I’m dreaming of a Megeve White Christmas

In Australia, we can only dream of a white Christmas. In Megeve, anything other than a white Christmas would be a nightmare.

IT was being hailed as the best start to a ski season in almost a decade. The snow is deep and even. The sunshine is brilliant but the air is still cold.
A series of storms has dumped fairytale amounts of snow on the French Alps.

It’s important to remember that Megeve is a village with a ski field, not the other way around.
In France, towns that are purpose-built around ski fields are called stations. When the people of Megeve use the word station, it sounds like it has a derogatory tone.
The first written words about Megeve — an agricultural area known for its corn, barley and oats — appeared in the 12th century. It wasn’t until the 20th century, with the help of the Baroness Rothschild, that Megeve became a mecca for skiers.
The baroness wasn’t happy that France did not have its own ski resort. She had tired of travelling to St Moritz and sent her ski instructor to search for a French alternative. He found Megeve, and the baroness fell in love with this Savoyard village.
She built Le Chalet du Mont d’Arbois in 1921 and France’s rich and famous obliged by coming to holiday. Today, Megeve is a haunt of pop stars, actors and wealthy businessmen.

Holiday home to the stars

Singer David Bowie and his model partner Iman come here. Rumour has it singer George Michael has just bought a chalet which, but of course, has its own lift directly to the ski slopes.
And suave thespian Pierce Brosnan spent two months here learning how to ski before filming a five-minute chase scene in one of his James Bond movies.
Part of the charm of Megeve is that the town’s narrow, cobbled streets are, for the most part in winter, open only to pedestrians and a few horse-drawn sleighs.
It spreads out from the town square with enough shops, restaurants and bars to occupy even those who don’t want to get active. The ski area sits just above the town and is accessible by the Chamois gondola.
Megeve has 200 runs totalling 445km, spread over 600ha, with a similar area in the connecting ski areas of Combloux and St Gervais. Intermediate skiers can access most of them. This makes Megeve a good resort to take your skiing to a new level. Even the black runs at Megeve are not that extreme.
On almost every run, even the ones that wind through the trees, you can see the famous Mt Blanc.

Take to the sky to see Mt Blanc

If you want a break from the skis, and an even closer look,
you can take off with Aerocime for a 40-minute sight-seeing flight around Mont Blanc in a four-seater plane for about $120.
In the 1920s people skied in wide, puffy pants with little, or no, aerodynamic value. A young Megeve tailor, Arman Allard, changed that when he came up with the pantalon sauteur.
Allard’s pants were made for speed, and the elastic strap he placed under the foot would revolutionise ski clothing.
The Allard family, Arman’s son and grandson, still design and sell the pants from their shop in the Megeve town centre.