French vs.
American Skiing
Hello again from France! I have been looking forward to seeing what it was like to ski in France again after 20 years, as it’s my favorite sport of all time!
Last time I promised you a little French-American skiing comparison and, after our week skiing at Les Arcs (LA) in the French Alps, here is my comparison with Copper Mountain (CM) in Colorado:
– Slopes: Honestly, it’s a tie! At LA, I don’t feel like I’m just going up and down, but the slopes are very narrow, whereas more of the terrain could be better utilized like at CM. It also makes the LA slopes a bit more crowded. The longest run in CM is 1.7 miles vs. 10 miles in LA, but at CM, the whole mountain is a playground!
– Scenery: LA wins, but then again it had just snowed for 4 days non-stop… which definitely added to the beauty of the landscape! And a Bonus for LA: You can see Mont Blanc.
– Elevation: LA clearly wins with 6647ft (2026m) over CM with only 2729ft (832m)
– Organization: CM, no doubt. Chairlifts are always optimized, you can ride with your crowd, bring food and eat inside in several places, and single lanes are super useful.
– Ski Lessons: LA wins this one. If you ever ski in France, take lessons with the ESF (French Ski School). It’s the largest in the world! Four of us took lessons and we all improved thanks to their thorough instruction.
– Cost: LA! It’s only 260 euros for 6 days of skiing – that’s less than $50/day!
And the most important part –
– Food: LA wins again! It is very typical to eat cheese dishes after skiing, such as Raclette, Tartiflette, Vacherin, or Fondue…. yum! And, of course, the local shops make it easy for you to serve these delicious dishes!
See you soon!
I’ll be back to reality in a few day, but I hope you enjoyed hearing about (and seeing) our little adventures from France.
