National Park – APASSION

A Perfect Yoga Retreat (despite a little rain!)

robin.tarr — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 09:37:43 +0000

What a perfect few days filled with 5 yoga sessions with the amazing Tess from Alpine yoga with Tess, parapenting, hiking, and plenty og healthy eating (including a fabulous night out at le 8M des monts) and of course plenty of laughs – not even the rain showers could dampen the spirits of our ladies!

An early winter season wonderland

robin.tarr — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:47:00 +0000

What a fabulous start to the season!

It couldn’t have been a better time to experience the Cascades piste. Fourteen kilometres of uninterrupted skiing whilst enjoying the incredible scenery of the Sixt-Passy National Park. The run commences in Flaine at 2480 m and heads down to the beautiful small village of Sixt at 760 m, at the end of the Giffre Valley. It was simply stunning!

Make sure its on your tick-list when you are next in the Grand Massif.

Hike to Vogealle – At last!

robin.tarr — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 15:41:08 +0000

In terms of local refuge walks then the hike up to the Refuge de la Vogealle (1901m) was the last on our list. Starting from the stunningly beautiful Cirque de Fer a Cheval (955m) there are 2 route options to reach the upper alpine pastures; Either the longer more gradual climb via the Fond de la Combe which takes you along the river valley or, the far more direct route up the cliff face which, whilst exhilarating isn’t so good for those suffering from vertigo!

We decided on the direct route (which tested Rob’s nerve), but were consoled with a coffee stop at the lovely Buvette du Boret (1290m) which gave us time to take in the views across to the rock face of Tenneverge as well as the glaciers of Mont Ruan and Prazon.

From the Buvette the track climbs-up through the upper pastures before turning rocky as the track zig-zags across the remains of old rock falls. Approaching an altitude of 1900m the track flattened out into a grassy bowl, the home of the Refuge de la Vogealle (1901m).

Despite being a little peckish we pushed on the extra 20 minutes and 100m of ascent to reach the shores of the Lac de la Vogealle (2001m) for our lunch stop. Whilst the lake can often be empty by early August we found the water level still pretty high but with a chill breeze whipping around we refrained from testing the depth!

Relaxing in a deck-chair at the refuge on the return leg we sampled one of the all time great myrtille tarts (blueberry) which disappeared so quick I only managed to get a photo of the remnants! Yum!

Having ascended via the direct route, from the Buvette we took the longer (and less heart-attack inducing) route back to the valley. The views of the glacial valley from Le Bout du Monde at 1250m (The End of the World) are well worth the longer hike down as you pass by the multiple waterfalls stemming from the glaciers above.

Total trip time around 7 hours with about 6 hours of great hiking; Just wondering why we’d taken so long to get around to making the trip and already thinking about linking the route up with the longer hike that takes you beyond the lake, over the Col de Chambres (2338m) and down to the Refuge de Folly . . . just one problem . . . there is a tricky bit getting over the Col that might not sit well with Rob’s vertigo!!

Yoga in the French Alps

robin.tarr — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:21:00 +0000

Many thanks to all the ladies that joined our September yoga retreat and made it such a success. In addition to enjoying their 5-yoga sessions out on the terrace with the fantastic Tess, judging by the photos we’ve received of people’s memories of the weekend then the other highlights from include:

The stunning beauty of the Sixt Passy Natural Reserve and the Cirque du Fer a Cheval
Vicky’s super tasty healthy cooking
Meeting like-minded ladies looking for a weekend dedicated to rest, relaxation and yoga!

Hope to see Cécile, Delphine, Femke, Jane, Mélinda, Michelle, Sabine back in the mountains soon and thanks for the great photos!

If you would like to experience all the benefits of one of our yoga retreats then please just get in touch!

An unforgettable day-trip to the Aosta Valley

robin.tarr — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:43:12 +0000

Fancy something a little Italian on a day trip out from Samoëns?

In just over an hour you can be sitting in the picturesque piazza in Courmayeur sipping an espresso with the majestic Monte Bianco as your backdrop. Continue your journey through the stunning Aosta Valley with its terraced, vine clad valley sides and it’s numerous castles. Stop for lunch in the historic town of Aosta, known as ‘Rome of the Alps’ and savour some local Italian delicacies.

After lunch explore the ancient Roman ruins before heading to Cogne through the beautiful Valle di Cogne, one of the entry points into the Gran Paradiso National Park, just to the south of Aosta. All this and you can still be back in Samoëns in time for dinner!