by Rob Rees
If you still haven’t decided where to go to enjoy this bumper ski season, and you’ve just about recovered from ‘The Beast from the East’, Les Arcs is a perfect venue. The gorgeous boutique Chalet des Cascades above Les Arcs 2000 still has some spaces left, at cracking prices through Flexiski (www.flexiski.com).
Recently voted a Top 20 ‘Sexiest Chalet’ by The Times, the Chalet des Cascades is a cosy, tastefully converted farmhouse, slap bang on the nursery slopes. The ski-in ski-out chalet is owned by two local senior ESF ski instructors and has been built on the old ski school site. A great omen for beginners!
Perched at 2140m, the chalet unlocks the Paradiski, the world’s second largest ski area and accessing three ski resorts (Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne) linked by one of Europe’s largest cable cars, the Vanoise Express.
Many of the best pistes in Les Arcs lie a quick ski away above the villages of Arc 1600, Arc 1800 and Vallandry. They’re well-groomed cruisers that will flatter the most tired or ropiest of techniques. When it’s snowing, head for the trees here to get better visibility. Few skiers however have heard of Villaroger, a rustic village at the far north-eastern tip of the Les Arcs area with a handful of chalets, one bar, two restaurants and a couple of old chair lifts. Known by locals as ‘the dark side’, because of its north-facing slopes. Villaroger is about as far removed from the industrial apartment blocks of Arc 1600 as it’s possible to get and just a short hop over the hill from Arcs 2000 and Chalet des Cascades.
The fun at Chalet des Cascades starts on arrival from Geneva (or Chambery or Lyon) airport. You can hop into a brand-new Polaris snow buggy and roar up deserted, moonlit pistes to the chalet, arriving in style to a glass of champagne and tasty canapés. You’re welcomed by a truly eclectic, friendly chalet team of chef, Beau; ‘front of house’ Emily, and the chalet host, Sam.
Sam’s come all the way from Burnley and soon became known as our ‘Ginger Mourinho’, managing and coaching us around the vast ski area.
Emily is a retired Beauty Queen – a former Miss Dorset. And Beau spent the last few years in The Marines. His tours of duty in Afghanistan don’t seem to have hampered his cooking skills though – he’ll even rustle up Afghan Eggs for breakfast if you want.
Post skiing, the chalet’s centrepiece is the open plan lounge with its woodburner, fresh warm banana cake and a proper brew (builder’s tea of course). Before dinner, you can even take a sauna, swim or jacuzzi. The small indoor pool, complete with its own huge picture window, uses a ‘counter current’ so you can swim against the waves.
Evenings also mean three course gastronomy – during my stay I sampled a starter of beetroot & feta risotto, grilled cod and potatoes as main and zesty lemon creme brûlée to finish. All followed by hearty French mountain cheeses washed down with sweet Malaga wine. Not always the perfect preparation for sleeping at altitude but everything in moderation, including moderation!
The rooms are well-appointed with state-of-the-art walk-in showers, feature walls, locally-inspired artwork and a modern wooden design. The chalet can sleep up to 14 people, so great for mixed groups or hire it as a whole private retreat. If you bag one of the two huge suites, bathtubs are vast, complete with your own views of Mont Blanc.
Categories: France, Luxury ski and snowboard