Montgenèvre is a small French village with lifts running along side of it so many of the chalets/hotels are “ski in/ski out”. It is apart of the “Milky Way” consisting of an additional 4 Italian resorts. Most the runs in Montgenèvre are beginner/intermediate but there is plenty of opportunity to go off-piste if you’d like more of a challenge.
It happened to be colder this trip so I noticed my muscles were more sore than normal, despite having access to a jacuzzi. Often in colder weather the body works harder to keep warm, fatiguing the muscles quicker.
Even more reason to be prepared.
I noticed when going skiing with a group of friends, it is harder to find time to spend time alone, practicing yoga. So, I would get up and into my thermals and do a bit in my room. I always do sun salutations to get the body moving. This 3-minute video below is a warm up using a modified downward dog with movement and lower back / hip loosener.
When in a big group, there is often a bit of standing around. So I took any opportunity to warm up my body by doing some shoulder rolls and calf stretches by moving skis forward and back in a nordic ski fashion.
After skiing, when getting back to our chalet, I took a few minutes to loosen up my lower back. Rolling in a ball can be helpful, to give the back a little massage. Pigeon pose is good for stretching tight hips/glutes.
Montgenevre is not known for it’s après ski but we were a group of 10 and can have fun anywhere.
Here are a few restaurants we visited:
La Terrasse: It’s a great stopping place for warm drinks or lunch. The staff are really nice and the food is delicious. Unlike the bigger resorts, the prices are quite reasonable.
The fastest way to get there is to go up lift Chalvet and walk up a bit. It has amazing views!
Le Refuge: Based in the village. Warm atmosphere with a variety of fondue’s – even a meat one with option to cook in red wine instead of oil. It was lovely though took a bit longer. The house wine was perfectly delicious and affordable. It seems as though restaurants in that area do not offer génépi to finish (like they do in the 3 valleys). So, we had to go next door to Le Graal for the largest génépi “digestif” ever. Safe to say, my fondue was amply digested.
Both located on the piste-front: Rue de l’Église
Chalet Monsoleil: Based in Claviere, was an amazing lunch experience. We warmed up by the fire place with prosecco and delicious appetisers. Then had a lovely meal. One thing to be careful of is the “traditional mountain food that our grandparents used to eat”. Ensure you know what is in the polenta and what “toma” means. It doesn’t mean tomatoes, it is an Italian cheese. I had the tortellini with bolognese sauce which was excellent. Take the lift La Coche to get there. You can also go there in the evenings from Montgenevre via skidoo, which sounds like an adventure.
Tips:
- If you arrive after lunch, if you still want to pay for a half day, it’s best to buy in town. The little satellite ticket offices close at 1:30. It’s quite a hike back up to the village if the ticket office is closed.
- Even when it’s cold, find time to drink some water. Water will help keep your energy levels up.
- Try to bring your own water bottle. All restaurants that I have been to will fill your water bottle up for you.
