Châtel, FR 01/30/16

Following last year's visit to Austria's Vorarlberg, I decided to head back to a francophone region on this season's trip to the Alps, so the obvious gateway airport is Geneva. Given that there are so many ski areas/regions in such close proximity, no surprise that it's outfitted with a major-league conveyor to dispense with ski and snowboard equipment:



After getting my rental car and making a couple wrong turns while leaving the city, I still managed to arrive in the village of Châtel (pronounced SHAH-tell) by 10:45. It's  one of the larger of the villages in the massive Portes du Soleil region that I visited two years ago, but that time I stayed on the other end, in Les Gets and Morzine. Châtel is more centrally located and well connected to high-elevation Avoriaz and the south-facing Swiss sectors.

By the way, if you're wondering how big the Portes du Soleil is, check out this nifty interface designed by a British marketing company called French Ski Area Over My Town that allows you to overlay France's biggest ski regions on top of a location that you know well. Pretty frightening how much ground they cover!

I quickly headed over to the Pre-la Joux sector, on the looker's right of the map:



Got drinks at the bar with some new acquaintances (the Leffe beer is mine):



Lunch in the sun:





Then spent the afternoon checking out the slopes with a local who's a ski instructor during the winter and a paraglide host during the rest of the year. Nice life!





After getting pummeled by snow over the first three weeks of January, there's been an unfortunately-timed Alps-wide thaw/refreeze cycle lately that's left conditions kinda scratchy, so going off-piste was at your own risk. Being at a comparatively modest altitude means that periods like this don't work to Chatel's advantage, but even when things aren't optimum, it's amazing to go traveling on skis over such a huge distance:



This skier was going switch full speed:






In addition to being a gorgeous village, Châtel’s secret sauce is being part of the agricultural Vallée d’Abondance and reportedly boasting 30 working farms. As this sculpture demonstrates (yes, those are skis), cows are a big part of the local culture:



And it goes without saying that cheese is a real point of pride here:



So I visited nearby Fromage d'Abondance and got a quick tour of their operations:













Said hello to the cows, most of which have a signature "sunglasses" effect around their eyes.





They all have names:



And enjoyed some nectar of the gods:

This report shows what is great about a euro ski trip..It's more then just the skiing...Can't wait for more reports...

I remember when Alicia and I were in Europe skiing 20 years ago (exactly) with the same kids of weather - thankfully the skiing was good but, being in a different culture and hitting the cheese makers and wine makers on our trip made it very special. Need to rub a few nickels together to do a trip like this.

Keep the stories coming.

thanks!! great report.

Wonderful - mmmmm cheese. So much about visiting Europe is about the food and drink and rightly so. Thanks for the report.

Nice!! Great pics, and reporting style.  Thanks again James!

What a cheesy post....
All kidding aside, I always look forward to your annual trip to Europe James.  As always, thanks for sharing and taking the time to check in here on HR.

Great report

So I always wondered what happen when you come back to the US and the customs guy asks have you visited a farm?

Nice report, James.   Plus, I'm taking notes as we're going to take a family ski trip there in a few seasons.  I've been told France may be the place to check out for families.  I'm anxiously awaiting the rest of this year's adventure.  I loved your reports from your Austrian jaunt last season.

Is that a raw milk cheese(unpasteurized)?
USDA frowns on that...Then again they  are ok with American Cheese..

Coach Z wrote

 I always wondered what happen when you come back to the US and the customs guy asks have you visited a farm?

That's a good question. I have six days to decide how to reply. Are there any armchair customs lawyers around?

JasonWx wrote

Is that a raw milk cheese(unpasteurized)?

According to the regional website, it's made from raw milk. And I'm bringing back that big piece she was cutting. Another customs violation!

Jamesdeluxe wrote

Another customs violation!

Be careful, I just got back from a trip down in Baja.... coming back through LAX, they had dogs looking for "illegal" food!!

JasonWx wrote

Is that a raw milk cheese(unpasteurized)?

Jamesdeluxe wrote

According to the regional website, it's made from raw milk. And I'm bringing back that big piece she was cutting. Another customs violation!

The cheese made it back safely and was enjoyed by my colleagues yesterday.

what about your friends?