november-2011

PHOTO CORBIS
Snowshoeing
When we stood still there was a glorious
silence, but when we walked our snowshoes
clicked and clacked, a steady beat backing
the industrial grind of the snow underfoot.
We were in the middle of a forest and the
scenery was magnificent. It was early
evening and the pristine landscape was
breathtaking - the fields, mountains and
trees all shades of blue, gold and white.
We were wearing footwear specially
designed to make walking on deep snow
a cinch. Snowshoes look comically
oversized, even clownish, but the larger
surface area means that your feet don’t
penetrate the show. After making light
work of the deep snow we reached the
village of Bessans. Our guide showed us
some glorious 16th-century churches and
told us about the village’s rich history.
ALPINE A LPINE PURSUITS
By the time we’d reached La Grange
du Travérole, a little restaurant so isolated
that it’s a wonder anybody knows of its
existence, we were starving. The remedy
was some hearty, warming food typical of
the region – a stew of polenta and sausages
served with bread and beer. Not haute
cuisine, but exactly the kind of fuel
required for the long snowshoe back
to the hotel.
Jet2.com 33