Ski Club of Manchester Trip to Arc 1800, Balambra — Hotel Du Golf, January 2025

Reporter: Paul Tonner

My last large group trip with the Club was in 2019, though I did ski in Val d'Isère in December 2022 where the group was much smaller and split in three chalets. I had forgotten just how much fun they were. I had never stayed in Les Arc 1800 before and was surprised, and impressed at how convenient it was for access to slopes and easy returns to the hotel (especially for a free lunch!).

The hotel was warm, clean and comfortable but with a quirky shower arrangement which did mean at times the bathroom became a ‘wet room’. For me the most striking element of the hotel was the extraordinary staff, all young, helpful, friendly and professional. The Belambra company should be very proud of them.

I did have reservations about the Belambra ‘buffet style’ meal arrangements, based mainly on my experiences at other hotels they have. They were completely misplaced; the food was very good and almost no queuing was necessary. Even better was the ‘All Inclusive’ drinks and lunch bonus.

It was great to catch up with members I knew but hadn’t seen for some time. Skiing with a group of friends (old and new) is such a treat. Our group initially started as 4 for the first day, then 3 for the second for a fantastic trip to La Plagne where we were led around by two of my friends staying out there for a month. Bearing in mind it has 225 km of runs and lots of near the piste ‘off piste’ opportunities how likely would it be to ‘bump’ into other group of SCOM members in an ‘off piste’ area? Well, we did! It was, of course, the intrepid Brian Richardson crew.

The following day the group grew and ranged from 7 to a maximum of 10 for the rest of the holiday. It is with some pride and incredulity that on the occasions we skied as 10, our total age exceeded 700 years!

Thursday morning welcomed us with fresh snow and ‘interesting’ conditions. At best, lovely fresh powder, albeit a little heavy in places. At worst very sticky and difficult to manage wet snow and very poor visibility. The afternoon was sunny and great fun. It still needed a descent through cloud and fog to get back to base.

The final day was glorious and involved a ski from Aguille Rouge to Villaroger (well almost all the way). The afternoon involved a tricky (for me) itinerary route covered in moguls, and a great finale playing around in the off piste of the Grand Col. What a way to end a fabulous week. Many thanks to the organisers who planned the trip.

I don’t think I stopped laughing all week. I can’t wait for next season! Thank you to all members but particularly the friends I skied with all week. A very memorable ski trip.