Meribel – neef Lucien, Jan 29th

Les Trois Vallées


(The Three Valleys) is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie département of France, to the south of the town of Moûtiers, partly in the Vanoise National Park.

Since 1973, it has been possible to ski the interlinked valleys using a single ski pass. Thus, Les Trois Vallées is one of the largest ski areas in the world which is connected solely by ski lifts and slopes. It claims to have about 600 km (370 mi) of ski slopes, resulting in 18.5 km² of groomed runs, while an independent expert measured about 493 km. In addition, there are 120 km for cross-country skiing. Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 1,920 snow cannons and 76 piste bashers. Employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 1,500 ski instructors.

Méribel is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, situated near the town of Moutiers.

Méribel Les Allues is a ski resort that was developed adjacent to the traditional hamlet of Morel, with its centre situated at about 1400 metres above sea level. It was founded by a Scotsman, Colonel Peter Lindsay, who was looking for a new site for winter sports away from the ski resorts of Austria and Germany, because of the growing strength of the Nazi regime. In 1936, he visited the town of Les Allues for the first time. He then imagined how the town could become a ski resort. Firstly, he decided to create a property company in order to develop finances strong enough to build the resort. In 1938, the first lift was placed above Les Allues. A year later, he began the construction of the first chalets and hotels in the hamlet of Méribel. Three years later, the war would stop the development of the resort, but when it was over, development continued. Lindsay used specialized architects, Paul Grillo, Grand Prix de Rome (1937), and his partner Christian Durupt, so that all buildings would be in harmony with the Savoyard style. For this to be realised, wood and stone must be used for the walls, with slanted slate roofs. In 1950, the Burgin-Saulire gondola was built to link the resort to Courchevel. Lindsay's family continue to hold a financial stake in the resort, and his grandchildren still ski in the resort to this day.

Parapente w Lucien

Neef Lucien, na alles wat we in onze jeugd als familie samen beleefd hebben en je bezoek aan Aspen zoveel jaar geleden, was het leuk om te mee te nemen in mijn wereldje van het vliegen, waar ik nu de hypotheek mee betaal.

Het leuke is voor mij persoonlijk dat je mij kent uit een tijd dat niemand mij serieus nam, of althans zo voelde het. Iedere keer dat wij bij jullie op bezoek waren nam je me mee naar nieuwe dingen, lassen, brommer rijden of te water bij de molen.

Nu ligt het allemaal wat anders. Ik heb nu de teugels en regie in eigen handen en ben gezegend met iets moois. Soms echter neem je iets wel eens vanzelfsprekend...

Dankjewel, een dagje skiën en vliegen met jou, die al zo lang deel maakt van mijn leven geeft reflectie en een gewaarzijn van de keuzes op het pad en de mooie dingen die je met het leven kan doen.