Skiing Holiday day 3 afternoon

After a great lunch our guide gave us some bad news, there had been a death in an avalanche on the Monday, the skier had only been under the snow for two minutes and was with an experienced off piste group apparently. This news did remind us all how dangerous the mountains can be even for a very short time. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
We still ventured out looking for some fresh snow on the glacier on the Val d'Isere side, even after this news, it just makes you a little more observant. These pistes are normally fairly quiet but they are high and wide and not difficult so great for beginners and intermediates, but I always feel colder over this side of the mountain. Probably because of the height (obviously) but mainly because it stays in the shade for longer, a lot of the slopes are north facing. Now this does have its advantages, it keeps the snow on and off the piste in nice condition.
So looking for good snow off piste can be a little easier, even if it has not snowed for a few days.
We got to the top after one of our group (a mate of mine) fell off the button lift at the bottom, don't worry he received plenty of ribbing for that not from just us and the guide but the rest of our mates skiing with other groups this week.
From the top we traversed along an off piste slope to the side of the piste for quite a while, it looked good powder leading down to the piste but our guide had different ideas. He took us over the other side to some fantastic views and parts of the mountain I would never dream of skiing alone. With mountain goats up above us, sun still shining and the views you dream of this afternoon was fantastic. We still had to be careful and follow the guide closely as there were cliffs and a river running down the mountain which we could not see nor hear until we got near the bottom. The river or stream is a real danger because it is often covered by snow but that snow can give way to some freezing water! After a great afternoon coming down that side of the mountain we eventually made it back to furthest point from Val d'Isere on this side which I finally recognised where I was. A short coach ride back to town and a well deserved beer with some cake back at the hotel, trust me that does go together when you have had a terrific afternoon.