Day 3 - Quite a lot of ouch.

14:30
Today’s been quite tough going. I’m awake by 06:30 having slept pretty well, but have a touch of grogginess about the noggin. My health tracker ring asks me whether I’m feeling feverish, as my temperature has been a little high all night. I decide that that’s probably what’s caused the foggy head, rather than the combo of rosé and red wine last night.

I meet up with Team Helmet at 09:00, having learnt our lesson yesterday that the ski lifts don’t open until 09:15. We have something approaching a plan, to head over to the other side of the Montgenevre valley this morning. There’s some consternation up the mountain when we can’t find the ski run we need to take us down to the lift that will take us over to the other side. We manage to find it, and head on down.

The chairlift over to the other side of the valley features some staggering views. This whole ski system is one of the prettiest I’ve visited. I’ve always thought Le Fornet in Val D’Isere was the most beautiful ski valley I’d visited, but this is right up there.

We meander down a few runs, but Jamie and I can both feel our thighs starting to burn. This is pretty typical day 2 behaviour, so we stop at a slopeside café with more mesmerising views. Soft drinks only - as it’s still before 11.

Back on the slopes, we head down towards the centre of Montgenevre. The snow here is super slushy. It’s South facing, and it’s actually pretty warm today - 13C according to the thermometers at the ski lifts. As a result, sticky, bumpy, slushy snow. Not a ton of fun. We decide to head back over the valley, and find the most beautiful run from the top of the mountain. Just perfect. Steep, but wide, and super powdery. My very favourite kind of ski run. At the bottom of it is the restaurant we lunched at yesterday, so park up.

My pichet of rosé hits the spot, as does the smoked mountain sausage upon which I feast. We bravely head back up the mountain for one more run down into the resort. Even on this side of the valley, the snow is breaking up into slush. It feels the right time to call it a day. S+S, J+W are planning to head up to the terrace bar on foot (well, in a bubble car) for some champers, but I can feel a nap in my near future, followed by a super hot shower. I’d love a bath, but sadly my little studio doesn’t have one. C’est la vie…

22:00
My nap was super deluxe. An hour or so, and quite a deep sleep. My head is a bit stuffy, and I just hope it’s not the onset of a cold. Instead, I blame the ups and downs of temperature over the past couple of days.

My shower is also super deluxe. I discover an uber power button, which turns the steaming hot stream of water into something approaching a deep tissue massage. I’m still a little achey in my joints, but it’s unclear to me whether this is my creaky, ageing body complaining about skiing, or that aforementioned potential cold.

Dinner tonight is a picnic at SSJW’s apartment. Bread, cheese, rillettes, ham, salami. Delish. I grabbed a bottle of Gewürztraminer to take with me, but barely finish the glass of rosé that Wendy pours me when I arrive. Uh-oh. These are bad signs.

I head back to my around 19:30, and spend a couple of hours being unsure whether I’m hot or cold. Merde.Læs mere