Ski Week in Val Thorens - Perks of Living Abroad

“Since I was 12 I have dreamed of going on a European school ski week, it seemed like the epitome of a glamorous European life”

I have no idea why I glamorized the "ski week" so much in my mind. It has been one of those fantasies that seemed so chic. Jetting off to the Alps skiing, sipping cocoa, and the famous après ski. Maybe it had to do with the books I read when I was younger, or that I was looking at attending boarding schools in Switzerland that offered a ski week. Anyways, now over a decade later, I can say this dream was finally able to happen. Was it as glamorous as I had envisioned, no, but was it fun, yes.  

When you envision luxury travel, a 14-hour bus ride does not immediately spring to mind, but oh well, chalk it up to the full student trip experience. Despite the lengthy transportation set back, I was not ready to be discouraged. So, 14 hours later a sleep deprived me finally caught the first glimpse of some French Alps, and were they a sight for sore eyes! After being in the flatlands for so long any elevation over 3 feet impresses me. 

So we disembarked the bus sleepy, 70 of us, and ready to drop off our bags and go rent our skis. We were unable to check in to the hotel until 5 so we had a full day of getting used to skiing and being out on the slopes. It was my first time being on skis since I was about 14, also it was my first Alp/ mountain, lets just say getting down the entrance to the slope was already a challenge! So the first day was a fail, but it was fun and I fell a lot. Luckily I had some patient friends to help me down the mountain, before and after the on-piste apres ski and the 360 bar. 

The second day was better, I made it down the mountain and got more confident but it was exhausting.  You can see this in the second picture, there was a smile and we had a group hanging at De Peclet. Jessica helped me a lot to improve my technique and make it down! The third day was spent at La Folie Douce listening to some house with a live saxophone and drinking rose. 

The last day I was tired of skiing so we were a mini group and we relaxed at the Koh-i-Nor spa. It was 800 sq.m of a pool, hot tub, and saunas. I also had a facial there to treat my dry skin. It was super relaxing and I can recommend going. *this is not sponsored by them, I found the spa on my own and am recommending them! 

To conclude my summary of this little ski trip it was overall filled with new experiences, it was great being out in the sunny French Alps, and for how terrifying it was to be on the skis it was still fun!

Residence Les Temples du Soleil- Our accommodation, I would not recommend. They had a terrible deposit system. 100 euros per person per room, so for us it was 300 euros. Then they took away 50 euros due to the fact that we were vacuuming after depositing the key. I would look elsewhere for a place to stay. It seems like there are other affordable options in Val Tho so why deal with this service.  The location was excellent, but there were other places close by, so the only positive does not outweigh the thin walls, dirty rooms, and the rude service.