Alpe D'Huez Megavalanche

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

The mountains hold something special for me and many others that flock to these magnificent peaks for clean air, views, walks and adrenalin-fuelled sports. 

Downhill mountain biking

It's pretty crazy what some people will do for their kicks - like hurtling down a mountain on a bike. Yet, there is something so invigorating about speeding over rocks and through twisting, dusty, bumpy bends with serious injury or death just inches/moments away. Some of the kids today make it look very easy...

Resetting the brain

Concentrating hard on which line to take and focussing intently on the terrain, we leave our bodies to work at the best of it's ability - we enter the flow state. It's like a kind of meditation. All other thoughts leave the mind and stay out of our thoughts for many hours and sometimes days after the ride. And if there's been any negativity or depressing thoughts before the ride - they are banished and the mind becomes reset for a time, certainly until the inevitable return from the sanctuary that is The Alps. 

Run For The Hills

THE IDEAL MAN SPA

It's a bit of a generalisation to say that women like to be pampered more than men, but for me, the idea of a spa weekend is not something I'd ever do with a group of male friends. Not to say I don't like a massage or a Jacuzzi - it's just that men don't really know how to really look after themselves in that regard and if they ever do go to a spa - it's not really discussed with their mates. Again, I'm generalising. But....this weekend, I've realised what an ideal spa break for me is. A trip to the mountains for some life-threatening activities, followed by death-cheating celebratory drinking filled with many moments of laughter.

It's amazing how much clarity of thought you can get after really concentrating on not hurting yourself up a mountain - all other worries and concerns are pushed right out of the mind. It's the exhilaration and thrill of doing something potentially dangerous with your friends with a bit of competition thrown in and banter in the pub afterwards that make my man-spa weekends. And for a bit of conventional spa treatment - booking in at a spa hotel like the Grandes Rousses Hotel where we stayed, means theres even a jacuzzi to relax in too.