colourful as anything we’d experienced in the New England ‘Fall’.

However, nothing had quite prepared us for the views as we walked into the basin of the Cirque des Fonts where, bathed in sunshine, were the collection of old shacks and chalets that make up the “Chalet des Fonts”.

Perched on the terrace of one of the shacks we enjoyed a couple of slices of Vicky’s homemade banana-cake whilst taking in the views and mulling over the OS map in order to look at possibilities for extending our walk.

We decided on tackling the 700m climb up and over the Petit Col ou Bas du Col d’Anterne (2052m) in order to join up with the GR5 track that runs past the Refuge d’Anterne Alfred Wills (1810m) and back to the village of Les Fardeley.

Whilst a long haul up-hill the views from the track (once the main route between Sixt and Chamonix) were truly stunning.We were treated to spectacular vistas across the top of the Cirque des Fonts to the snow capped peak of Mont Buet (3096m) and even Mont Blanc (4810m) as well as views both across the top of the Grand Massif ski domain and back down the Giffre Valley with Sixt Fer-à-Cheval nestled on the valley floor some 1300m below.

After a total walking time of just under 6 hours we were both exceptionally pleased to reach Les Fardeley and rest our weary knees, just not looking forward to the stiff-leg syndrome tomorrow morning!

‘Summer Triathlon’ in Samoëns

Rob — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:45:28 +0000

With only a few days in Samoëns and so many adrenaline inducing activies to choose from the Evans family decided to max out and fit as many activities into their 3 day stay as possible!

After conquering the rock wall at the Gorges des Tines . . . . . .

Came the rafting down the River Giffre . . . . .

Only to be topped off with the most amazing of achievements . . . . . . tackling the Col de Joux Plane!

Hats offs to Family Evans who might just be responsible for inventing the new “Samoëns Triathlon”!

Perfect night skies over Samoëns

Rob — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:57:03 +0000

One of our recent summer guests was a budding young photographer, Hannah Morris, who was so impressed with the views from the balcony of Chalet APASSION that she took time to compose some stunning night shots overlooking Samoëns and the Montagne du Criou . . . even managing to capture a satellite passing across the top of the Criou! Talk about perfect timing!

Below is a piece written by Hannah on the photos and techniques she used to capture the images . . . .

“My name is Hannah Morris born Cardiff, 1994 and I am a keen amateur photographer. I am particularly inspired by natural landscapes. The stunning views and spectacular night sky prompted me to take photographs during my stay at Chalet APASSION.

I used a tripod and my Canon 600D camera along with a 50mm fixed focus lens to take photos of the stars. I used a high F-stop and a shutter speed of between 10 and 30 seconds to capture the light.

One of my ambitions is to return to Yosemite, California to take time lapse photography and create a video of the fantastic scenery.”

Many thanks to Hannah for the photos and we wish her every success for the future – an obvious talent at such a young age to capture images this clear in such difficult lighting.

The Sound of Music and Heidi all in a days drive

Rob — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:51:50 +0000

With a couple of days between guests we took the opportunity to head south to Talloires on the shores of Lake Annecy.

Taking the longer, more scenic route over the mountains we followed the D4 past the Chartreuse de Reposoir, a imposing old monastery with such a spectacular backdrop at the foot of the Col de la Colombière it could have featured in the Sound of Music!

From there we drove through the popular ski resorts of Grand-Bornand and La Clusaz, stopping at the latter for a coffee in the village square. Like Samoëns, La Clusaz is a traditional French village with the square dominated by an impressive church and an old covered market area.

From La Clusaz we drove over the Col de la Criox Fry and then through the stunning Manigod valley which resembles a landscape from one of the Heidi books. From Thones we headed to Alex and then down to Menthon-St-Bernard on the shores of Lake Annecy passing the most incredible chateaux, perched high on the mountain side, en route.

Once at the lake it was just a short drive to Talloires where we stopped for lunch at the four star Hotel L’Abbaye, right on the water’s edge. An old Abbey tastefully converted into a magnificent hotel with beautiful gardens where majestic lime trees and hundred-years-old plane trees provide shade for the outdoor dining area. The vistas are breathtaking as boats bob up and down in the little harbour and the tree lined mountains dip into the azure blue water! With temperatures in the early 30s you could quite easily have been on the shores of the Med!

After a few lazy hours in Talloires we headed home chosing an alternative route through the mountains via Bonneville and then onto Samoëns, passing through some yet more amazing mountain scenery.

A thoroughly recommended day out!

Refuge de Platé – Crazy Paving Walk!

Rob — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:24:00 +0000

With the Grand Massif ski lifts open for the summer we decided to drive round to Flaine and take the Grandes Platieres gondola up to 2,480m so that we could explore the Désert de Platé, a 15km²limestone pavement scarred with numerous crevasses and fissures, created by acidic water run-off.

From the top of Grandes Platieres there is a guided walk of about an hour that describes a number of the geological features of the area including fault lines and numerous fossils. The landscape looks like something from another planet and certainly makes the walking a little tricky as you have to tip-toe along the jigsaw puzzle of remaining rock.

We took a detour from the track and headed down Méphisto Supérieure (a red piste in the winter) across to the Col du Colonney before dropping down the valley in search of the Refuge de Platé and a well deserved spot of lunch!

We took a loop track back from the refuge towards Tête des Lindars and en route were rewarded with some of the most spectacular views of the Chamonix Valley and of the Mont Blanc mountain range.

As we headed back in the direction of the Col we were startled to find a herd of Bouquetin grazing on the rocky slopes below us. Whilst they viewed us with caution I think they knew that from the precarious nature of the rocks we certainly weren’t going to pose any threat to them!

From the top of Grandes Platieres we had tremendous views back into the Flaine bowl – but how amazingly different and rugged it looks in summer!

Relaxing in the Sun at the Refuge de Folly, Samoëns

Rob — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:23:49 +0000

Whilst we’d previously walked up to the refuges of Boston and Golese we’d never visited the Refuge de Folly which is set between the equally impressive Mountagne du Criou and the Pointe du Tuet.

The walk itself forms part of the Tour des Dents Blanches and after an hour of walking up through the Les Grands Bois from our starting point at Le Pied du Crêt we rewarded with stunning views up the valley of Pointe de la Golette, with the Dent Blanches beyond, and views right down the Giffre Valley back across the village of Samoëns and Grand Massif ski domain behind.

After a spot of lunch we took up residence in a couple of deck chairs on the terrace at the refuge and despite the stunning scenery, fell asleep in the sun!