Alp d'Huez, France

Sledging ....

Just in front of the apartment was a  perfect walkway for sledging on ..  and even better, we could sit on the balcony and let the girls play on their own. Their first unsupervised sledging.

There was luckily not many pedestrians around to be run over.

2000 Ski Trip, France

This year we (with Chris, M-J and Dom) went to Alpe d'Huez..  M-J had rented an apartment in the village, which turned out to be quite near the lower end of the village. We were in one of the concrete blocks, several floors up, but well within easy walking distance of the lift.

As I cant remember much about the individual days, so the story will revolve around key memories.

Trip Time Line

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	|	Arrive Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez	|
	|	Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez	|
	|	Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez	|
	|	Alpe d'Huez
Go Home	|

Lac Jujal

Another route out of the book ... We walked up behind the apartment following the stream to Lac Jujal.
This was similar to the route we had done down from the summit, but diverted off so the girls could play in the streams ... making dams .

Grande Tête de L'Obiou

I had promised the old man that we would go out on a long day ... The original plan was to go and spend a couple of days climbing Mt Viso in Italy, but he was concerned about spending a night in the hut. So we settled on l'Obiou.
Driving around to the mountain and up the forest tracks, we eventually left the car on the ridge by some cattle and a watering hole.
From here we followed the slight ridge up into the bowl, then all around the front of the peak, around the back and up a scramble to the top.
Back the same way ... It was very hot and dry, and I was grateful that I had packed a bottle or two in the car.

Le Cuchon

I had bought a book of local walks and one of the ones that it showed was just south of the village.. it had a long ridge with a gentle side and a steep cliff edge .. approached from the south - a nice day but windy.

Pre de la Chaumette-Champollion

We drove around to the Champollion valley and parked at the furthest point up the road.
From here we followed the stream around the valley to the refuge Pre de la Chaumette, and back again, with plenty of messing around in the river.

Champoleon

The map showed a long valley that curled up behind the village and ski area that looked like a possible place for a walk. As the village was full of people for an off road cycle race ... it was amazing to see the off road tandems riding the rough tracks.
We took a picnic and went around to explore the Champollion valley, and get away from the crowds.

Sommet Drouvet-Grand lac des Estaris

Last time we had taken the cable car up I had spotted a lake off to the East. The map showed we could go to it then descend to the apartment down the streams from it - water again.

Briancon stroll

The girls wanted a rest from the mountains so we traveled around to Briancon to see the Vauban fort and the old town ... parking up in a rough car park I had used on one of our spring mountain breaks, we walked up to the citadel and wandered around it and had a picnic on the ramparts, by the monument.

The monument on the ramparts

Looking down from the citadel to the main town

Le Saut de Laire - Prapic, France

The next village up the valley, and the end point - Prapic had a couple of walks from it .. one followed the river south to a place called Le Saut de Laire ... and small waterfall
Water would be a theme for this holiday, with very high temperatures we would end up in rivers a lot.
We parked in the village and followed the stream to the waterfall and back again

Pic de Gleize, France

First day out with the folks .. we drove over to the Col de Gleize left the cars in the car park and then followed the ridge line up to the peak - left to right in the picture above.

Sommet Drouvet, France

There was a cable car working from the village going up to the local summit in two troncons ... As a warm up day we took the first of these and then walked up to the summit Drouvet and then back down again to the mid station.

2000 Summer trip, Orcières-Merlette

We had arranged to meet up with my parents at a mountain resort called Orcieres-Merlette.
On the way down we would take a good friend to her parents' country house at a small village in the Massif central called St Marcel.
A long journey down and we only had time for a meal and a sleep.
Leaving St Marcel after breakfast and saying our good-byes we continued on our way south ... Arriving at the village we stumbled around to find the apartment block and the folks.
We had our own apartment on the top floor and they were on the middle floor.

• Day2 - Sommet Drouvet
• Day3 - Pic de Glaze
• Day4 - Prapic
• Day5 - Briancon
• Day6 - Sommet Drouvet
• Day7 - Rest day - Orcieres-Merlette
• Day8 - Champoleon
• Day9 - Pre de la Chaumette
• Day10 - Rest Day - Gap
• Day11 - Le Cuchon
• Day12 - l'Obiou
• Day13 - Lac Jujal