Skiers and snowboarders alike seem to have a hate-hate relationship with button lifts. I understand why. Compared to the chair lift — in my mind the most sophisticated and comfortable way to get oneself up a mountainside, and certainly the most convenient as one doesn’t have to remove skis/boards and walk around like a stormtrooper or cyberman — the button lift is something of a brute.
As we headed up the chair lift to the top of Super-Morzine we began to feel a gentle breeze. Nothing particularly strong, and not continuous but more like breathing. Foehn! True to yesterday’s “joke” I took Sjek off-piste. Just a short way off Seraussaix which we could have walked, but it’s much easier to move in deep powder on skis than in shoes. A short distance from the Alpage de Seraussaix we planted our skis and Sjek prepared her kite.
Lo and behold the muscle fatigue has caught up with Sjek. We’re going to take it easy today on Super-Morzine, where “taking it easy” involves a power kite!
We started at the top of Pleney with the “travelator” ski lift. I’m never confident of my ability to teach, not least because the last time I was in Morzine my travel companion found skiing to be a terrifying experience. However, Sjek was a fast learner and outgrew going up and down the beginner’s stretch quite quickly. It was time for more challenging stuff: Piste B (skipping the steep bits via Piste D).
One of my favourite restaurants in Morzine is La Flamme. We’ve been going there for years and the lady who owns it is one of the most hospitable, friendly and accommodating establishments in the town. Despite its small size (seating around thirty diners) they’re clued-up about special dietary requirements — something which seems so rare in France — and given enough warning even claim to be able to cater for coeliacs.
