Trois Vallees Club Med
January 26 - February 6, 2022

pics

What a trip!!! I’ll start with the ENDING . . . great news, everyone made it home safely, and the few who were injured will fully recover. Our trip is better dubbed *The Perfect Storm*!

Now back to the beginning. After a 1-year delay, and too many to count cancellations and add- ons, 32 from Wilmington Ski Club and 2 from King of Prussia traveled to Lyon, France for a 3- night stay at the Novotel Lyon Confluence Hotel, just a short distance from where the Rhône and Saône rivers converge. We all took turns walking to a nearby pharmacy to get our health passes – a big thank you to Cindi Berninger-Savelli who was already in France and arranged for our group to get our passes at one place. Tired but happy, we all ventured out on short walks or back to the hotel bar for dinner that night.

Lyon is a smaller city but with a lot of history, and in particular, for someone who enjoys fine dining and wines, Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France and the place to visit. Monsieur Paul (twice named Chef of the Century) and Julia Childs (The Joy of Cooking) both earned their stars in Lyon. Many on our trip enjoyed a dinner in a bouchon, known as a rustic eatery, family owned and only found in Lyon, dishes are very hearty, and akin to comfort foods.

Sight-seeing stops included …. Fourviere, the basilica of Notre Dame, and a funicular railway (a few of us did not know about the funicular and slowly ambled up the very steep narrow alleyways to the top); a visit to a one of many small silk workshops (Lyon renowned for); Vieux Lyon (old part of Lyon); Presqu’ile and the Musée des Confluences; and just strolling the banks of the Rhône. We learned the tram and subway lines well, and even their inherent dangers, as 2 in our group were pickpocketed, both losing cash/credit cards, and one losing their passport. Lesson learned, cross-body bags for ladies, and wallets tucked inside of gents’ jackets. Not all was lost, as the member needing a new passport also gained an unexpected overnight trip in Paris and a scenic train ride!

Day 3, and time to depart for Trois Vallees. We stopped in Chambery for a few hours, a small city with its own history. Although it was Sunday (stores closed), it was a beautiful sunny day and everyone enjoyed walking around, with some stopping for lunch. The beautiful sound of the carillon bells played from the Chambéry Cathedral, and by some miracle, trip leader Anne was invited to join a private tour, she climbed the tower to see the bells, 90 of them. Bill C., the only one misguided by his GPS (huh?) made it back to the bus fairly timely and we were off. 2 hours later we arrived in Val Thorens, a bit dizzy from the ever-winding, 180-degree pin turns of the road up the mountain.

Club Med is a fun, vibrant and very happening place with lots of people. After checking in, renting skis, getting carne neige ski patrol insurance (most did), we made our way to the huge bar area; signed up for ski guides and enjoyed ales and martinis – one has to say a cosmopolitan because a cosmo is an entirely different concoction? Soon off to dinner – what a spread! All of it delicious and the deserts even more so, worth saving room for. Many tried the specialty restaurant, enjoying fondue. Covid restricted us from dancing, and Club Med put on nightly performances, several of them very entertaining.

Most of our ski days were cloudy, overcast, and snowy, but we did catch a couple of blue bird days. Day 1 was the big ski off (hah, a very short hill) and everyone who wanted to, made it into a group for their ability. There was a large contingent of skiers from Brazil, South Africa and Portugal also staying at Club Med, so our groups were diverse, and fun. We skied with guides for 2.5 hours in the morning, returned to Club Med for a 2-hour lunch break, and then back out for another 2 hours of skiing. Michael M., Gary and Jeff ventured out on their own most days, skiing from Val Thorens to Mirabel, to Courcheval, to Les Menuires and even some glacier skiing, reaching highest vertical twice of 22K, as I recall. Hardy too enjoyed skiing on his own.

Christine made such huge progress with her ski instructor, and had fun skiing blues all week – see, you can do it!!! Most guided groups skied to Courcheval on Thursday, enjoying lunch there and then skiing back.

We held a leaders-hosted happy hour on Wednesday evening, and Ann presented me with a beautiful silk scarf which I had seen, admired and then put back down – thank you ALL so much!

Sadly, we had some injuries on our trip. The worst came on day 4, when one of our group had to be helicoptered off the mountain to a trauma center in Bourges. With MANY THANKS to Cindi, who speaks fluent French, she graciously raised her hand to help all of the injured translating for the medical staff and was our trip’s Guardian Angel!

But we were not out of the woods yet! On Saturday, we all went to the pharmacy to get our Covid tests to return home, and ALAS, one of our group tested positive. Club Med immediately quarantined her. Thankfully it was a mild case, and she returned home 4 days after the group did.

There were SILVER LININGS to our Perfect Storm!!! Each of the injured had purchased upgraded trip insurance and carne neige (ski patrol services), and walked away from their injuries without financial loss. The trip insurance policies covered it all – from evacuation, helicopter, ambulance, hospital stays, surgeries, blood transfusions, and even repatriation back to the U.S.! But the BEST part, all will FULLY recover!

THEN a week at the all-inclusive Club Med Val Thorens.

• 3 valleys, 8 peaks, 600 kilometers of trails, surrounded by 6 glaciers, elevation 7,045' with 360 degree panoramic views and a must-do apres-ski at the world-famous slopeside La Folie Douce.
• Flights to/from Philadelphia on British Aid (via London).
• 3 Nights in Lyon, France at the 4★ Novotel Lyon Confluence Hotel.
• 7 Nights at the 4★ Club Med Val Thorens. Double occupancy edge rooms (floor-ceiling window); ski in/out, 6-day ski pass and 5 days of guided ski instructors (beginner-expert); gourmet dining (B/L/D); open bar; hot tub access and spa treatments (+$); evening entertainment. Located nearby Club Med is a sports center with a pool and hot tub, indoor tennis courts, squash, bowling, movie theatres and a night club.
• Outside Club Med: Cross-country, mountain biking, dog sledding, ice diving, snow-shoeing, ice climbing, para-gliding and heli-skiing activities are available.
• Post-departure trip insurance included, upgrades available for pre-existing and cancel for any reason.