chrisparkercommunications: Travel PR October 2015 | Page 3

SUNDAY MAIL SEVEN DAYS FEBRUARY 16 2014

21

The friendly and small but perfectly formed resort of Les Orres has
more than enough thrills and spills to charm skiers of all ages and abilities.
Chris parker

Pulling out the stops

TOP SPOT  La Combe d’Or Apartments

Excitement  Chris takes to the slopes

This is my introduction to ski
joëring in the French resort of Les
Orres in the Hautes-Alpes, Provence,
which basically involves being pulled
along on your skis by a horse and
hanging on for dear life. In my case, not
at very high speed but that might be
something to do with the look of terror
on my face every time we get anywhere
near galloping pace.
After 10 minutes or so and not
before a few collisions with owner
Evelyn’s overly-excited dogs racing
alongside, I begin to relax and even
manage to slalom around some
strategically placed cones.
Things are a little more sedate back
in Les Orres, which is split between
Les Orres 1650 and 1800. The former is
the larger of the two resorts,
dominated by 1970s high-rise
architecture, while its sister village,
created in 2008, has more of a
traditional Alpine feel, with a return to
a timber and stone chalet style.
This is where our first night’s dinner
is served. Just a few minutes’ walk
from our La Combe d’Or Apartments
is the Winter Lounge, nestled in the
heart of the village.
Surrounded by restaurants, shops
and the odd bar, the steaks are
excellent and reasonably priced. Staff
are welcoming, friendly and always
ready to bring out their favourite
aperitif, Génépi.
The intimate nature of the resort

means most of the accommodation
sits right at the foot of the slopes. Step
outside your door, clip in and moments
later you can be exploring the 100km
of pistes.
Once I’m past the local
schoolchildren lining up as their
teacher presumably prepares them for
double PE on the slopes, the first thing
that strikes me is how quiet it is. There
are not many areas in the Alps where
you can be alone on the whole run like
you can here.
“We don’t do queues,” declares my
instructor Thierry. I hop on and off the
modern, quick lifts all morning with
no waiting, skiing wide, easy slopes,
with not a soul about.
One of the unique things about Les
Orres is that beginners can ski from
the top to the bottom of the mountain
on gentle blue and green runs.
There’s also ample, intermediatefriendly terrain. Those looking for a
challenge will prefer the wonderful
long runs, especially the Grand
Cabane. This descends for four
kilometres at a height of 2,700 metres,
first above the treeline then swooping
down into the forest below, far from all
the other trails, finishing in the heart
of the resort.
If you’d rather get away from the
slopes completely and access more of
the spectacular scenery, then strap on
some snow shoes and take a walk into
the woods above 1800. An ESF (French
ski school) instructor will take you to
areas that are otherwise inaccessible.
Another popular activity is the
monorail luge, which runs beside the
piste in 1650. The Orrian Express
climbs steadily for 700 metres before
sending its passengers spinning and
spiralling for 1.5km.
As we head to dinner in 1650, the

first snow for 10 days begins to fall on
the path linking the two resorts. Just a
short walk away is The Grand Cabane
restaurant, serving classic Alps dishes
including a gloriously rich fondue.
It’s generally quiet in 1650, too. The
aptly named Bowlingo!, a kind of
sports bar/nightclub complete with
three lanes of bowling, offers up some
entertainment for night owls. For
families, there is also an ice skating
rink to enjoy.
As the thick morning fog begins to
lift during my final day of skiing, I
catch sight of what promises to be
some of the best conditions for some
time in Les Orres. Overnight snowfall
of more than a foot has laid a thick
carpet of powder.
After a couple of hours spent
enjoying the easy lower slopes, I head
for the top of the mountain. As I look
down from the chairlift, I see the snow
has been barely touched. In my
excitement, I don’t give it a moment’s
thought that I’ve never actually skied
on anything less than a perfectly
groomed slope before. I fly down the
first red run, powder flicking up as I
bounce from side to side – it all seems
so easy.
Two minutes later, I’m laid out in the
thick snow. Fortunately a helpful
instructor stops and takes pity on me,
retrieving one of my buried skis.
With nothing hurt but my pride, I
decide that it’s time to head back to the
ski shop. I unclip for the final time,
hand my skis back and, in return, I’m
given a glass of Génépi. Did I mention
it’s friendly here? A last taste of
hospitality Les Orres style.
I leave confident in the knowledge
that wherever I next put on a pair skis,
it’ll have to go a long way to beat
this experience.

Travel
info
■ We travelled
with Crystal Ski
(crystalski.co.uk;
0871 231 2256),
which offers a
week’s stay at the
four-star La Combe
d’Or Apartments
from £355 per person
(save £60), based on
four sharing,
including flights from
Manchester to Turin
and transfers.
■ Six-day adult ski
passes cost £152,
six days’ ski hire
from £55.
■ ESF (esf-lesorres.
com) offers snowshoeing starting at
18 euros per person
for two hours.
■ Le Kiowah
(ctekiowah.fr) has ski
joëring from 10 euros
per person for 20
minutes, as well as
horse and pony rides.
■ Rides on the Orrian
Express cost 4.50
euros for adults and
2.50 for children.

”Step out your door, clip in and minutes
later you’re exploring 100km of pistes”

pictures: Tintin Photos

HORsING AROUND  Having fun ski joëring

I grip the reins tightly,
the horse rears up and
with a jolt, I’m off and
skiing – just. Perhaps not
the most elegant of
starts but I’m upright
and heading in the
right direction.