Now Boarding . . . for a winter wonderland

Le Joue Du Loup, France (Pictures by John Mitchell)

1 of 9

SITTING with my feet up, sunning my face, sipping from a nice cold drink – you could be forgiven for thinking I was laying on a beach somewhere.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

This was in fact how I spent a typical afternoon pit stop during a holiday at the ski resort of Le Joue Du Loup – that was of course when I wasn’t going full pelt (well, not quite) down the mountain on my snowboard.

This half term I joined seven other snowboarders and three skiers – aged from 12 to 56 – for a week of mountain fun in this little known family resort in the French Alps.

Now, I wouldn’t say I am a very experienced snowboarder, but this is my fifth trip to a winter wonderland and I can definitely hold my own on the slopes.

So, when we finally arrived after a 12 hour (we were told eight – but traffic added another four) overnight drive, I was raring to go.

Once lift passes were bought – £127 for six days which is actually quite cheap – boards were put together, oh, and some sleep was had, we all jumped on the first lift ready for the fun to begin.

With four teenagers on the trip we had no choice but to make our visit during the school holidays, so we choose Le Joue Du Loup for a particular reason – the cost.

And with a price that doesn’t break the bank during half term, you inevitably end up with a smaller ski resort.

But, unless you are planning to go out on the first lift and come home at the end of the day, which is hard work believe me, the six green, 26 blue, 14 red and five black runs, which go between Le Joue Du Loup and the neighbouring resort of SuperDevoluy, are just about enough to keep you happy for a week.

The only problem with these resorts, and this in a particular problem for snowboarders, is the number of ski tows.

These evil devices (which I believe were invented by skiers) that go between your legs and wrench you up the slope are usually few and far between, with the much more favourable seated lifts whisking you away to the top of the mountain.

But they were everywhere you turned and I didn’t reach every run I would have liked to, because I just couldn’t face the lifts.

But apart from that, there was little to complain about.

The snow park had a good number of jumps, but proved a bit difficult to find at first, which I suspect was more to do with the low cloud and our poor navigating, than anything else.

The weather wasn’t fantastic (although some of my group seemed to prefer the sun to the snow), with a few rocks coming through and some icy patches, but there’s not much you can do if it doesn’t snow.

The snow machines worked hard to make the pistes usable, but going off piste wasn’t really possible.

The views were fantastic and we found a great cafe half-way up to meet for a drink, waffle, rest and a bit of sun.

I was sad to see the resort was a bit lacking in runs through trees, but that’s just my personal preference.

And last, but definitely not least, the aprés ski. This is expensive wherever you go, but, comparatively, it wasn’t too dear. However, it always tickles me that a glass of wine is cheaper than a diet coke. That’s one sure way to encourage ‘drink snowboarding’.

But, to be honest, with all the exercise you are doing all day long, one drink and you’re ready for your bed anyway. And nothing beats waking up fresh the next morning for another day of boarding and bruises.

InfoSTATION

Hazel Slade travelled on P&O Ferries at a return price of £99 for a car and three adults. She stayed in a 12-bed apartment at Residence La Crete Du Berger costing £1,700 for one week.