Val Thorens

Painting Description

At the top of Grand Fond as you exit the gondola you sit perched above the mountains spread out before you like a grand undulating table cloth. You are so highand the view is tremendous. This was in December and foolish as we were it was minus 23 with a strong wind chill taking it down a fare way further. We all sat in the door way knowing just how cold it was going to be out there, but that dazzling snow, the glistening peaks and the thought of the thrilling decent soon took us out of the shelter of the lift building and we were off. The day before I had ventured up here with the family in the same cold weather but in a raging blizzard. It was so cold and visibility was so bad we all started laughing, until out tears turned to ice and froze to our skin. My wife’s glasses froze and popped out of their frames so this did not help the already zero visibility. Against the wind it felt like we dragging ourselves along the piste by the piste markers we were skiing so slowly. So why did we return again? well the sun was out this time and it makes all the difference. But why did we go up in the blizzard knowing full well ..? Because we are British. Crazy, brave or just silly? Acrylic and oil on canvas 50cm x 20cm x 4.5cm