Bonjour!
I have been in Haute Maurienne Vanoise for just a few days but can already feel the pressures of everyday life lifting. Perhaps it is the fresh mountain air; maybe it is the organic food, or the exercise, or the fact that I feel at one with nature here.
This is a small community: everyone knows everyone else, and villages like Bonneval sur Arc seem to hardly have changed in a century. My guide, Karine, teaches natural history to local school children, engendering from a young age an appreciation and respect for the ecosystem. She bakes her own bread in a communal oven, makes Génépi liqueur with herbs she finds on the mountain, and owns two donkeys. Life in the mountains isn’t always easy, but it helps to be connected to the earth and to the people and animals around you.
Unlike most ski resorts where man forces the mountainside to contort to his whims, here the local people understand that Mother Nature will always win. Rather than attempting to stop avalanches, which are inevitable on the steep, almost entirely tree free slopes, they make their houses avalanche proof. They don’t worry about flooding when the snow melts, because they aren’t so foolish as to build their houses on the floodplain in the first place. In the past, some inhabitants would sleep with their cows to share warmth, and, remarkably in this modern age, a few still do. As one chap I met, Fabrice, put it aptly: “the people who fight nature won’t be fighting for very long.”
I have spent my days at a slower pace than usual, hiking, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. I even tried the biathlon! The snow is deep and it requires more thought and effort than downhill skiing, but I feel better connected to the environment. I have time to watch my warm breath hanging in the air, to feel the breeze against my cheeks, and to listen to the wind or the birdsong. As an outsider, it seems that there is plenty of snow, although Fabrice told me that there is much less than 20 years ago, and he is pessimistic about the future. The glacier has receded, too, but in spite of this I still spent a magical while inside an ice cave, the blue ice making it look like the winter palace of a fairytale queen.
Exerting myself all day means that I am more than justified feasting on all the local produce at night. There is a cooperative of 40 small dairy farmers here. They pool their milk to make Beaufort and Bleu de Bonneval cheeses, which along with fresh bread from the village bakery is absolutely irresistible. The honey, the sausages, and the cured meats are all similarly local: when you order something to eat, you know exactly where it comes from. Of all the delicious meals so far, Chalet de la Séraphin in Bessans still managed to stand out. They serve all the Savoyard classics – raclette, fondue, and tartiflette – but also a local dish called Farci de Bessans. I heard it described as “poor man’s meatloaf” but that does it a disservice. The minced beef is succulent, the vegetables fresh, and as it is slow cooked for 3-4 hours, everything about it is beautifully tender.
My home for the week is Chez Mami Anna, a chambre d’hôte or traditional French guesthouse in the village of Bessans. It is a chalet style property with a roaring fire for cosy evenings, even when the snowfall outside is thick. With the wood panelled bedrooms I feel like I am still amongst the trees in the forest, and the mountain comes inside, too, as there are roughly hewn flagstones on some of the floors.
The six guest rooms within the chalet are all full of character. You walk on solid parquet in rooms framed by exposed wooden beams. In places, I can still smell the resin in the pine. Much of the furniture has been handmade from local timber, and in a truly charming touch, the linens and towels are hand embroidered. It is as if you are staying in the holiday home of an indulgent aunt, one who dotes on you and understands exactly what it takes to make you relax.
Each morning I wake up, drink strong coffee, and tuck into an extensive breakfast. Often, the bread is still warm, and I butter it with thick homemade butter. The yoghurt is homemade, as is the muesli, and the honey has been gathered from bees which buzz over the meadows. Everything is fresh and local, and it is just such a joyful way to start the day. I wish you were here to taste it with me; I know you would savor every bite!
À bientôt!
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