La Plagne, Day Three

Every day has been sparkling sunshine, a study in blue and white, with diamonds sprinkled everywhere on the ground. 

Day three we experienced the strangest Poma lift ride (button tow) ever:

(Let us assume our family is made up of persons A, B, C and D; the lift had two sides riding up in parallel) 

- Person A fell off the lift and lost a ski and B, C & D didn't notice even though A was in front (because...)

- Person B's ticket would not let him/her through the gate (even though it worked everywhere else; possibly it let the skier in front through?)...

- So Person C used his/her ticket to let B through, then C took off skis & climbed over the turnstile

- Person C was still on the lift when one side of it broke down, and got stuck on the steepest part of the hill, wondering whether it was going to start again soon, or whether to get off and ski back down (no sight of A, B, or D)

- Persons B & D got to the top safely but didn't know where A & C were

- Person C got off the stopped lift, and was joined by person B halfway down, while...

- Person D caught the lift again halfway up (which Person C tried but was reprimanded for by a ski instructor and so didn't) in search of A

- Person A meanwhile had caught the lift again from the bottom (and Person A's phone would not make outgoing calls)

- Eventually we all met up halfway down (meanwhile the lift was fixed, and later from a chairlift we saw it broke down again)

We also witnessed a person being tended to by medics and transported down the hill on an ambulance sled, and then loaded into a special stretcher gondola which they threaded onto the string of regular gondolas right in front of us. The patient was looking around and using his phone, so that was good. Probably a leg problem. We were thankful for our accident-free ski days once again.

Photos

1: In front of La Grande Rochette.

2: Jason looking over Champagny

4: Sea of clouds far down below in the valley (as seen from the Glacier de la Chiaupe)

6: The Mont Blanc (highest mountain in Europe; I had no idea one could see it from La Plagne)

8: There are a ton of tandem parapente rides (parasailing, in this case with skis on) going on daily here (I was tempted, for 90€; another time I guess)

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from K's Café