This is a lot more comfortable than my last journey to the Alps for a ski trip.
I am gliding along at 322kmph in a veritable arm chair on the smooth and spacious Eurostar Ski train from Lille in northern France, to the tiny mountain station of Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the Les Arcs resort.
My mission is to find out how taking the train compares to flying or driving. So far, so good.
Two years ago, I set off from London, England by car with three friends on the 1,046km, 12-hour slog with only a tin of stale jelly babies for sustenance.
From our cramped Kia estate (station wagon) we saw only a mind-numbingly dull view of central reservations, flyovers and the occasional service station, and our only lasting impression of the French countryside came from the artists’ impressions on the motorway signs.
We arrived at our accommodation long after nightfall, dazed, with stiff limbs and foggy minds – hardly in shape for a full week of skiing.
My Eurostar experience is a world away from that, and the six-hour ride seems almost too short.
French trains are a revelation to us Brits.
There are large reserved spaces for bags and skis, comfortable reclining seats and even a full carriage-sized bar (occupied by one particular group of drinking enthusiasts for the entire journey).
Not being at the helm of the Kia offers me the ability to read, work, eat and by the looks of it, drink, to keep myself occupied.
But the view out of the window is entertainment enough.
As we whizz through France we see rolling hills, lakes and vineyards, and eventually, the dramatic peaks of the Alps begin to reveal themselves.
Arriving at Bourg-Saint-Maurice, it’s time to take the impressive funicular railway and shuttle bus – free for those who arrive by train – up to the mountains, where I’m staying in the Arc 1950 resort.
The next morning, feeling as fresh as daisies, we meet up with ski school instructor and local legend Nils Letallak.
He will be giving us a taste of the 425km network of runs across the entire Paradiski area while pointing out the faults in my technique.
The Frenchman, who initially refuses to give his surname because “everybody here knows me already”, has spent 35 seasons at Les Arcs and knows it like the back of his sun-tanned hand.
In between barking at me to keep my weight forward and giggling at my faceplants – “George, you like to swim in the snow?” – the 60-year-old Letallak tells us that the diversity of Les Arcs’ pistes and landscape is what makes it so special.
A few days days later, I’m standing at the top of the 3,200m summit of Aiguille Rouge – ready to ski down a black run over a glacier.
The beauty of the surroundings is a reminder of how precious this high-altitude landscape is.
It is a point stressed by mountaineer Marie-Paule Nullans the following day as she takes us on a guided expedition.
Nullans points out the Vanoise National Park just the other side of a nearby ridge.
It goes to show how close the vital protected area is to the “unnatural” ski resorts with their groomed runs, noisy restaurants and hoards of people.
Our alpine expert is introducing us to snowshoeing, one of the many alternative winter activities the resort hopes will appeal to non-skiing visitors.
Less than half an hour into my snowshoeing career I can feel a blister forming on my left heel already.
Nullans immediately whips out a Compeed (a brand of plasters and creams used to heal blisters and other skin conditions caused by friction) from her enormous backpack and warms it between her hands. Before I can say merci, she has slapped it onto my heel herself.
“I see ibex around here all the time, and last week I saw a bearded vulture. He was eating a bone on a rock,” she tells us.
The majestic giants, which really do eat bones, have 2.5m wing spans, and have successfully been reintroduce to the Alps over the past 40 or so years.
Les Arcs is a resort which clearly cares about the impact it has on this landscape, and is at the forefront of sustainable skiing.
It has been awarded two Flocons Verts (green snowflake) – a French scheme that recognises ski destinations that meet exacting sustainability criteria across resource management, and is also B Corp-certified.
Not flying to get here really makes a difference to our carbon footprint.
According to sustainable ski travel planner SnowCarbon, a journey by plane from London to Geneva (Switzerland) and taxi to Les Arcs creates around 100kg of CO2 per person, and the same journey with four people in a diesel car is not much better.
Our journey by Eurostar meanwhile created less than 20kg of CO2 per person.
In 2010 French government study found that 57% of the total carbon emissions of a typical ski resort result from transporting people to, and within the resort.
Climate change is transforming this region. The snow line has edged higher and higher, making skiing even more expensive and exclusive.
Considering the comfort, convenience and most importantly, environmental benefits of making this journey by train, it seems there really is no excuse for flying. – GEORGE LITHGOW/dpa
