Europe's whiter-than-white winter

OPINION: I know your summer's been patchy but spare a thought for European residents, writes Cherie Sivignon in this week's L'expat.

Okay, it's winter here so snow and ice are expected – at least by those of us living in the French Alps.

Trouble is the snow hasn't confined its frozen fingers to the alpine terrain where it's welcomed and bashed into conformity for kilometres of piste-perfect playgrounds.

No, that nasty cold has taken hold in places that aren't prepared for it, that can't manage it.

Such as the United Kingdom.

A lot of people who planned to take advantage of the gorgeous snow here in the alps haven't made it from their British homes because of the snow and devastating cold closing airports, paralysing roads and causing headaches for the beleaguered Eurostar train that runs between London and Paris.

Schools have been closed across the nation, much to the delight of the British kids.

There have been problems elsewhere in France too. Snow and severe cold that causes any precipitation to freeze on contact with the road have created treacherous driving conditions that have led to a ban on trucks driving on some motorways. There have been several days where delivery vehicles haven't made it up the mountain routes and even our local supermarket received no fresh produce because the trucks were stuck in the lowlands.

For those of us living in the alps, it's just another winter. There have been a couple of mornings that the mercury has dipped to minus 15degC but nothing stops working here. No schools close and no trucks are banned from the competently cleared roads that are kept ice-free by lots of maintenance and salt. People still make it to work on time and enjoy the near-empty pistes on their days off.

For younger son Tom, who turned 7 this month, the abundant snow meant his birthday party last week included a stint riding sleds (called luges in France) with his friends.

Tomorrow Tom and his peers start their ski de fond (cross-country skiing) course with the school as part of the physical education curriculum.

My eldest son Hugo, 12, has been skiing twice a week with school where he receives expert tuition from an Ecole du Ski Francais (known as ESF – French Ski School) instructor.

There's even a ski school for toddlers where the little ones play in the snow under the watchful eyes of ESF instructors and begin learning to snow plough (chasse neige) and to maintain their balance on those little planks of whatever it is now – fibreglass, aluminium, wood?

It is a different life in the alps where the cattle remain in barns throughout the season and the farmers live above, taking advantage of the heat generated by the giant beasts who dwarf New Zealand dairy cows. There is little to do if you don't like snow but a paradise if you enjoy skiing, snowboarding or walking on long tracks that are perfectly groomed so hikers can make the most of this beautiful countryside. It rarely rains. If it's not snowing, it is usually sunny and stunning. Still, the warm weather is embraced when it arrives.

Enjoy your summer.

» Cherie Sivignon is a former Southland Times journalist who has moved to France with her French-born husband and their family.

- © Fairfax NZ News