My home away from home for 5 months was the small village of Vaujany. It is situated at the top of a beautiful valley, right next door to the much larger resort, Alpe D’Heuz. It sits at 1250 metres and has some of the best views and landscapes of the Alps, you could ever wish for. I was certainly blown away by the shear grandeur of the mountain ranges which surrounded the village and the quaint, picturesque village, complete with its original old farm buildings still intact, some dating back hundreds of years.
The resort itself is still very French. Retaining that authentic historic feel and small village essence with a true sense of community. You soon get to know the locals and become apart of the background as a seasonaire. I have made some great French friends as well as English friends whom were also working in Vaujany for the season. The rival English Company, called Ski Peak, employed loads of Australians as well, so I never felt alone amongst all the French and English!
The village, had everything you needed, complete with its own escalator system, claiming to be the longest covered escalator in Europe!! There was a great gym and pool too which was a welcome leisurely change from all the skiing and partying. I frequently used the sauna and spa for my aching legs. Or simply went to the gym or pool for a change from skiing.
To reach the slopes, we took the cable car, which could hold 160 people at full capacity. It took us straight up to the slopes in a swift few minutes, travelling from 1250 metres right up to 2800 metres at the second stage of the lift. The skiing in the Alpe D’Heuz/Vaujany area was exceptional. It hosts the longest black run in Europe, ‘Le Sarenne’, and has great open wide pistes. At its highest point, 3330 metres, we could see the tip of Mont Blanc and ski the glacier.
The chalet I worked in was called Franrick Lodge and it had prime position within the resort. Being only a 1 minute walk to the cable car and with spectacular views, facing out to the waterfall, named La Fare, which was obviously frozen during the winter and spectacularly lit up at night time. But as Spring came in, the waterfall started to flow again. Its noisy flow of water, a constant reminder of the changing seasons and the impending doom of the end of the ski season.
Our staff accommodation and other Kick Ski chalet, La Maitreya, were situated 5 minutes drive down the valley, in a small town called Le Perrier. Despite our accommodation being outside of Vaujany, we were thankful to be able to escape the village and hibernate in our very own staff chalet at times. I can honestly say that it is the best staff accommodation I have ever seen. We were well looked after. We had a lovely 3 level chalet, complete with our own balcony with views down the valley towards Allemont, as well as our own kitchen, lounge and spacious bedrooms. I shared the upstairs mezzanine area with Sophie, a lovely, if not messy English girl.
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