France 

Megève - Scenic Superiority

By Mitch Kaplan

By the time my ski companions and I reached Megève, the final leg of our whirlwind six-day French Alps tour, I faced exhilarated exhaustion. Too many long, fine days spent on- and off-piste in vast snowfields. Too many superb meals rich with cheeses, broiled meats, excellent wines and tongue-tantalizing deserts.

But, a breather wasn’t going to happen here.

We arrived and, zap!, we were riding three gondolas and a chairlift to the trails of Mont Joux for a day of high-speed chases behind former world champion and 1960 Olympian Adrien Duvillard, and Adrien, Jr., himself a former French Ski Team member.

The Duvillards represent the historical and traditional pedigree found in Megève, where local families, ski history and style have long come together. Megève originated when the Rothschilds, the great 19th century French banking family, came here to build a mountain retreat. They ended up with a whole town.

Charming? To say the least. Upscale? Yes. But, upscale in a quiet, unpretentious way.

Megève is anchored by a delightful pedestrian-only zone, highlighted by a town square bordered by well-preserved 18th-century buildings and an impressive church. Rife with stone buildings, bistros, galleries, restaurants, a casino and chic shops, the narrow side streets exude just the right antique ambience.

A fleet of brightly-painted, horse-drawn sleighs, driven by local farmers, tour the town or function as pricey taxis. A somewhat chintzy cliche, true, but charming. And, especially popular with kids.

Expensive is the retail by-word, with most of the big names present: Quicksilver, Colmar, Diesel, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Dior. Maison Aallard on the main square, painted an eye-searing yellow, is a must-see even for non-shoppers.

We met with Jean Paul Allard, a diminutive man, sporting long white hair and displaying an almost hyper-energetic, "get it done" mien. Jean Paul’s grandfather, Armand Allard invented the "fuseau" - the streamlined, stirruped, ski pant - here in 1930. The pants, more aerodynamic than that era’s woolen pantaloons, revolutionized ski racing when Emile Alais wore them while winning the World Championships in 1937. Jean Paul still sells the fuseau, although they're worn mostly apres-ski now.

Not all is antique in Megève. At the très-moderne, glass-facaded Sports Centre, the opportunities to strain your muscles run from ice skating and weight lifting to rock climbing and swimming. Want to work your brain? The library, equipped with multiple computer stations, is in there, too.

Still, Megève’s highlight lies in its geologic drama. Everywhere, stark granite walls lead to snow-capped peaks. Guided on our second day around the peaks Alpette and Cote 2000 by Andre Bachleda, yet another former French national team member, I slowed my skis to a crawl and focused on the vistas. Because, really, Megève’s scenery stands out. I mean, even while relieving myself at an on-slope toilette, I peered through a small window at fantastic views. C’est magnifique, n’est-pas?

We were headed to two resorts that I'd previously skied--Megeve and Chamonix. Many of my trips to France were ski trips, but not this time.

The one thing I knew before hand when I traveled through France and Italy was that it would be impossible to cross the threshold of the many wine and cheese districts without reflecting on great wines to taste and mellow cheese to savor.

In a bucolic Megeve countryside setting our first stop was the enchanting "Mont d'Arbois" lodge. We anticipated a nice welcoming dinner, but not the eight course gourmet meal that was served with four different wines. A full description of the extravaganza is worthy of its own article.

In short: the sauteed foie gras, monk fish meuniere, roasted "Mieral" pigeon made up three of the eight courses. The food was accompanied by a Baroness Nadine Chardonnay 2008, a Chateau Clarke Medoc 2003 Edmond de Rothschild and aPeyre-Lebade 2002 Haut-Medoc by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild. The meal concluded with the delicious desert wine Mas Amiel "Vintage" 2004 to compliment the Jivara chocolate cake and cheese assortment.

The following day, a hike over the hills above Megeve worked up an appetite. These were the same hills where I lost a ski in three feet of powder several years before and wasted a good part of the morning digging through the snow until I found it.

We wound down the mountainside to the picturesque little town with quaint shops and restaurants. It looked different without snow on the ground and skiers clumping along in plastic boots. This was a quiet time of the year and only one lone horse and sled with wheels was in the square, whereas, in wintertime there are many sleds. With Marithe Crozet, director of Megeve Tourism, we had lunch at the newly remodeled "Bistrot de Megeve" and dinner at "Fermes de Marie's" restaurant, both great places to eat and drink.

In the city of Chamonix we checked into the "Le Hameau Albert 1er" hotel, located a couple minute walk to the Mont Blanc tram lift. The lift station was undergoing a complete rebuilding, but it didn't deter us and other tourists from taking the tram up to view the glacier that led down to the Mer de Glace and the 11 km ski out back to town. I had managed this ski-out once before, but on another occasion I and my friends had to climb out for lack of snow.

Dinner was at "La Maison Carrier" where we ate another excellent meal , but fortunately for my waistline it was not eight courses. It was served with a Quenard Pinot Noir 2006 from the Savoie Domaine Jean-Pierre--a good local wine that went well with the Poulet fermier roti and Les fromages de Savoie.

Along with wine we drank in France, we tasted a number of different cheeses. Savoie is well known for its many cheeses but less known for its wine. The word tomme means 'cheese' and precedes the names of many cheeses produced in the Savoie Mountain. France has many wine producing sections--Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Provence-- but there is only one Savoie region that produces a variety of mountain cheeses to complement the wine.

The other local wines we drank in France were good, but not memorable, yet no wine was left in the bottle. I often prefer to drink the local wine, because it is only local and not shipped out of the country. Either you drink them here or not at all. Some are truly excellent and others merely drinkable...none are bad.