This week, PPP Partners returned from their annual ski trip in Chamonix. Despite no bones being broken, it’s safe to say they all returned feeling a little worse for wear – and that wasn’t just caused by the exhaustion of a weekend of skiing.
Day 1 - Thursday 29th of January
The majority of the group arrived in Chamonix on Thursday afternoon and were greeted by glorious snowfall. Filled with excitement about the excellent conditions that would await them the following day, they headed to the hotel to settle in. Staying at Le Faucigny, a lovely little boutique hotel in the heart of the town, meant they were only a short walk to their favourite haunt, Chambre Neuf. No time was wasted getting there to secure their famous windowsill seats – they wanted to be front row to see the excellent local band, No Limits. The evening began with lots of singing, dancing and celebrating the start of the trip as other members slowly joined them. Not only was the conversation flowing all evening, so was the red wine.
Day 2 - Friday 30th of January
The snow had continued falling throughout the night, so everyone was eager to get on the slopes. They headed to Les Houches and thoroughly enjoyed the fresh powder. The day was filled with adrenaline, as expert skiers and boarders paced down the mountains.
Suky, PPP’s Lifestyle Ambassador and therefore practically part of the furniture, arrived in the afternoon accompanied by a lovely pair of floral skis! Last year, he tried to keep his birthday under wraps but with the benefit of knowing in advance this year, it had been arranged for No Limits to sing him Happy Birthday that evening when a larger group returned to Chambre Neuf for round two.
In true celebratory style, pitchers of beer were being purchased left, right and centre and the football table that the group discovered in the corner was permanently occupied – resulting in a unanimous decision to cancel dinner and carry on partying instead! Spareroom’s Rupert Hunt joined the bar crawl, along with the intense table football games, just in time for takeaway pizza which was eaten outside the back of the bar on top of some bins.
Day 3 - Saturday 31st of January
Disaster struck first thing as Lucy discovered her ski boots were missing. Rooms were being upturned, stairwells were being searched and CCTV footage was being checked – all the time, another member of the group, Antoinette, had accidentally put on the wrong boots. Feeling a little fragile from the night before, she hadn’t even noticed that they were three sizes too big.
Despite the hold up and even after a heavy night, the group still managed to hit the slopes. At Le Tour, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the snow was fresh - you couldn’t have asked for more! Some retired a little earlier and headed for the hotel spa to recuperate.
At 6pm, with passports in hand, they headed to the Italian boarder for the “Italian job” - a moonlit cable car ride above the Italian village of Courmayeur, followed by a skidoo ride to a mountain refuge with lovely food and table dancing. Following a very thrilling and memorable evening, the group made a torch lit descent on skis. With the adrenaline still running and Lucy playing Queen through portable speakers, the group entertained the entire cable car with their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Day 4 - Sunday 1st of February
Sunday was the last day in Chamonix where everyone was together and luckily the piste conditions were perfect. They were up early to enjoy the untouched fresh snow, which was followed by a lovely lunch in a beautiful chalet at the top of the mountains.
One of the group, Tony, accidentally dropped his helmet into the sink with automatic taps - you can imagine the result. He was subsequently given the wet helmet award at dinner later that evening at Le Cap horn, a stunning restaurant which is renowned for its fish dishes. After everyone had devoured a three course meal, Steve presented the awards. Among them was the Chambre Nuef Moshpit Specialist Award, Best Dancer and Ski Boot Stealer Award, Football Table Champ and ‘I can't find my way home’ Award (for Suky).
The group also acknowledged Steve - for creating Platinum Property Partners and the lifestyle events that go with it. The laughter around the table that evening was priceless, reminiscing as to why certain awards had been given. Property, investments and next year’s ski trip was the topic of conversation, and it was safe the say that everyone was interested in reuniting in 2016!
It was a lovely ending to a fun-filled fantastic trip.
To view some of the photos from the trip, head over to our Facebook album!
