The Vaujany Experience. Part 5……”Ill Sleep In May!”

The familiar catch cry sung by all seasonaires, “Ill sleep in May!” became somewhat of a motto we all seemed to live by. The wicked tiredness that seemed to constantly lap at our feet, ready to consume us at any point if we didn’t fight it became a constant struggle. It was something to get used to, as there was no point in complaining about it, as everyone was fighting the same battle, you just got on with it and kept the image of your warm, cosy bed in May at the end of the tunnel alight. Burning the candle at both ends of the stick is inevitable during a ski season, its part of the experience and without it your season would be a fraud.

And now that May is here…thankfully. I am finally able to rest. To sleep until my heart is content with the memories of all the fun times lived, constantly with me. Bliss!

The Vaujany Experience Part 4.......Work, Ski and PARTY!!!!

When it came to night spots within Vaujany, there wasn’t much choice. We had Steif’s bar, Arsen’s café, and Ski Peaks’ the Rissou Hotel for après ski or quiet drinks after work. But our beloved Swallow Bar was the place we all marched off to every Tuesday night. We all filed through its saloon style doors to the university type bar, complete with sticky floors, toilets without locks, pool tables and arcade games! Every Tuesday night there was a band, of varying quality. And nothing would stop us from getting up on the picnic style wooden tables and have a good old boogie to shake out the cobwebs of the previous weeks work. It became our outlet and thankfully all Kick Ski staff had Wednesdays off, which meant that Tuesday nights landed up being rather messy and we were all thankful for the cold yet, sobering walk back down the hill to our staff accommodation in the wee hours of the morning.

The rival English Company in resort was Ski Peak and despite the undercurrent of the rivalry between the two companies, we formed a strong social network and became the ‘English Group’ amongst the Danish, French and Belgium groups within the Village. Part of the fun of Tuesday nights in the Swallow Bar was the guarantee that the Kick Ski crew would meet up with the ‘Ski Peakers ‘and we would all forget what company we worked for and have an awesome night together. We truly made some great friends amongst the ‘Ski Peakers’ and our season would not have been the same without their friendships.

The Vaujany Experience Part 3.......Home for 5 Months

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.