Day 5: A great day in

Day 5: A great day in the mountains With all of us beginning to find our feet (or rather our skis) this was a great day. We spotted deer on the slopes from the cable car and saw the famous Marmot scurrying around beneath us. They look a bit like a beaver but are in fact a large type of squirrel. The snow wasn’t brilliant but it was enough for us novices to enjoy the mountains. The dog walk was wonderful. We headed out from the nearby village St Nicolas De Veroce up into the mountains and back. With a Baroque church thrown in, it has awesome mountain views and is a great way to see what remains of the original way of life in the Alps. We passed a couple of little homesteads making and selling their own local cheese, walked through a farm yard and the dogs drank from the old stone water troughs that dotted the route. This was Heidi country indeed. Remote wooden chalets, green mountain slopes covered in buttercups and steep winding woodland paths. We met a weather-beaten farmer herding his sheep and an old lady tending her newly planted beds and we felt like we’d conquered the world as we looked down on the Chamonix Valley below. It was worth every bit of effort to get there. Day 6: We’ve nailed it As we were only skiing in the mornings, we abandoned ski school on our last day in order to ski together as a family. It’s not something I ever imagined doing and the sight of your children whizzing past you at speed after just 6 days, is both wonderful and terrifying. What a success! No injuries and everyone saying they wanted to come back soon. For the afternoon’s dog walk, my husband explored the lowest slopes around our resort while I packed up skis and prepared for our next adventure. Day 7 My husband caught a bus from the resort to go to Geneva airport for the UK. The kids, the dogs and I were heading to the Atlantic coast. After all, how hard can swimming with Leonbergers be?

Top Tips for dog friendly Ski Holidays We stayed with Peak Retreats and Les Arolles (Lagrange) in Saint Gervais for 7 nights self-catering. We travelled with Eurotunnel (Dogs cost extra on the Eurotunnel – at £18 / dog.). You can book ski hire, ski passes and insurance with Peak Retreats or buy/ hire them in resort on arrival. www.peakretreats.co.uk Pre book your visit to the thermal spa and choose any additional treatments at: thermes-saint-gervais.com Read Lucy Pitt's top tips for skiing with dogs.