Swapping Sun For Snow | My First Ski Holiday with Mark Warner

I’m a sun girl. Crystal clear pools, frozen margaritas on a baking hot day, blue skies, white sand and packing more bikinis and sunglasses than you can possible wear in one week. But I’ve always been curious about snow holidays and that picture perfect scene of fluffy white backdrops with roaring fires, baggy jumpers and hot chocolate on the slopes. I’ve never visited a winter wonderland, I’ve never ski’d. I’ve never seen snowfall up to my knees or known the wonders of wrapping up in thermals and enjoying a coffee at the top of a mountain, until now.

 

At the start of January myself and 7 other bloggers were invited up to the French Alps with Mark Warner Holidays for our very first taste of chalet life! Some in the group had a little experience with the snow but for the rest of us it was a whole new experience, and one that I won’t be forgetting for a long long time.

With total honesty the thing that put me off about taking a snow holiday was price. I’d always imagined a week in a beautiful chalet would cost me more than I cared to think about and I’d have to wave bye bye to that suntan in order to afford it. But apart from the sheer beauty of our trip it was the price that surprised me the most. A week in Tignes with Mark Warner starts at £549 per adult and includes flights, transfers, accommodation, breakfast, afternoon tea AND dinner with wine. Shocked? Yeah, I know. And the best part? The whole place is absolutely stunning too. I’ve going to be giving you a tour of our stunning chalet (L’Ecrin Du Val Claret) in my next post including its amazing food and heavenly spa, but for now…lets talk ski.

I’ve never put my feet in ski boots before let alone dared to venture onto the slopes but this trip was for pushing limits and truly getting into the snow holiday spirit. Once we’d settled into our (adorable) rooms it was time to head down to get our boots and skis fitted ready for the big day ahead! Boot fitting was a strange process but surprisingly easy finding my perfect fit with the second pair I tried. We were loaded up with skis to match, helmets and poles and clomped off to our chalet lockers to store them overnight before slipping into an armchair in the bar for welcome drinks. Greeted by all the chalet staff and given a warm (and fizzy!) welcome we were all super excited for our very first ski lesson in the morning!

 After carboloading at the breakfast buffet and wiggling into our ski gear it was time to go! We hopped on a bus to Le Lac and assembled on the nursery slopes. Our instructor Guilleme from Evolution 2 taught us the basics of stopping (SNOW PLOW!), getting up inclines and turning…we even tried our luck at a little jump for balance! We whizzed down the slopes and back up the magic carpet a few times before it was time to brave the (bottom of) the green slope!

 After a morning’s hard learning we stopped at Le Coffee for lunch and a well deserved beer! Le Coffee is a lovely little bar/restaurant with some quirky decor and as always in the Alpes, lots of wood! I tucked into a beautiful Beef Tartare et Frites while the others sampled Duck Breast, Salmon and more. We chatted away about what we learned to the more experienced skiers in our group over a (very good) espresso before splitting off again to head back on the slopes, or for us beginners – head into the Chalet spa!

 

 

Day 2 I was determined to crack those turns and take a ride on some kind of ski lift which meant I had to get down the slope first! After another morning’s lessons with Guilleme we were swooshing and whizzing down that green slope like pros (even if i did still fall over once or twice!). All my fear fell away and I really feel like I learned something new – it was a triumphant lunch at L’Escale Blanche on our second day for a Cheeseburger and a victory round of drinks!

  

I thoroughly enjoyed my crash course in skiing and although it was a little hairy at first the guys at Evolution 2 really helped us crack that technique and face our fears head on. I was wearing my Fitbit for the whole trip and the calories we burned out on the snow was crazy – it’s a real workout!

  

If you’re still a little unsure Mark Warner also do Adult Beginner Ski Weeks where they can take care of everything for you and your price includes everything mentioned above (flights, accommodation, breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner with wine) PLUS lift passes, ski/snowboard hire AND five half-days of group ski/snowboard lessons – AMAZING!

Our trip to Tignes was one of the best breaks I’ve been on for a long time if not for trying something new and amazing like skiing but also for the sheer beauty of our Chalet and luxury of the spa and food which you can read about right HERE. I’d love to try some of the other snowy activities available in Tignes, you know, now i’m a pro skier and all! They offer Husky Rides, Sledging, Ice Diving and so much more – I’ll pop those down for the next time we visit this snowy wonderland!

xax