Jean-Luc Boujon (special correspondent to Alpe d'Huez) // Photo credit: JEFF PACHOUD / AFP 6:12 a.m., February 10, 2024

It's the start of the winter holidays for zone C. A first wave of vacationers will therefore descend on the winter sports resorts. And this, despite the lack of snow in certain mid-mountain resorts, which nevertheless returned yesterday. To the delight of skiers already on vacation in the Alpe d'Huez resort.

Kick-off of the winter holidays for schoolchildren in zone C, for the academies of Paris, Créteil, Montpellier and Toulouse. Families who will undoubtedly head towards winter sports resorts, despite the lack of snow which is felt in certain mid-mountain resorts. Which does not prevent skiers from already being present on the slopes of the Alpe d'Huez resort, in Isère. 

“Doing sports outdoors is ideal!”

Eva came to ski with her family this year. A pure moment of happiness for this ski enthusiast. “It's only skiing that really allows you to cut like that. Doing sport all day, in the open air, for us, that's ideal!”, she rejoices. Louise, her five and a half year old daughter, is learning to ski with her mom and grandpa and she loves it. "We skied on one foot! I succeeded! I like skiing and I prefer to be here rather than at school!", laughs the little girl. 

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In Alpe d'Huez, morale is high for the start of the winter holidays

The grandpa, Jean-Yves, is as happy as a child on the boards despite his age."I'm 76! But on skis, I always feel like I'm 30! Except when I find myself on black slopes!”, he puts things into perspective. “But all the same, finding the grandchildren, seeing them evolve, progress, it’s just happiness,” says the septuagenarian. 

Rare moments when we put everything at a distance, like Mélanie, from Nièvre. "We actually disconnect! It's a return to basics, there are no more colleagues or bosses! And in the evening, we go to the restaurant. We also buy a small sausage and cheese. And we also drink a little génep!”, rejoices the Nivernaise. And the happiness is total since, with an absolutely perfect sense of timing, the snow is falling this weekend, just for the start of the holidays.