We were fortunate enough to get in one more ski holiday before the end of the ski season with a visit to Valberg, situated in the Maritime Alps above Nice. And at the same time it was an opportunity to walk the streets of a place that was home to us for more than five years.
Although we did ski when we lived in Nice, it was either to Auron or over into Italy, but for some reason we never made it to Valberg. Good friends Virginie and Jean-Claude made that possible when they invited us to stay at a cabin they had rented in Valberg.
And a nice cabin it was, just a short walk to the lifts. And as we didn’t have equipment with us, we rented, and the ski shop, Sport 2000, was right in front of the lift. Better yet, they offered valet service and kept your equipment for you overnight so you didn’t have to pack it home. Rather ideal, put on our boots in the morning, walk over to the shop for our skis and then jump on the lift a few meters away.
Valberg is a decent size hill, with 23 lifts, six of which are chairlifts, and the majority of the runs rated red. We were there for four days of skiing so we got to know the hill quite well. And we didn’t get bored, there were plenty of interesting and challenging runs. We’d ski for a few hours and then stop for lunch, and then back onto the hill. Our favorite hill restaurant was Wapiti (favorite was the tartaflette). In town we enjoyed L’Etable and especially La Résidence for their chèvre hamburgers (perhaps the best burger I’ve had).
The only strange thing about Valberg is when you’re done for the day and want to back to the village – it’s difficult to do. There’s just one route, a Green run, which in a few places is so flat you have to walk part of it. Or just bomb down the hill to gain enough speed,while trying to avoid the beginner skiers on a run designated for them. Even then it isn’t possible without taking a t-bar lift back up the mountain for a portion and then continuing down. Rather tiring when you’re already tired from a day of skiing.
After Valberg we returned to spend a few days with Virginie and JC at their new home up above St. Tropez, and then we took the train into Nice to walk the town and meet up for lunch and dinner with good friends Jill and Tim. Nice looks nice. Actually it’s better than nice, it looks great. When we were there it was always under construction. But much of that is now done with a new tram from the port to the airport, an extension added to the Coulet Vert (Nice’s Central Park) and the general repair and upgrades to its many streets and walkways in our favorite neighborhoods. It was good to see the city doing so well.
