The Resort

Our holiday this time was again through Richmond Christian Holidays and for us a new destination – La Rosiere (1,850m above sea level) and part of the Espace San Bernardo (home of the St. Bernard dog). Our chalet was L'Accroche, Coeur which has only recently been opened. I think we tried to book this chalet for last year's skiing trip but the chalet was then not quite ready. It is no exaggeration to say this is by far the best chalet we have ever had – unlike Montchavin in La Plagne last year, where we had two chalets and constant commuting between the two for meals and meetings, L'Accroche can accommodate up to 50 guests with superb communal areas for meals and recreational uses and well appointed rooms. I was particularly fortunate to have a suite room with bathroom (and a bath but kept quiet about that!) and glorious views from the balcony of the Tarentaise valley below.

It would seem La Rosiere is still a well kept French secret with low rise rustic chalet accommodation built mostly in wood and stone and situated alongside the zig zag St. Bernard's Pass. It offers spectacular panoramic views across the Tarentaise valley and nearby are other possibly more well known resorts such as Les Arcs and Tignes. This is a high altitude resort with a record for outstanding snow conditions and huge snow falls (something we were to witness nearly every day of the holiday!). The skiing range is 1,200 – 2,650m with 150km of pistes and 37 ski lifts. There are snow parks at Snowpark de la Poletta and also snowcross des zittieu.

La Rosiere is very near the border with Italy and much of the best skiing was across the border into Italy to La Thuile. There were spectacular views of nearby Mont Blanc (right) on our daily skiing trips. With heavy snowfalls it was always a question 'is Italy open today?' and often it was closed, but when it was open it was worth the wait.

A notable reminder of the border position on the higher pistes was the Redoute Ruinee (left), a border fort built by France in the early 1890s as part of the strengthening of the borders after the loss of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany in 1870 . It was heavily reinforced between 1936 and 1940 as part of the Alpine Line in anticipation of attack from Italy, and was besieged during the Battle of France and suffered heavy damage. Today it is not safe enough to allow public access but it is still a very imposing structure viewed from the chair lift to the top of the peak.

The Daily Programme

Although nothing is mandatory and the week can be as relaxing as required, we seem to cram a great deal into the awake hours on these holidays! The day started with breakfast between 8-9 am and there was an option to purchase a very reasonably priced baguette for eating later; those on a guided ski had to be ready at 9:45 - 10:00 am for trudging through the snow to a point where one could ski down to the nearby Eucherts Express chair lift. Richmond provide one of their staff as a guide for conducted ski trips and the party usually split into those who went with the guide and the more adventurous like David and Charles who planned their own route. There was also the opportunity to take lessons with ski instructors at every level. The option then was to stay out all day or return to the hotel at lunchtime to reconvene and then go out again on the afternoon.

By 4:30pm everyone was ready to return to the chalet to enjoy the most delicious home-made cakes freshly baked each day by the staff and sometimes, when the going had been tough, hot mugs of Vin Chaud mulled wine; this period also provided the ideal opportunity to discuss all the wipe-outs and other calamities that beset the group during the day! It was then a case of getting ready for the evening meeting at 6:30pm followed by dinner at 7:30pm. After dinner there were games, a visit to a ski torch procession down the mountain which we could join in (see Richard's video), a visit to the local full size bowling alley and even highland dancing!

The Chalet Staff

At this juncture I want to record my appreciation for the wonderful way we were looked after by the staff at L'Accroche - they were absolutely fantastic - starting with the manager Andy and his assistant manager and wife to be Rebecca. The other factor I am sure was the quality of the selection of the staff by Richmond Christian Holidays - they were all wonderful friendly and talented young Christians  extremely dedicated to making sure everything was just right and where nothing was too much trouble. They all had such interesting lives too as they were either in gap years or filling in time before starting (what inevitably are likely to be much less exciting!)  future careers and had already crammed so much into their short lives.

Our guide for the week was David (right) and every day the list grew for those who wanted to go on guided tours - he started skiing at the age of 3, was also proficient at cricket and sailing had a first and Masters degree in Chemistry and still only 23! He looked after us like a mother hen and this was most reassuring for we were sometimes in snow blizzards where visibility was down to just a few feet and with huge snow dumps to get through which made skiing for most of us very difficult

Jonathan had been accepted for Oxford and was to take History. Over one dinner we had a great discussion over Alan Bennett's 'The History Boys' which is one of my favourite recent plays/films. Johnny played the guitar sometimes for our praise and even played the bagpipes and acted as caller for our highland dancing!

All the food provided was delicious - I think Michael Winner would agree as 'historic' - and in the main this was down to Adam although on one day Andy also demonstrated his culinary skills. We were served a wonderful range of dishes during our stay, all of them beautifully presented and finishing with my absolute favourite dish in this part of France - Tartiflette. Every evening meal was accompanied with a well selected white and red wine so there were really no worries about the awful exchange rate and the resultant high restaurant prices as we were delighted to stay in and enjoy the evening meals and wine which were all included in the holiday deal.

I mustn't forget to also thank Amy, Hannah, Nichola and Paul (who also played guitar for our praise) who were all so friendly and helpful. All were a great credit to Richmond Christian Holidays.

The Evening Meetings

When I first thought about going on a Christian Holiday back in 2003, I was rather concerned about this aspect of the holiday which Christian based holiday operators like Oak Hall and Richmond provide.  I am sure it is a little off-putting for some people, particularly those who may only go to church on a Sunday morning at best, and not whilst away on holiday,  but I now very much appreciate the opportunity to join with St. Richards and all those who are on holiday and the staff in prayer, instruction and praise. The meetings for our week were led by recently married Baptist minister Peter Foster and his wife Jane with either Paul or Johnny on the guitar. There is always a theme for the week (e.g. one year when Alan was leading the meetings he used Max Lucado's Travelling Light') and for this week Peter chose for the theme the Psalms. This was a great idea I think because it also gave the opportunity to choose songs and hymns that were based on the psalms.

The other aspect of this praise and worship that I find so invigorating and heartening is that it is so different to that at St. Wilfrid's which has  superb choir but where I sometimes get the feeling performance subdues praise and RCM traditional hymns are by far the norm. It really is a breath of fresh air for me to join in praise that can still accommodate traditional hymns but recognises  that great hymns don't have to be 150- 200 years old before they are used, or if they are, then not used in the main body of the service. For example, on the first evening meeting we sang our hearts out to "In Christ Alone" with Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend (2001) - this was genuine praise and not an orchestrated multi part harmony performance and, for this song,  all the better for it in my humble opinion.

The evening meetings and discussion with the multi-denominational guests also gives me an opportunity to see other aspects of worship that I am not so used to. For example I find St. Richard's on a Sunday  morning have a traditional Parish Communion at 9:00am with hymns much as we do at St. Wilfrid's at 10:30am and then a more lively Let's Praise Service at 10:45 with songs and making full use of projector screens. The 9:00am has communion at every service but the 'All Praise' family one has communion once a month. Both services are very well attended and I am sure this broad appeal approach is the right way to go if we are truly mission focussed rather than trying to be a flagship for a particular brand of churchmanship.

The St. Richard's Skiing Party and 'Additions'

The main body of the party are a chunk of the congregation of St. Richard's church in Hanworth and they have been coming now for many years led by the indomitable vicar - Rev. Alan Jackson (second left checking where we were on the map!), who each year makes the holiday arrangements so easy for the rest of the party by doing all the negotiations with the Christian Holiday company, sorting out the chalet sleeping arrangements, hire of skis and boots, flights for those who want to travel that way (although some do travel independently by car and some by the Eurostar Snow Train). All the work Alan does makes repeat holidays so much easier and does encourage others like Bill and Kay and myself from other churches to tag along and become 'adopted'. The group are so friendly and welcoming that it is now getting quite a reputation for being a group to be with.

This year there was a new 'adoption' - Anne Wickerson from Cumbria (nearest on the left picture). Anne was last year with her family at the same chalet as us in Montchavin and saw what a great bunch of people St. Richard's were and, rather than ski alone this year, asked if she could join the group. Anne was a wonderful addition to the group and I hope in later updates of this article to include more on her life - particularly the part she played last year with a team of Christians from the Flame Organisation assisting the Archbishop of Rwanda with  counselling and reconciliation of victims following the horrific acts of genocide out there. Really in our comfortable lives we can't begin to imagine the situation where people have to live alongside people who raped them or killed members of their family and yet somehow ask God for their forgiveness. We also had Richard arrive solo from London and he quickly became attached to the group.

On the return journey we had to do a detour to last year's ski resort at Montchavin and give a lift to Eileen, the Richmond freelance photographer, and she told us how she had heard all about this wonderful St. Richard's skiing party and could she come next year!

The Skiing

One of the first things you have to do on arrival at the chalet is sort out your ski gear (like a number of others I take my own boots but hire the skis and poles) and this means being truthful about your weight (dash!)  and advising your level of skiing proficiency for the ski boot clamp settings; this normally sorts out the group into at least  three groups - beginners, confident on blue/red and those skilled young or foolish enough to master the blacks and more physically demanding skiing trips. This year we had no beginners so we were either confident on reds/ let's try and avoid the blacks (including Alan, Roger, John, Bill and his wife Kay, David Hedges, young Mark [who was just a beginner last year and now skiing like an old timer], Cliff, Mike, Joy and myself) or the real experts like David Baggs and Charles. Charles absolutely amazes me - he is nearly the same age but supremely competent (but for ever the joker) has huge stamina and yet only been skiing for eight years; he does run a lot and keeps himself very fit - well I'll think about it for next year! David Baggs is the artist - who makes it all seem so effortless with perfect tight parallel skiing whatever the gradient and challenge - and that's whilst filming with his video camera as well!

The group also tends to fall into two categories - people like me who have only the slightest idea where they are or how to get back and totally rely on others, and people like Alan, Bill, David and Charles who know everything about the place, every lift, piste no/name, the lot. This year was a level playing field for knowledge of the pistes as no-one had been there before - but within a day that latter lot knew everything and I was as hopeless as ever.

The snow conditions could be classed as 'difficult' because we had huge dumps of snow throughout most of the week. This meant that any piste bashing done overnight was negated by the subsequent falls of snow during the night and during the day and conditions on the pistes, particularly on the peaks after dismounting chair lifts, where continuous falling snow, low cloud, blizzards, whatever made things very challenging! Often 'Italy is closed' was the message which meant either limiting the range of pistes to the French side and/or an early return to the chalet to have an early break before sauntering onto the mountain on the afternoon with the hope that conditions had improved. Despite the snow conditions (which let's face it are an overall bonus for the area in subsequent weeks of skiing) we managed to have some fabulous skiing trips. The big bonus was the heaps of powder snow that, when we could see, gave us wonderful conditions to ski in.

As I mentioned earlier, most of us were very happy to go out each day with our staff guide David and whoever was free from the chalet staff and they looked after us so well that we always felt confident and reassured despite some conditions where you couldn't see more than about 4 feet in front of you which must be a nightmare situation for anyone who has to guide and not lose anyone in those conditions. I suppose it was fate, but on Thursday (David's day off) the conditions were perfect, Italy was open, and David Baggs and Charles guided us on a fabulous mixture of red and blue runs all the way to La Thuile in Italy. I think this is just the most wonderful skiing experience I have ever had and, with David's help, I am recording below the route we took (with the hope if, as I hope we will, return, I can remember it).

From Les Eucherts take the Eucherts Express chairlift

Down the Roc Noir (red) to RN 91 (blue) to the start of the Landelieres chairlift

Down the Blanchot (red) to BOARDERCROSS DU FORT chairlift and up to the Fort

Down the Bouquetin (red) to BELLECOMBE 1 and BELLECOMBE II lifts

Down the Fourclaz (red) and Promenade (blue) [see video06 ]

Down the very long Nouva (red) [see video04 and video05] into La Thuile in Italy

This route took us through the most amazing snow bound mountain vistas, the fort, wonderful tree lined pistes and breath taking views of  the towering Mont Blanc 4,810m. After a delicious lunch at a mountain restaurant (which for me was barbecued stinger coated pork loin and masses of very garlicky and yummy mushrooms) we set back and the race was on to get back before the lifts closed around 4:00pm. Despite Richard getting trapped in  a chair lift paddle (the one that stops you getting on the chairlift until it is safe to do so) and injuring his leg, we hobbled back and all arrived safely back at the chalet  at around 5pm ready for an onslaught on the fabulous home-cooked cakes and tea - its hard but someone has to do it!

So would you go on holiday with a ‘bunch of Christians’?

Far from thinking it was the worst thing one can do (the view expressed by that inveterate person from St. Wilfrid’s years ago!) I am sure most who actually go on Christian Holidays would give a resounding YES and make such a holiday a regular or even annual event as I do.    The irony is though that probably most that have never taken the plunge will remain suspicious and not venture further. 

It was interesting that earlier in the year Bill, one of our party, had been telephoned by chalet staff member Johnny (then office bound and doing market research with past customers) about his holiday experiences and the three of us had a lively discussion about this over dinner. Analysing information on past customer’s experiences is one thing, but trying to get the message over to the great majority of Christians who have never been on such a holiday is quite another and greater challenge.

Hopefully personal articles like this one will help in some small way (my earlier web article on Schladming in 2003 still attracts 50 -100 visitors a month even if the key search was often gluhwein!) . However, examining the success of the annual St. Richard’s ski party and why others outside the group like to latch unto it should also provide some very useful pointers. Several come to mind

• Number one must surely be that ordering our next holiday is made so easy because the Rev. Alan Jackson does all the behind the scenes planning.  If I had to do all my own arranging I am not so sure I would have gone so frequently if at all.

• The second must also surely be that the party has a ‘critical mass’ of really friendly people from a church where from the vicar down they have made a Christian holiday an important part of their lives and which is for many their most important holiday.

• The party from beginners to the experts are all enthusiastic about skiing rather than just having a relaxing holiday and, whatever the level of expertise, can find time on the slopes to be together and feel in safe company.

• The ‘core’ are most welcoming to others like Anne and me that allows others outside the core to have such a wonderful time.

I guess the benefits of a Christian Holiday will vary from guest to guest and, as things like Evening Meetings or prayer are optional, many just enjoy the skiing and hospitality and go no further.

In my case, and I suspect others, though, these holidays offer so much more as there is the opportunity to enjoy the holiday with Christians from a wide range of denominations and through the week get an insight into their way of doing things.

Not Just Churches Together - Christian Holidays Together

We talk a lot these days of reaching out to other Christians around us, finding common goals so we can apply our main energy and resources to mission rather than dissipating all that energy on argument over differences.

One of the most powerful and thought provoking addresses I have heard for a very long time was that given by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu at the ‘Caritas’ Chichester Diocese event  at the Brighton Centre on 21^st June 2008 attended by 5,000 of us from the Diocese. At an elementary level the talk could be thought of as simply stories about the seaside. However, as with Jesus’ parables, the examples and imagery contained a great deal for us to think about and act on.  John Sentamu talked about our habit of walking on the sea edge, where the ground is familiar and trusted and how we are reluctant to venture further into the waves or take the plunge and enter through the Holy Spirit into the vast ocean of God’s love. He talked about the rock pools that are left when the tide recedes and how we ‘starfish’ get left stranded in our own little pools and relegated to our own short minded ways of doing things blissfully unaware of everything else that is going on around us.

If we are really serious about reaching out to other Christians in all those other rock pools let alone the great majority of people who don’t know God's love, it seems to me that the opportunities for doing just this on a Christian Holiday can make such holidays very important.

John’s Sentamu’s example serves as a reminder too that the sea is there lapping our shores every day of the year – not just on Sundays or other special times and a very special part of holidays – much more so I feel when it is a Christian one.

It remains to thank Rev. Alan Jackson, his party from St. Richard's and all at Richmond holidays for an unforgettable holiday. 

Peter Green

Skiing Videos

Videos taken by David Baggs

Video taken by Richard

Useful Links:

St. Richard's Church Hanworth

Richmond Holidays

and for taste bud memories:

Recipe for Tartiflette

Recipe for Vin Chaud