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Wheels off Wednesday! A long lunch in the sunshine...

Posted: Wednesday 16th February 2011 by leonardo

With the chalet staff having Tuesday night off each week, guests have the opportunity to eat out in town and so very often Tuesday is when many guests have a late night in the various bars and nightclubs of Meribel. As a result, guests in the Chalet Leonardo are not normally feeling their best on a Wednesday morning and so this week we introduced to the term ‘Wheels off Wednesday’. This is our way of describing that day mid way through your ski holiday when you need to take it a bit easier.

After a surprisingly early start, we had a couple of warm up runs down Faon, Choucas and Combe Tougnete before we headed over towards St Martin de Belleville. As always, Jerusalem did not disappoint! As we cruised down and made the first tracks in the corduroy, we were the only people to be seen. The run from the mid station to the bottom Biolley was a true delight, the snow cannons proving their worth with fresh soft snow covering the entire length and width of the piste.

After the ride to the top and the chance to briefly rest our legs, we headed down the red Blaireau. By now it was almost 11am and the snow couldn’t have been in a more perfect condition having been gently warmed by the morning sun. Passing down through Meribel with a stop for a reviving coffee and sugar hit, we headed up the Rhodos to the Dent de Burgin lift. Meeting up with the rest of the group, we spent the rest of the morning on the wide blues of Marmottes, Biche and Geai before deciding to work up an appetite and skiing from the very top of the Saulire down to the Chaudanne.

From there we headed to Les Castors restaurant, hidden behind the Tougnete building in Meribel. With friendly staff, reasonable prices and delicious food all served on a large sun terrace, we consider it a bit of a hidden gem for lunch in Meribel. The steaming sauce-covered pasta is served in individual copper pans, juicy home-made burgers come with a giant pile of chips and the goats cheese salad with a beautiful spun sugar style pastry decoration and crisp leaves. All of this accompanied by a cold glass of beer, pleasant music and the perfect location to people watch or just catch a few lunchtime rays. It’s so easy to lose track of time!

As we headed back out for the afternoon, sunscreen duly reapplied, the group agreed that they only wanted to do a few more runs before heading for a beer at the Rond Point. And so the afternoon was spent in the sunshine on the Saulire side of Meribel under the Saulire bubble and Adrey chairlifts. Having secured a prime spot on the bustling Rond Point terrace, the refreshing pints of beer hit the spot. The mid week early finish rest day was welcomed and the ski boot buckles could be released!

As the sun dropped behind the mountain and the temperature cooled, the opportunity to soak their easing muscles in the hot tub won over the medicinal qualities of the beer and so our group headed back to the Chalet Leonardo with another great day of skiing under their belts. It was just another perfect “wheels off Wednesday.