After our first shower of the trip (three days in) we headed up the mountain for a late lunch and to meet Millie and Jay. The piste conditions were good, but it was getting on the chilly side, somewhere close to -14 degrees windchill.

Due to the flat light conditions and our gut feeling, we decided to descend back to the comfort of Maggie rather than explore the open off-piste that was available and pick our next mountain destination.

The drive down to the valley was uneventful and when we hit the bottom we decided to pick up some essentials from Super U (french supermarket). The essentials comprised of water, bum boards, box wine and gin. Due to the central location of the Super U, being between the areas we’re exploring, and the fact that it had just started to snow again, we decided to make the carpark our home for the evening. Without delay, Jess got to rustling up a superb chicken supreme while I got busy doing the blue jobs* and getting Maggie tucked in for the night.

Unlike usual ski holidays, we can afford to pick and choose the days that we hit the hills. These in-between periods can become quite mundane unless you plan ahead, as mentioned on our about page, there are certain activities and life skills that we both want to attain while we’re out here, but for now our primary focus is boxsets and more specifically Game of Thrones. Now hooked on this programme, we’ve managed to get through two and half seasons into the current offering, leaving us only one and a half seasons to enjoy.

Whilst watching season one episode six, we heard the noise of roaring car engines and sloppy skidding from outside of the motorhome. Hearing this, we did what is normal in this situation, and paused the DVD to peep out of the shutters. After a discussion on the acceptable level of blind down/curtain twitching, we soon realised that a bunch of local boy racers had decided to use Maggie as the finishing post for their drifting competition. Looking out of the 5cm (blind covered) slit that we’d agreed upon, we expected to see fast and furious style cars buzzing around the motorhome. Instead, we were presented with a precession of 1.1 litre “pick the kids up from school” family cars that their parents had allowed their sons to drive for the evening. After a full hour of paused TV and curtain twitching, we decided the best thing to do for Maggie would be to pack up and move on.

Wanting to be somewhere familiar and friendly, with limited drifting capability, we scouted the guide books and websites and decided on La Plagne. Having stayed in the La Plagne Aire** previously, we made our way towards the resort.

After around an hours worth of driving, we found a truckers stop close to Moutiers that seemed drift free enough to bed down for the night and continue with our new Game of Thrones obsession.

La Plagne is perfect for beginners and intermediates given it’s natural rolling hills and casual runs down to each of the villages. Right now, due to heavy snow fall, the lifts up to the glacier remain closed, which unfortunately restricts the amount of skiing to be had. Regardless of this, the Paradiski area is large enough to entertain you for at least a full week. If you’re after something a little more challenging, then head out to Les Arcs for an additional 5 Euro (per day) on top of the standard La Plagne pass- this will give you access to the entire Paradiski area.

For motorhomes, although the parking area is in a good location and easy to get to, there isn’t much included for the price of €20 per night- the toilet is a 20 min round-trip away. Previously, we have stayed in campsites across Europe for a similar price, and this includes a local toilet, shower and washing up facilities- so much more than what we received in La Plagne. We were also charged a full day rate for an extra 3 hours in the car park, totalling €80 for 3 nights parking- a bit steep although we did have an electric hook up.

Next stop, La Rosiere…

* Blue/pink jobs – The differentiation between male and female activities performed in the motorhome. Blue jobs comprise of emptying the toilet, filling Maggie with water/fuel and all other things that involve heavy lifting (usually the toilet) and general milling around outside looking manly and busy. Pink jobs – All things inside the comfort of Maggie, including but not limited to; food preparation/serving, map reading, securing stuff that wasn’t secured before driving and leaps across the cabin whist taking hairpins up the mountain, making best use of the “sleeping chair” between locations.

** An Aire is a parking/rest area, often with useful facilities for a motorhome. i.e Fresh water, grey waste disposal (washing up/shower water), Toilet disposal and occasionally electric hook ups. In France, these facilities are sometimes referred to as a Flot Bleu.

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