Autumn Shoulder Season in the French Alps

PART ONE

As I hiked above St Gervais near the base of Mont Blanc in France at the end of September I immediately got it.

Unlike in the summer months the paths were virtually empty, the views stunning and it felt simply good to be alive and in the mountains outside of the busy main tourist seasons.

I was a happy bunny (but more of bunnies later).

The seasons are changing in the Alps and the current autumnal colours are stunning.

It was the perfect place, and time, for hiking & chilling out.

Plus looking forward with relish to the winter ski season ahead.

See more on the hiking routes in St Gervais

It was also time for the first PlanetSKI snow report of the approaching season as there had been a dusting of fresh snow at altitude.

And here are a few autumnal views from 2,000m:

I reached the foot of Mont Blanc at 2,000m by the Mont Blanc Tramway that opened in 1909 and starts from St Gervais at 796m.

It is the highest cog railway in France and ascends to 2,115m.

It was originally planned to go to the summit on Mont Blanc, but the project ran out of money, hit engineering challenges and then World War One broke out.

I for one am very glad the project fell by the wayside and there is no railway station on the summit of Mont Blanc at 4, 805m.

Earlier on the hike I stumbled across a small building in the woods at 1,300m.

It was a former donkey shed.

Now it is a mountain treasure and home to the highest micro-distillery in western Europe – the Mont Blanc Distillery.

Step forward the founder, James Abbott, who comes originally from Scotland.

He is what you might call “a mountain character”.

He never meant to live here but passed through a few years back and while waiting for a visa for Canada and decided to stay.

“The people here took me in and made me part of their family,” James said.

“They also noticed that when I turned up at a party, I always bought whisky , not wine.

“‘You should make your own,’ they said”

“That got me thinking  as I’d always dreamed of my own distillery – doesn’t every Scot?”

“Here was my chance.”

James is a professor of Design Engineering and a mountain guide.

He now distills gin, vodka, genepie and, of course, whisky.

The stills are made from Portugese copper.

“Copper is magical and brings out the flavour of the alcohol,” he enthused.

“I love copper.”

While his shelves are made from old skis.

“I like recycling things and putting old unwanted objects to good current use.”

He produces 300 bottles a year and his whisky is in the Speyside taste.

The Mont Blanc Distillery is is a place that can’t be reached with ease in the winter months, but is a fabulous hike in the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn.

“We are now actively promoting the shoulder season in St Gervais and we are already seeing the benefits,” said the head of the town’s tourist office, Didier Josephe, to me.

“There are many options for hiking with less people on the trails and the prices are attractive with hotel prices up to 30% cheaper than in the busy winter and summer months.”

Resorts are now looking away from the traditional winter and summer periods in an attempt to draw in visitors during the low season.

Late September in the Alps is something of a revelation, with an altogether different alpine atmosphere.

Time goes that little bit slower at this time of year and the crowds are pretty much non-existent.

Each Thursday in the village of St Gervais there is a market, with fresh local produce.

It remains open in the shoulder seasons and is about as French as it comes.

Some of the cheeses can’t be more local.

They comes from La Ferme des Roches on the outskirts of St Gervais.

In the winter months I’d be too busy skiing and apres skiing to spend time on a farm visit.

Not so in September.

I was shown around the farm and told about the cheese-making by Flavie Melendez.

It is her pride and joy.

Her cheeses and others are for sale in the farm shop:

• Abondance
• Beaufort
• Emmental de Savoie
• Raclette
• Tomme de Vache
• Boudanne
• Reblochon

Now I couldn’t help noticing some rabbit hutches as I left the farm.

Inside one was 5-year old Calinou.

‘Lapin’ is often found on the menus in local restaurants and I am delighted to report that Calinou will not be making an appearance on a plate, but will live out his full 10 rabbit years or more on the farm.

St Gervais  has a local population of 5,600 people, this swells in the winter and summer with 10,000 tourist beds.

A stroll around in the shoulder season is highly recommended as many of the tourist beds are empty and the town is a relaxing affair.

And don’t forget a visit to the local 17th century church – L’Eglise de Saint Gervais.

And so, my first day in St Gervais in the shoulder season of September drew to a close.

See here for all about the region: Saint Gervais

Part Two

It may be the so-called ‘shoulder season’ in the last week of September with winter seemingly a long way off, but currently the weather seems to have other ideas.

We were out hiking at around 2,000m near the Refuge du Mont-Joly and this is what greeted us.

Time for a quick video for the PlanetSKI snow report.

Update: In the end Soelden postponed its opening until next weekend.

• Autumn snow at altitude in the Alps as more resorts open

St Gervais has been promoting the ‘shoulder season’ in spring and autumn for a number of  years.

The fruits are now being reaped.

The long-serving Mayor of St Gervais is Jean-Marc Peiflex, and it has been one of his goals to expand the seasons and aim to be a four-season resort.

“We have always  had good winter and summer seasons here in St Gervais, but not the in-between seasons,” he said to PlanetSKI.

“That is what we are focusing on, as we have much to offer and we are aiming for quality outside the main seasons.

“Life in the intermediate seasons is increasingly important.”

“I have always wanted tourists to feel they are part of the community which is why I focus on what all new developments mean for the local inhabitants, so if they are happy then our visitors will be too,” he added.

“We want to make tourists feel like they are part of the life in the town.”

The UK operator, VIP SKI, reports a growing interest in skiing at the beginning and end of the season:

• Shoulder season skiers on the rise

The highlight for many visitors to St Gervais, shoulder season or otherwise, is a visit to Les Thermes Saint-Gervais.

It is the only resort in the French Alps to have ski slopes, and hydrotheraputic thermal baths.

Les Thermes Saint-Gervais, France. Image © PlanetSKI

The thermal properties in the area were first recognised in 1806 by a notary from Geneva, Joseph Marie Gontard.

He saw that the grass was always a lush green whatever the time of year, and whatever the conditions elsewhere.

He discovered that underground water flowed up that was was rich in minerals and he set up some wooden baths so people could bathe in the waters.

The 21st century offering, with numerous baths at the back of the main building, and set in beautiful natural surroundings is an altogether different experience.

At ground level are the saunas, steam rooms and pools.

A visit in the shoulder season is €49, while in the main summer and winter period it is €59.

I spent around 3 hours sampling its delights, chilling out and discovering some of its past.

The water fell 6,500 years ago on the snow-covered  peaks  and as it seeps though the earth it is enricjed with natural minerals and element:

• Sulphur
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Zinc

The water penetrates to 3,000m below the earth’s surface, where it reaches a temperature of 100c and it eventually emerges back on the earth’s surface at a temperature of 39c.

Les Thermes Saint-Gervais, France. Image © PlanetSKI

The water here is one of just nine springs in France recognised by the French Academy of Medicine for its healing, soothing and regenerative properties.

And inside the main building there are numerous pools, treatment rooms and relaxation areas.

A visit to the nearby church of Saint Nicolas above St Gervais is worth a visit.

It was built in 1698 and is considered one of the most beautiful in the Haute-Savoie region of France.

In the main summer months it is often packed with tourists, but not during the shoulder season month of September.

But enough of current activities, lets take a brief look at the skiing in winter – we are PlanetSKI after all.

There are 400kms of slopes on the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area, and 50kms on the Les Houches-St Gervais ski area.

I have skied the area before and Cote 2000 back in 2018 was an eye-opener:

• Can you keep a secret?

Last winter two game-changing lifts, The Alpin & Valleen gondolas, were installed at a cost €45m.

“The Alpin gondola is a key asset for the winter season, providing easy access from the centre of Saint Gervais,” said  Mayor Jean-Marc Peiflex, to me.

But perhaps of more long-term significance is the Valleen lift that links St Gervais to the town of Le Fayet in the valley  below.

“Skiers can travel from the station in Le Fayet to the foot of the slopes in Le Bettex in a matter of minutes,” added Mayor Peiflex.

“A fast and efficient soft mobility solution for the future of the resort.”

If you arrive by train in the winter season you get a 10% discount on daily lift passes.

The lift runs across the shoulder months in the spring and the autumn, making Le Fayet an option from staying in St Gervais itself.

The direct TGV train from Paris to Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains – Le Fayet is on the weekends in the winter.

Otherwise there is one change at Bellegarde-Sur-Valserine and takes just under 5 hours

Next winter sees the second edition of an event ahead of the spring shoulder season: St Gervais Beneath the Cheery Blossom.

It runs from March 27th to April 10th.

It is a unique festival that celebrates Japanese culture, arts and gastronomy and is part of a collaboration between St Gervais and the Japanese ski resort of Yamanouchi on the main island of Honschu.

• Skiing: The management and development of ski areas
• Balneology: The management of thermal baths and the development of spring water products
• Education: Exchanges between nursery, primary and secondaty school classes
• Culture & Heritage: To facilitate mutual understanding between locla populations
• Gastronomy: Culinary traditions and locla specialities
• Sport:  The experience and skills of ahtletes abd alpine professionals from both resorts.

“We are both winter sports destinations with an emphasis on spas and committed to the development of sustainable and eco-responsible tourism,” said the incoming director of the tourist office, Mathieu Barbier, to me.

“We have cultural exchanges and are forging closer ties all the time in this unique partnership.”

Regular readers will know that PlanetSKI spent six weeks in Japan last winter and that we are huge fans of skiing in Japan:

• Skiing in Japan: What’s it really like?

I made a mental note that I might come just ahead of the shoulder season next year, to experience Saint-Gervais Beneath the Cherry Blossom.

I might even stay on for some of the spring shoulder season activities – it’s certainly an interesting time to be in the mountains.

Watch this space…

See here for all about the region: Saint Gervais

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