Skiing above the River Dordogne

 

One of the most important reasons why people visit Le Mont Dore

It was a strange sensation being woken to the sound of water rushing and roaring downhill close to our bedroom window.  It is even stranger to think that this water, pure and full of volcanic minerals is the very beginning of the River Dordogne.  For the Puy de Sancy at whose foot we slept is where the River Dordogne rises, eventually gaining power and momentum before sweeping down through to the lowlands of the Auvergne and then heading through the craggy, piney and wild Correze to flow past Bergerac then Libourne and onto Bordeaux.  Surely some of the ingredients of this special water, whilst on its way to the sea, add to the deposits on which all that fine Bergerac and Bordeaux excel.

 

The River Dordogne flowing through the centre of Le Mont Dore

You can be up and skiing in Le Mont Dore in under three hours from lte time you leave Ribérac and this includes getting yourself kitted out at the hire shop with equipment and lift pass.  It really couldn't be easier.  The slopes are literally seconds from the car park although free buses are provided for skiers from the town centre up to the slopes (handy if you decide to come by train rather than using your own transport). 

I had an appointment with M. Jean Pierre Tatry, a ski instructor with ESF (Ecole Ski Français) at the foot of the mountain at 11.00 am.  A charming and very patient man (he certainly had to be), Jean Pierre was truly of his environment.  Despite it being something like -9 degrees Jean Pierre seemed completely at his ease as he took on the unenviable task of getting me up on some skis and heading in the right direction and, most important of all, trying to educate me in the art of stopping oneself when pointing downhill with what appeared to be sheet ice stretching out towards the horizon.  I was reassured to find out that JP had been doing this sort of thing since he was 12 years old and he was now 61 and as fit as the proverbial fiddle.  Despite many falls, most of which were painless I eventually grasped the basics and was left to fly solo by which time I had actually begun to enjoy myself.  The air was incredible, crisp and clean.  The sun bright and with all the relevant inner and outer clothing on I was certainly warm enough.

Lesley joined me and we started to enjoy ourselves, the teleski waiting patiently for us after each descent before hauling us back up the mountain out of the sunlight and into the shadowed upper reaches of a narrow mountain valley where we were released to start yet another descent, thanks to Jean Pierre and all at ESF.

Jean Pierre of ESF with his protegé

Whilst enjoying a short well-earned break from the piste sitting in the car, supping hot chocolate and munching on a bit of galette, we were approached by a young French couple.  They were newly arrived at the ski station and looking for a bit of local advice.  Now this is where Lesley comes into her own.  She is well informed and can readily extol the virtues of all things Riberacois - honey, foie gras,  confit de canard, rillettes, truffles, walnuts etc but I wasn't too sure of her local knowledge as regards a ski station in the middle of the Massif Central and one in which she had spent only a few hours.  Well I needn't have worried.  In no time she was selling them the benefits of the 3-day "forfait choc ski pass" for 67.50€ and only available this week.  Our young French couple were a little suprised to be receiving such detailed advice from a couple of Dordogne Brits driving of Bordeaux 33 number plates!

 Not one of the most packed slopes in Europe, Le Mont Dore, a good place for beginners

After a day on the slopes, a return to the apartment for a hot bath and a change of clothing a foray into the town of Le Mont Dore was called for.  At first impression it seems Le Mont Dore is the French equivalent of one of the faded Victorian and Edwardian seaside towns that are draped along the south coast of England, but scratch the surface and I think it has something more going for it than its UK counterparts, namely skiing and thermal spas. 

 A hotel, typical of Le Mont Dore with its particular style of signwriting

If global warming can be arrested enough to allow the continuance of snow and people can still attest to the health benefits of volcanic water, then this town will have a future.  Certainly there seemed to be a large transient population in situ and to cater for it there are numerous, and I mean numerous, apartments, chalets (mostly built in the Swiss style and at one with the landscape) and hotels.  Lots and lots of hotels.  The hotels are mostly 2 star and have probably seen better days, but they generally seem to have their doors open catering for skiers, walkers and folk seeking health cures. 

 In the style of the thermal town

There are 12 thermal baths in the town and they specialise in cures for people afflicted with chest complaints, such as asthma, TB and bronchitis.  The waters are rich in bicarbonate of soda, iron and arsenic.  As usual, the Romans were here first and evidence of their presence is everywhere, lying randomly strewn about on the rue principale and dotted around the park;  great lumps of Roman carving just left there to make you wonder, how? when? what happened? how did they survive in this cold dressed in togas?

A little local stone imaginatively used to support a 'No Entry' sign

And finally, after discovering the back streets and alleys, the lights of Café de Paris beckoned our weary thighs and calves into its cosy interior where we ordered the house speciality, vin chaud with a dash of sirop de framboise. 

A glass of vin chaud awaits