In Search of Snow

This is the girls and their friends skiing in the Alpes de Maritimes. We set off early one Saturday morning in December to ski. The day was bright and clear, like all the others this month so far, and as we passed the palm trees on the side of the Autoroute de Cote d’Azur, the girls kept asking if we were sure there was snow where we were going.

Where we were going was Isola 2000, a little more than an hour north of Nice, with another Canadian family, Ross and Lisanne and their three daughters, Alexandra, Fabienne and Isabel, marvelously all about the same ages as our girls. Ross had been a client of Dave’s, and, like us, but more permanently, he and Lisanne and the girls picked up and have moved to a little “village perché” north of Nice.

After meeting up at their house, we all piled in to Ross and Lisanne’s SUV, complete with Ontario license plates. We dropped the non-skiing set, DeeDee and Isabel, off at the babysitter’s for the day, and headed north. Other than the glimpses of the snow-capped peaks in the distance, winter and skiing seemed questionable. But then, finally, by the side of the road – snow! As we climbed the steep switch-backed road up to the ski-hill winter magically materialized before us. The girls couldn’t wait to get into their gear and, while lift tickets were being purchased, they climbed the biggest mountain of parking lot snow they could find.

The Ryley girls, with limited skiing experience behind them (mastering Earl Bales ravine off Bathurst Street, contrary to what Hannah says, does not really prepare you for skiing in France) were absolutely amazing and tackled the hill with determination. Alex, and Fabienne, both very accomplished skiers, were great inspiration.

When we stopped for lunch, we skied over to one of the original wooden-beamed, little restaurants right in the middle of the hill. With cold beers and the plat de jour for the adults, and chocolat chaud and a Marguerite pizza (with additional saucisson) at the girls’ table, skiing in France seemed to be getting better by the minute. Back at the adults table, we all raised our glassed and toasted our brilliance to be living in the south of France.