Maison Jaune Blog

Firstly – apologies for the lack of blog posts, this month has been a mad, mad rush.   In the weeks coming up to our first guests arriving, we’ve re-painted the lounge ceiling, built a pine headboard for the yellow room which is now looking rather spectacular with its new superking size bed and lush red curtains, re-designed the guest computer room… and then the season began!!

Whilst above 2000 metres, there has been an abundance of snow – the abnormally warm temperatures meant that this season was late to produce a decent base of snow below 2000 metres.  They had the snow cannons working for three days solid to help solidify the base once the snow did arrive!…  just in time to open the resort on the 19th December. 

Then, after Christmas, the temperatures rose again.  Whilst anything over 2200 metres was rejoicing in vast snow falls – the Col du Montet has been closed for 3 straight days! - we have been stuck with rain!!   Not pleasant, and not normal for this time of year! 

We woke up this morning though to the welcome sight of snow – with some of the largest snowflakes I’ve ever seen!!  The forecast is set to remain cold with snow showers down to 700 metres for the next week, so hopefully the snow that is forecast in the next few days, can repair some of the damage all this rain has done recently…

Right now, we are busy prepping for a seven-course gourmet New Year’s Dinner which includes pan-fried foie gras, and roast venison!  Yummy!

Have a Happy New Year!

It started snowing at chalet level last night at about 3am…

So, this morning, we woke up to find a good 10-15 cms of snow…
The forecast is for more snow in the coming days!!

Could Les Houches open early?  We hope so.
Last year it opened on the 6th December.

Snow has arrived at the level of the chalet in Chamonix

Wow. 

Thanks to our previous guests voting for us and writing about us - we have been shortlisted as one of the six finalists in the Times Chalet Chef competition…. 

The competition looks seriously tough – chalet companies employing seasoned chefs who’ve worked for Michelin-starred restaurants, and Masterchef finalists… and us.   

Judging the competition is Michelin-starred chef, Tom Aikens, John Benbow who is the owner of the “Food at 52″ cookery school, as well as food and drink editor Nick Wyke, online travel editor Steve Keenan,and skiing editor Mark Frary.

Daunted?  You betcha.
Excited? Absolutely.
Ready?  Not quite…  but we’re working hard on it.

We’ll keep you posted.

You can find details on the Times chalet chef competition here.

Wish us luck!

ps.  the snow is coming!! the snow is coming!!

Fresh snow on the 'pentes' from mid-station level approx 2100 metres!

It is not often we get to meet famous people.

Ok.  So Paul McCartney carried a pail of water for Helen back in 1974.
And Leighton went to infant school with one of the members of Bad Boys inc.

Ever heard of them?

Nope? Nevermind.

When we heard that Japanese cyclist, Keiichi Iwasaki, was passing through Chamonix with his girlfriend, Yuka, we thought we’d offer him a bed for a night or two.

In case you haven’t yet heard about Keiichi, he is a very humble chap who, one day in 2001, decided to quit his air-conditioning repair job in Japan, and start cycling…  He enjoyed it so much that he just sort-of kept on going…  through South Korea, China, India, Nepal…up through Pakistan, Iran…. and onwards into Europe – like a non-fictional Forest Gump.

Keiichi and Yuka with Helen and Leighton at Maison Jaune

What makes it more unusual is that when he started, he had less than two dollars in his pocket to fund his trip.

He does magic tricks on the street to earn enough to eat.

On his journey of 28,000 miles covering 37 countries, he has spent a year in Nepal training and then successfully climbing Mount Everest.  He rowed the Ganges from source to sea.  He singlehandedly rowed across the Caspian Sea – taking him 25 days!

Keiichi and Yuka just leaving Maison Jaune

Keiichi is now on his fifth bicycle.  Two having been stolen.

While he stayed with us, we found out that he hadn’t tried any of the local specialities..
So the following night to rectify that monstrosity, we prepared a huge tartiflette with a large, crisp, green salad.

Keiichi then proceeded to give us a demonstration of his magic skills – managing to make a bottle of Rosé appear from a hankerchief.  This man definitely knows how to impress!

While in Chamonix, he climbed Mont Blanc solo - camping on the Dome du Goûter. 
After leaving us, he was headed to Zermatt – then onwards further south to escape the winter cold… Italy… Africa..

We were delighted to have met Keiichi and Yuka.

Heading out...

Good luck with the rest of your travels, Keiichi!
You can follow Keiichi on his website:  http://feel-the-earth.com/english.html

I love it when the full moon rises over the Aiguilles…

Moon rising over the Aiguilles

Another beautiful September’s day… 
Warm but not too hot.

A little breeze, perhaps. 
Ponderous cumulous clouds floating around the valley….

View down the Bionnassay valley

Helen and I headed out walking for the Nid d’Aigle.

Stunning views of the Bionnassay glacier from the Nid d'Aigle

The Nid d’Aigle is the end of the Tramway du Mont Blanc – which rises to 2,362 metres just before the Bionnassay glacier…

The area reminds me of Snowdonia… and how just as you arrive at the summit, soaking with sweat, dripping with perspiration,  muscles exhausted, you are met by a group of grannies who have just taken the train!

The Nid d’Aigle is just like that!

Luckily, the refuge sells beer.

Tramway du Mont Blanc heading up to the Nid d'Aigle

The walk down alongside the track was rather difficult going..  Uneven pebbles and stones the whole way…
Still it was worth it as I wanted to get the following photo:

Tramway du Mont Blanc in front of the glacier du Bionnassay

A quick walk up the Col du Vosa and Prarion shows that progress is well underway with yet another new chair lift being created in Les Houches…

Boring photo of one of the new pylons for the chair lift

It is fantastic that the lift companies are investing so heavily in the local infrastructure…
This ski lift will greatly improve the beginners area at the top of the Prarion.

Aiguille du Midi looking mean and imposing

Every year thousands of fit, completely insane people gather in Chamonix town centre to set off on the Ultratrail du Mont Blanc..

Basically they run the Tour du Mont Blanc in one go.  
All 166 kilometres of it. 
9600 metres of altitude change!

Ultratrailers passing through Les Houches

It takes a normal person 11 days to complete this tour in a reasonable hiking fashion…

The fastest person this year,  Kilian Jornet, did it in 16 hours and 3 minutes.

Keep on running!

anyway… watching all this exercise made us quite hungry. 
…so we passed the time watching the runners and enjoying a relaxing meal at the Chevanne

Meanwhile…  Helen was intrepidly sussing out the cooking skills of those at the Refuge du Goûter…

Green soup of uncertain origin and flavour

If you can work out what is in the soup, answers on a postcard, please…!

The main course at the refuge was no better… the conversation went something like…

[Unknown hiker one] :  What is this meat?
Helen:  could be chicken…
Jola: could be beef…
[Unknown hiker two]: It might be veal…
Gill :  is it pork?
James the Guide:  I don’t think it is fish…

Needless to say, at least two members of the girls group were feeling sick on the sides of Mont Blanc…  might be altitude sickness…  But I suspect the food had at least a small role to play…

The girls reached the summit of the Dome du Goûter – an amazing achievement given their obvious lack of decent substenance!!

but I am sure they will be back next year to make the summit of Mont Blanc – more than likely carrying their own food!

Dawn breaking past the Aiguille du Midi

Taking a wee break from Chamonix – (I don’t get out of the valley much) – Tim and I set off on a bit of a ‘boys tour’ to go paragliding.. 

Our aim: to soar the Dune du Pilat.

The car loaded with tent, camping equipment, an assortment of paragliders and harnesses, and enough Pimms to last at least the first day, we headed out of the Chamonix valley – and arrived at the Dune du Pilat a mere 8 hours and 600 km later…

The Dune du Pilat – or sometimes spelt Dune du Pyla – is the largest sand dune in Europe measuring 117 metre high, 3000 metres long and 500 metres wide.  It is approximately 60km from Bordeaux on the Archachon basin – not too far from Cap Ferret.

We found a fantastic campsite – the Panoramic – with its own paraglider take-off, a couple of bars, swimming pool, a nice restaurant, and a pitch for our tent with a view of the sea!!  Superb!

Sunset over the Banc d'Arguin (view from our tent)

So, the next ten days were a succession of waiting for the sea breeze to kick in enough to go paragliding… and then paragliding…   …cooking fresh crab, Pimms, delicious Bordeaux wine, sampling the freshest oysters, swimming in the Atlantic, and generally chilling out and enjoying the view!

They were paragliding until the breeze finished – long after the sun had set… and twilight had dimmed to darkness.

Paragliding in the dusk on the Dune du Pilat

But it wasn’t ALL play…  for example, this next shot is of me hard-at-work eating out whilst simultaneously doing menu research for next winter season!!  Chateaubriand topped with pan-fried Fois Gras…  so, who said blokes were no good at multi-tasking?

Simply delicious...