TRAVEL | Skiing in Auron

I began my 2017 skiing in the winter wonderland of Auron, France - there couldn't have been a more ideal way to spend the new year than with my family and snow!

Quick Queen of Quirk Fact of the Day:

Did you know my first ever blogpost was about skiing?

(Don't try and look for it; it's long gone).

Auron is a small ski resort in the southern alps. I began skiing when I was six years old, and it's been an almost yearly tradition. My family usually head to the northern alps to resorts like Morzine, Meribel and Les Gets, but this year we decided to switch it up a bit.

Well, the real reason was that Mark, my brother, is living in Nice for his Erasmus year and a friend recommended this resort, that was near Mark, to my dad. It turned out to be a wonderful week; the resort was quiet, there was brilliant snow and perfect weather (except I'm pretty sure my fingers were close to being frozen off on several occasions).

We'd get up early every morning, take the lifts up and ski until late afternoon. Auron is small compared to some resorts we've been to, so sometimes we'd be skiing the same slopes again again. But the week stayed exciting:

- Mark actually had exams so had to come up and down again and again to ski with us.

- Mark for two nights brought his flatmate to try out skiing (we helped teach her, and she improved so quickly in one day!).

- Mum and Dad's French friend drove up to spend a day with us. 

As people kept coming and going, we got to show them around the slopes and discover new ones with them.

While skiing is usually a yearly thing for us, it had been a while since I myself had skied. The last time I went was when I was in first year - just about four years ago. Skiing comes back quickly, so I was soon flying down those blue (easy) pistes. There's something so soothing about the wind blowing as you whip past, the pine trees surrounding me and the mountain ranges making for an awe-striking skyline. I was in my happy place.

One day, we drove to the Isola 2000 resort. A bit bigger, this resort was more modern and lively; there were amazing, long ski slopes and crowds. It was one of my favourite days. Yet, I think I prefer Auron for its intimacy and cuteness. 

One day Emily and I tried out snowboarding. We had an hour long lesson with a very nice instructor. While I gave it my all, I was pretty hopeless. The lady was so helpful and supportive, but when it came to snowboarding with both feet attached, I was awful. The poor teacher had to hold and guide me down the tiny slope and I fell multiple times. I just did not feel comfortable; the leaning and all that didn't come natural to me. Emily was unreal - she glided down the slope with ease (I'll admit she did fall too, but not as much). In fact, when the lesson ended, Emily kept snowboarding to get more of a feel for it, while I was dying to take them off and get my skis back. Well, it was a good thing to try anyway!  

Evenings in Auron were just as pleasant as the days out in the snow. Raclettes, pizzas, snails and all sorts of meats were tasted, and books were read and a Sherlock episode was watched. We had very chill nights - don't head to Auron if you're looking for party central!

I hope to return to Auron again sometime, but if not, I just need to go skiing again soon. Boy, did I miss it! 

Have you ever been skiing before?