MERIBEL
WILD RIDE Clockwise from right: Residence Falcon; Lisa and Dylan ride out; cycling Col de la Loze
However, having found the coordinates for the hike start and end points, I realised I’d only saved the start point on my phone, so we had to rely on the path signs, which were easy to follow, until 30 minutes from La Traye. Here, the path forked,
and we chose the wrong fork. Then I couldn’t get a GPS signal, so we ended up on some steep paths, going round in circles, before finally admitting defeat, and heading slowly back down to Les Allues: thirsty, hungry, and wishing we’d bought boots and sticks. A slight fail for sure, but we still hiked up a mountain; and it means we’ll just need to return to find that beautiful refuge another time. The Olympic Park was also high on our agenda, and after the morning’s sweaty exertions, it seemed like the perfect time to visit. We spent some happy minutes watching pro-skaters jump and spin on the ice, before heading to the pool for a few lengths and lots of turns on the waterslide. The Park is a refreshing change of pace from the other activities in Méribel, but I can highly recommend it, especially with younger kids. Over freshly made lasagne and giant sourdough pizzas at Barometer the night before, Dylan had confessed he’d prefer to ride around in stately, low-altitude circles on our planned e-bike tour. But once our instructor, Victor, showed us the ropes and got us ‘in the zone’ it was a different story. E-bikes aren’t like ‘vélo normale’, mainly because they have an extra set of gears with modes like eco, trail, and turbo. Once we’d mastered these, we were off, cycling through the town, towards yet another peak. The ascent was slow and gradually became steeper as the path narrowed and we passed the summits of various cable car routes. Victor had made it clear that you shouldn’t look at the mountain drop, but rather keep your eyes trained on the path ahead, but I couldn’t help some peripheral side-eye at the extremely sheer mountainside, which made my stomach drop, even as my rational self knew the path was really several safe metres wide. But soon enough we reached the summit and a glorious view of Mont Blanc, enjoyed with some ice-cold drinks. “That wasn’t so bad, huh?” I said to Dylan as we looked at the peak we’d somehow cycled up to the top of and then back down again. He told me he felt like a video game character who’d just reached the next level and been rewarded with a big strength boost: the perfect accolade. Then it was onto our final, sublime lunch, at the Savoy Grill, and one last hot tub before we left our beautiful chalet, to catch the air-conditioned taxi back to Geneva.
We chatted all the way about the trip, and how much we’d achieved together.Having scheduled activities and stretching ourselves was an empowering and bonding experience, bringing us closer with each little win and personal first. It’s true what they say: summer mountains are the new beach. Consider us converted.
the lowdown
HOW TO GET THERE Direct UK flights to Geneva from 1 hour, 40 minutes Geneva Airport to Méribel from 2 hours WHERE TO STAY
Residence Falcon, Two-Bedroom Lodge (2 adults, 2 children) from £926 per week alpine-resorts.fr GOOD TO KNOW For more information on Méribel meribel.net
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