Chilly Powder top of the pile

It’ll be no bother. That was the anticipation ahead of my first try at skiing in Andorra over 15 years ago. I was still playing hurling in Tipperary – granted, at an age where the vast majority of players have long seen sense – and I was in good physical shape.

Three days later, any illusions about flying around the slopes had been shattered. To be honest, an elephant on skies would have looked more graceful as I stumbled and fell with a regularity that must have threatened the local record for ending up in the snow on the seat of my pants.

I was no sooner upright than I was down. My habit of trying to turn with my shoulders proved a recipe for disaster. To be honest even putting on those heavy ski boots for the first time was a shock. It reminded me of trudging around a circular feeder for cattle in the muck on the family farm back home.

Though my wife Pauline, and sons Eanna and Donal, were also on their first skiing trip, they picked up the basics fairly quickly. In contrast, I resembled a drunk-on-skies and it was no surprise that our Argentinian instructor started firing snowballs in my direction out of sheer frustration.

But by the end of the week, I had sort of got the nuances of skiing, but it would take a couple of more trips to the Alps before I finally became really steady on the feet. Black runs are the hardest of the lot, after blue and red in that order, and I am now able to traverse even them – admittedly at my own pace. Sometimes, you look back up the mountain and marvel at the fact that you managed to negotiate a way down in one piece!

Skiing is an exhilarating pastime but each time we headed to France or Austria in the spring, we are always bound for hotels with quality spa (or wellness as they are known locally) facilities. Nothing like a swim, a sauna or a plunge pool to ease those aching limbs in the evening.

A fortnight ago in Morzine was different, however, as we tried the chalet experience for the first time. The opportunity came about thanks to the hospitality of Chilly Powder, which has been operating catered and self-catering chalet ski holidays in the village since 1996.

The company runs six luxury ‘ski-to-the door’ chalets which are very suitable for families and have an ideal on-piste location. Inter-action with other skiers is one of the big attractions on the slopes, but now we would have the added advantage of sharing our experiences at the communal dining tables in the evenings.

We travelled to France with an open mind and, to say the least, departed with a sense of having savoured a truly unique experience. Staying in Chilly Powder’s flagship Au Coin Du Feu hotel/chalet, it had virtually everything to satisfy even the most circumspect of customers.

Paul and Francesca Eyre were charming hosts and along with their general manager, Nick Page, have established a business which sets a high standard for chalet accommodation and service in the Alps. No request was too big or too small and the overall hospitality was terrific, in an utterly genuine and unfussy way.

Francesca, a native of West Sussex in the UK, has strong family connections with Galway. Her grandfather Major James Willson was once the Master of the Galway Hunt and owned St Clerans in Craughwell before it was sold to film maker John Houston. She herself trained as a chef under Alex Gardiner in Dublin.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.