The Time To Ski Blog
Sainte Foy getting back to normal
The 2nd of June was a momentous day for France’s return to normality, and Sainte Foy is preparing itself for France’s traditional two month holiday season . . .
New Chairlift in Sainte Foy (Not the official engineer’s report ~ Part 3)
There’s a long running rumour that the dismantled lift in Sainte Foy will be sold to some unsuspecting ski station in a remote part of mountainous Bulgaria. Before exploring this hypothesis, let’s look at the cable in question . . .
New Chairlift in Sainte Foy (Not the official engineer’s report ~ Part 2)
Sainte Foy Tarentaise : 03 June 2020 Here at Time to Ski we are interested to see how quickly this building project advances. Since we last wrote, we have had a weekend, a 'jour férié', (bank holiday), and a Friday afternoon, so not a lot has happened. That said,...
Déconfinement in Sainte Foy ~ Week 3
The Sassière Valley is a haven of wildlife and natural beauty, and it’s only twenty minutes from Sainte Foy.
New Chairlift in Sainte Foy (Not the official engineer’s report ~ Part 1)
The big news in Sainte Foy is that the Arpettaz (Second) Lift is being replaced this summer. Now that work has actually started this week, it feels real, and believable!
Déconfinement in Sainte Foy ~ Week 2
Sainte Foy is waist deep in flowers at the moment and the mountainside is awash with edible plants. Nettle tea has been drunk for thousands of years to relieve inflammation, and nettle bread (pictured above) is a real treat, but this week’s favourite is MattyG Cook’s Stinging Nettle Pesto, and it is well worth the effort to make.
Sainte Foy Stinging Nettle Pesto
Get ready for the Sting! It's end of April & I have just found my first patch of stinging nettles. Bear in mind I live 1550m above sea level deep in the French Alps so I usually get things a little late here or not at all ???? Anyway I'm going to show you how to...
Déconfinement in Sainte Foy ~ Week 1
It is not only the snowline which is rapidly moving up the Sainte Foy mountainside. At this time of year the ‘Bouquetin’, (ibex), are following the receding snowline up to higher altitudes, searching out fresh plant growth on newly revealed pasture. Bouquetin is a species of wild mountain goat, easily identified by their long curved horns. They are impressively surefooted on scree slopes and rocky outcrops, and can jump 6ft vertically from a standing start. You won’t catch one!
Diary of a Lockdown in Sainte Foy ~ Week 8
Sainte Foy Tarentaise Day 50: Sunday 03 May 2020 Shortly after midday today, the earth moved! Car alarms went off and you could hear trees snapping amongst a thunderous roar of noise. Sainte Foy was smothered in cloud so we had no idea where it was coming from. It...
Diary of a Lockdown in Sainte Foy ~ Week 7
In Sainte Foy, where the tarmac ends, dirt tracks continue, and from these you can access narrow trails in the forests. However at this time of year you will find them blocked by fallen trees which haven’t survived the winter storms, and parts of the trail are missing where they have given way to the power of gravity.
