Agathoune!

With US newspapers currently filled with Mitt Romney and his challengers slinging it out in the Republican Primary while Obama waits in the wings, some Americans might be surprised to know that in just a few weeks from now, on April 22nd, France will also will have a presidential election.

Unlike the creaking US Electoral College system¹, where nobody understands how each state’s delegates are distributed or where citizens in non-swing states don’t even bother to vote, France’s presidential election is a national poll where everyone’s voice is counted.  Not only that, there are also two rounds, a first round with a plethora of candidates² from several national parties, and a final runoff containing the two first-round candidates with the most votes.

20% in the first round and 82.1% in the second... Something is not right here

Runoff Elections - Real Choice!

Although runoff elections seem far more modern and democratic by allowing people to vote for parties that actually represent their viewpoints, if the vote is diluted between too many candidates, sometimes extremist parties can actually make it to the second round.  In 2002 the French were so lukewarm voting for traditional parties that the extreme-right party (Front National, Jean-Marie Le Pen) was represented in the runoff, forcing many citizens to perform their civic duty and vote against Le Pen in the second round.  Many opposition voters actually used clothespins to drop “Chirac” into the ballet box.

French voters from all parties were shocked by the 2002 runoff and are now much more careful for whom they vote in the first round, choosing more mainstream parties (called “vote utile” - pragmatic vote) to ensure an electable candidate actually makes it to the second round.  Just imagine being a Democrat and having to choose between George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan!  A pretty scary idea…

Meet the Candidates

Nicolas Sarkozy Fighting Back

The Hyper-Active President

With the French economy heading toward recession, Europe in the throes of a sovereign debt crisis, and popular fatigue with the current government, ~60% of the French have a negative opinion of President Nicolas Sarkozy. However, even with such abysmal numbers, Sarkozy is a political genius and you should never count him out.  In the past he has strapped on his elevator shoes³ and hit the campaign trail,  perfectly timing the peaks of his popularity.  He is also an excellent debater, has unending reserves of energy and is very dangerous when cornered.  Over the next few weeks, I fully expect to see many last minute TV shows about insecurity (always a rallying point for Sarkozy’s UMP party), with cars being torched by unemployed, welfare-mooching immigrants combined with documentaries about how brilliantly he has handled the banking crisis…

The Accidental President (maybe)

François Hollande - Keeps on Truckin'

Traditionally, presidential candidates in France have been chosen by party insiders through opaque processes, but the Socialist Party, France’s mainstream opposition, tried to modernize their politics by holding an open primary election this year.  This resulted in some lively internal debate, complete with fake smiles and barely suppressed daggers, but in the end the vote actually went off rather well, resulting in the somewhat accidental designation of François Hollande as the presidential candidate.  Originally most people assumed Dominique Strauss-Kahn would be named, until he became a bit too intimate with a New York hotel maid.

François Hollande is not particularly charismatic and has little executive experience, but he is a competent administrator, knows the issues well, and, above all, he has plodded on with his campaign despite public ridicule and personal setbacks.

Family Values - Nobody Cares

Honey, would you mind if I run for President this time?

Unlike puritan US politics, unless a candidate is a convicted criminal, most French voters just don’t care that much about his private life, such as being officially married or hypocritically professing some sort of profound religious belief. François Hollande has never been married, despite having had four children with his ex-partner Ségolène Royal, who was also the 2007 Socialist presidential candidate. Nicolas Sarkozy divorced his second wife while in office and has since remarried to the glamorous model/singer Carla Bruni.  Ex-president François Mitterand even had an apartment in the Elysée Palace (the equivalent of the White House) devoted to housing his live-in mistress. And these examples are just off the top of my head.  To summarize, France is a refreshingly secular society where politicians don’t have to pretend to have a perfect family or belong to some sanitized religious organization to get elected.

French Presidential Campaign Quirks

In the original constitution of the current French Republic, the president could serve unlimited 7-year mandates (le septennat), which resulted in consolidation of power and virtual monarchies.  As a parting gift to Sarkozy from Chirac (not the best of friends), this mandate was reduced and also limited to two 5 year terms (le quinquennat) to allow greater turnover and also help align the presidential term with the general elections to the national assembly.

Concerning the actual presidential campaign, Sarkozy only recently officially declared his candidacy on February 15th.  Try to compare this to American presidential campaigns with candidates throwing their hats into the ring two years ahead of time.  It would be like Obama declaring in early September that he was a candidate for the November election!

Du Fair Play

With many of France’s TV and radio channels subsidized by French taxpayers, France’s audio-visual authority also keeps track of every presidential candidate’s total on-air time to ensure that everyone receives the same amount of media attention during the campaign.  Political TV ads only appear at designated times, with the same time-chunks allocated to each candidate.  Leading up to the election, there are also many state-sponsored live debates and documentaries featuring candidates and political talking heads.

Silence Radio

One week before the election, the TV and media go strangely silent.  This is because it is illegal to conduct political opinion polls the week before the final election.  The purpose of this law is to give people time to make up their minds and limit the influence of polling and advertisements on their final decisions.  Wouldn’t it be great to have a similar law in the US?  Or, better yet, just ban political ads all together…

Finally, French election days always fall on a Sunday because that’s when most people are available to vote (duh!), as opposed to the mandated US election day, the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, instituted over 150 years ago to allow farmers to finish their harvests and not interfere with the weekly Sabbath.  C’est logique!

Bon vote et bon courage!

Links

Interested in becoming the President of France?  Here is a list of all the requirements for running for president.  Basically any French citizen can run if you can get 500 elected officials (mayors, representatives, etc) to sponsor your candidature. If only registering your car in the préfecture could be as easy…

And then there were ten - List and photos of the ten official candidates for president who obtained the 500 signatures before the March 16th deadline (out of 20+ initial hopefuls)

The Tower of Babel, managed by the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel.  Click here to see the cumulative on-air time of all candidates

La Commission des Sondages - Here are the rules governing polling one week before the election

Presidents of France - Wikipedia article listing French presidents and all their powers

21 avril 2002 - Relive the shock of the 2002 first round presidential election results and see what happens when there are too many candidates fighting for the same slice of pie…

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1. The Electoral College was designed in 1789 when communication was by horseback! [↩]
2. There are currently ten candidates for president, ranging from far-left communists to anti-immigrant nationalists [↩]
3. Nicolas Sarkozy is known for being one of the shortest presidents with a height of 165 cm (5′ 5″) [↩]

March 20th, 2012 | Tags: 21 avril 2002, 22 avril 2012, 500 signatures, candidats présidentielles, Dominique Strauss-Khan, Electoral College, Fifth Republic, FN, François Hollande, François Mitterand, French elections, French head of state, French President, French Presidential Elections, French presidential power, French veto, Front National, Guignols, Jean Marie Le Pen, La Commission des Sondages, Nicolas Sarkozy, presidentielles 2002, presidentielles 2012, puritan politics, runoff elections, Ségoène Royal, Socialist Party, Socialist Primary, UMP | Category: Administration and State, La France, US-France Relationship | Leave a comment

Gros Bisous!

Although the country of the “French Kiss” might have a reputation as a land where daily communication includes lots of gestures involving touching or kissing, it may be surprising to learn that in most situations actual physical contact only occurs when greeting or saying goodbye.

In general, when meeting people in France, a mixture of handshakes and informal kisses are used depending on the context.  It is very important to use the correct protocol, because if you try kissing your boss’ cheeks on the first day of work it can get you into a lot of trouble!  And if you forget to shake someone’s hand, it can be easily taken as a sign of anger or disrespect.

Les Filles - “The Air Kiss”

For those of you living under a rock, a “French Kiss” involves tongue touching and should probably only be used between lovers.  This is very different from what I call the regular French “air kiss” that is used when greeting a woman where you sort of touch each other’s cheeks briefly on each side of the face and smack your lips in thin air at the same time.  In general, it’s just a “smacking” sound and not a real kiss.  However, just like the kind of wet kisses you might get from your great aunt Edna, there can be variations to the “air kiss” where it is sometimes transformed into a slightly moist cheek kiss.  Another variation is also inclining your head upwards, as if you are looking at the ceiling, and kissing sort of up into the air. This “high-air kiss” seems to be mostly confined to high society gatherings, a bit like lifting up your little finger when drinking tea.

Air Kissing in Action (probably better without the beard)

In France, greeting women using “air kisses” is fairly common practice when in an informal setting (e.g., a café with friends, a dinner, a party, etc.) and when they are around the same age as you (or younger). However, in a more formal environment, a handshake should always be used during the first encounter.  If the woman is your manager in a business environment, you should continue only handshaking until she specifically says otherwise.

Although the standard acceptable number of “air kisses” used in France is two (one on each cheek), this can also vary depending on the area of the country.  Several departments insist on using three and there are many areas around Paris where four is the usual number (see my interactive map link at the end of the article).  Basically, if you don’t know, start with two, but if the person’s body language insists (leaning or alternating cheeks), just go with the flow and add a third or even a fourth, after which you can definitely stop.  If you get to five, then the French are just toying with your mind…

Les Garçons - “The Handshake”

Just Your Regular Morning Handshake...

Greetings between two men are simpler - just like in most parts of the world you simply shake hands.¹  However, in comparison to the US where handshakes occur only the first time you meet someone and basically never again, in the French workplace the whole hand shaking routine is practiced EVERY MORNING.  Extremely French co-workers can sometimes take it as a personal affront if you are concentrated on something else and inadvertently neglect your daily hand shaking or “air kissing” duty!

Bonjour and Bonjour Again

Concerning use of the word “bonjour”, it should ONLY be said once per day per person, and ONLY the first time you see them.  Unlike in the US, where you can sometimes say “hi” to a co-worker 20 times a day if you keep running into them, in France if you encounter a colleague in the hallway that you have already said “bonjour” to, DO NOT say “bonjour” again!  You are guaranteed to get a strange look indicating “you moron, don’t you remember you already said bonjour to me today?  Weren’t you paying any attention or do you care about me at all?”.  Instead, if you really need to fill the silence, then just say the word “re-bonjour”, which translates to “hey, I am aware we already saw each other today, but I’m not sure what else to say to you, so I’ll just say hello again”.

The Morning Greeting Merry Go Round

This daily routine of shaking hands and exchanging “air kisses” with every co-worker you have ever randomly bumped into at the coffee machine can be one of the more harrowing rituals of working in France.  You must always be sure to distinguish between regular co-workers (or peers) and higher management whom you would only give a handshake to, and, of course, you should never risk giving an “air kiss” to an upper level woman manager, unless her body language indicates this is what is required.  At times this whirlwind of kissing, handshaking, understanding of organizational hierarchy (to determine if an informal or formal greeting is required) and remembering whether or not you already greeted a person earlier in the day can be quite stressful, especially for those of us lacking facial recognition skills…

Just the regular morning greeting routine…every single day.
embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube DirektThe Song that Never Ends...

The worst part about all of the hand shaking and kissing is probably personal hygiene.  If you have just washed your hands after greeting all your co-workers and then another one drops by your desk, this newcomer is required to shake hands with everyone in your office, including yourself, even if you have never said more than one word to the person in your life.  And then your hands are once again contaminated with whatever he happened to be touching just before the handshake (and we all know the bathroom requirements of drinking coffee in the morning)…

Antiseptic Hand Cleaner Anyone?

Fortunately, in compensation for all of the sweaty palms, weak handshakes and wet fingers encountered daily, the morning routine also includes giving “air kisses” to generally attractive French women.  And thankfully, when you leave the office at night, saying a simple “bonne soirée” or “à demain” is all that is required!

The Party’s Over

Outside of the office, there are also other rules to be taken into consideration, especially at social events. Perhaps one of the reasons that French dinners or small parties can sometimes go into the late hours of the night is that the first person to leave has to inevitably disrupt the entire event because they are required, by politeness, to either shake the hands or give “air kisses” to every single person who is present. It’s kind of like a strange staring contest to see who is going to be the first loser to give in to fatigue, disrupt the merriment and go home to bed. Occasionally, if it’s a bigger party with lots of music or noise, you can sometimes slip out the back door by discreetly just saying goodbye to the hosts.

Finally, concerning the older members of the French population, as a sign of respect, NEVER do “air kisses”.  Always shake hands only, unless the person is an older relative or close friend that you know quite well.

No Hugs Allowed

As a last word of advice to the average hug-obsessed American, THE FRENCH DON’T DO HUGS! Although handshakes and kisses are acceptable, for all their talk about being such a touchy-feely culture, hugs clearly violate too much personal space for most of the French and should only be attempted during parties where people have had ample amounts to drink.  Hugging an unsuspecting French person is a very strange experience indeed, kind of like holding a heavy coat where the sleeves don’t quite know how to respond.

Greeting and leaving protocols in France can be very complicated, but if you have good facial recognition skills and are not afraid to stick out your hand or lean towards the occasional cheek, you should be able to manage.  Of course, always remember that if you mess up, acting like a dumb foreigner can come in very handy during any awkward situation, and the occasional badly placed “bise” can sometimes be a great way to break the ice.

And perhaps with a bit of luck, the French kissing may also come earlier than you expected…

Links

Extract from Friends, the one with all the Cheesecakes (unfortunately, I couldn’t find a direct link, but Friends fans will know this scene):

[Scene: Cousin Frannie’s Wedding Reception, Monica and Ross are sitting at the table, alone as a woman approaches.]

The Woman: Ross, sweetheart!

Ross: Oh, hey Aunt Millie.

Aunt Millie: Isn’t it a beautiful wedding?!

Ross: Yes, yes it is. It’s uh… (Aunt Millie uses this opportunity to grab Ross and kiss him on the lips. After she leaves Ross quickly wipes his mouth with a napkin.) Every time on the lips! Why?! Why on lips?!

From wikiHow for any kiss-challenged readers:

How to Air Kiss (I can’t believe there are online instructions for this!)
How to French Kiss (even contains handy photos for beginners…)

Caméra Café - M6 TV comedy that films 3 minute skits of events in front of a French coffee machine. With 700 episodes, this series may help with understanding the morning café ritual in the workplace…

Combien de Bises? - this is an interactive map showing the average number of “bises” per department. There really is no end to ideas for websites on the Internet…

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1. air kissing between men is allowed in specific circumstances, such as between close family members (father/son/brother/very close friends) and gay men [↩]

January 1st, 2011 | Tags: air kiss, Aunt Millie, bisous, Caméra Café, Cousin Frannie, facial recognition, faire les bises, French dinner parties, French formal, French hugs, French informal, French kiss, French kissing protocol, French social protocol, French workplace protocol, gay French kiss, handshakes, Hugging in France, kissing in the workplace, les bises, non-cadres, number of kisses, rebonjour, se serrer la main, smooch, TOW Cheesecakes | Category: La France, Traditions, US-France Relationship, Working in France | Comments (2)

When learning a foreign language, there comes a fluency tipping point where you suddenly stop mentally translating words from your native tongue and just use the foreign word instead.  For an English speaker, “a fork is a fork”; for a French speaker “une fourchette est une fourchette”.  When I am having a conversation in French (or am just in a groovy French-feeling mood), if you show me a cup of coffee, I’ll immediately think of “un café” without any hesitation, because that’s simply what the object is once you have truly acquired fluency in another language. 

This is around the time when you start to think and dream in that language as well, which is actually a pretty strange experience in itself, especially the first few times you catch yourself accidentally mumbling French words as you reflect on daily events!  Stopping the mental translation opens marvelous doors of understanding and insights into how other people truly feel and think in their native tongues.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that you can never truly understand a foreign culture unless you also speak their language to the point where you naturally think in it.

French is an incredibly beautiful, rich language and there are some key words and concepts that are completely untranslatable into English.  This post is to share some of these special words and try to catch a few fleeting insights into the French psyche.

Too Much of a Good Thing...

La Gourmandise - Many of my American friends find it very difficult to resist a homemade French pastry.  They may be surprised to find that there is a concept in French known as “la gourmandise” describing this sensation, representing an overwhelming feeling of desire, lust and excess, such as “ok, my stomach is about to burst and I really shouldn’t keep eating, but that cake is just a pure slice of unctuous chocolate covered in an overflowing raspberry topping with the plate decorated in little zests of orange peels… I really shouldn’t…. maybe just a bite…. oh my God! … ok stop me now… too late!”.  Considering all of the incredible dishes served in France, anyone living here an extended amount of time has experienced “la gourmandise” on many different occasions.  Although the word usually refers to food delicacies, it can also be used metaphorically for just about anything you can do that goes over the top of “reasonable” excess (I’ll leave you to imagine different situations where “gourmandise” can be applied…).

Le Terroir - Historically, France has always been an agricultural nation and was a latecomer to the industrial revolution.  The French love of land, roots, traditions (especially culinary ones) and wisdom handed down from generations all melded together represents the concept of “le terroir”.  The term is extremely difficult to describe, but it is almost always linked to something that originates from manual toil of the local natural environment (usually harvested from the land), which is then refined into a product of incredible quality imbibed with a love of tradition, that can only be experienced and never fully defined.  So the next time you purchase some home-bottled wine and savory culinary specialties with the label “produit du terroir”, try to think about the generations of tradition and history that went into making this memorable delicacy and appreciate every last drop.

"Produits du Terroir" or Just Cheese?

One more thing - “le terroir” should definitely not be confused with “La Terreur” (Reign of Terror), which was an extremely bloody time of the French Revolution when the guillotine was running non-stop, chopping off the heads of all enemies of the people (so be careful of spelling and pronunciation).

Coquine or Just Cleaning the House?

Coquin / Coquine - This is one of my favorite French adjectives/nouns because it is incredibly subtle and can get you into big trouble if you use it incorrectly!  When used with very young children “c’est un coquin” (this boy is a “coquin”) is an expression meaning that “he’s a very clever child that uses unexpected ruses and seductive charm to get attention”.  It’s kind of a half compliment because the kid usually manages to circumvent adult authority by doing something very cute to get his way…   When this adjective is used for adults, it is a reference to someone who emanates an aggressive, outgoing sexuality, but in a coy, seductive sort of way.  Remember that if your French girlfriend is wearing a sexy dress and you are meeting her parents for the first time, “elle est vraiment coquine, ta fille” (your daughter is really “coquine”) is not a phrase to say.  So as I said before, be very careful how you use this one!!

Dépayser (adjective/verb) - The other day I was having a conversation in English with a friend and I was trying to describe visiting a French mountain village and the concept of feeling completely disconnected from your usual urban surroundings.  Well, after stuttering a bit, I regressed into franglais and slipped in the French adjective “dépaysé”, which basically sums up the sensation of complete disorientation from your usual daily environment that I was trying to describe.  It’s a very good adjective for all of us French expats who wake up every day deep in the heart of France and are still amazed by the differences with our native homelands.

Although this post might point you in the right direction, to truly appreciate the full meaning of these words you’ll need to immerse yourself in the language until you finally start dreaming of “les gourmandises du terroir” or a very “coquine” French maid…  bonne nuit!

Links

To better understand “le terroir”, take a look at the photos from another age on the site of photographer Patrick Blan.  My mouth is already watering…

You can also order “produits du terroir” online from a handy-dandy website www.lesproduitduterroir.com

If you’re a chocolate addict, check out this video of a French chef making a warm, oozing “fondant au chocolat”.  Not as hard as you think!

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YouTube DirektFondant au Chocolat

Feel free to add other nontranslatable words to the comments section!!

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August 14th, 2010 | Tags: chocoholic, chocolate addict, coquin, coquine, dépayser, dreaming in French, excess, femme de ménage, Fondant au chocolat, france blog, french blog, french dreams, french fluency, french maid, French pastries, gastronomy, la gourmandise, La Terreur, le terroir, learning foreign language, mental translations, produits du terroir, unctuous, untranslatable French | Category: La France, La Langue Internationale, Le Nouveau Roman, Le Pot au Feu, Traditions | Leave a comment

Mediterranean Sea from Le Cheiron Mountain

As a native New Englander, I learned that downhill skiing meant wearing six layers of wool clothing, thick face-cover, triple socks and the occasional mitten warmer to survive the -15F  (-26C) wind-chilled New Hampshire slopes.  Also don’t forget your well-sharpened skis to grip all of the ice patches that were bound to appear on the 2000 ft “mountains” where I grew up.  With this in mind, it was a real pleasure to discover skiing in the French Alps, where even the smallest ski areas tend to have multiple peaks, awe-inspiring views and slopes covered in snow instead of ice!

The Long and Winding Road

Just Your Typical French Ski Station Road

Before you can ski in the French Alps, you first have to survive the climb to the ski station.  This means driving up narrow, winding mountain roads in caterpillar formation with cars full of skiers on all sides.  Inevitably, also expect the guy behind you to tailgate the entire way, despite the fact that if he passed you he’d still be behind hundreds of other cars also heading to the ski area.  Throughout this time, you must constantly scan the road for black ice and never look at the spectacular views to avoid drifting into the other lane or falling into the thousand meter abyss appearing just over the ancient brick and mortar guard rails that still seem to line many mountain roads.  For an added thrill, you could also opt to catch a “ski bus” that takes skiers from the city to a nearby station, where looking out the high windows as the bus winds its way up the mountain can be scarier than some roller coasters I’ve been on!

Organized Chaos

I must also mention that if it starts to snow the local police will often setup roadblocks at the bottom of critical mountain roads where they will force motorists to pull over and put on snow chains – if you forget your chains, time to turn around and go home.  For some reason (at least in the South), many French have never heard of snow tires and insist on only equipping their cars with summer tires all year round;  Perhaps they simply enjoy the finger-numbing thrill of putting on snow chains any time a storm blows in!

The French are also experts with jamming their cars into any available space for parking, and ski stations are no exception.  Expect the parking lots to be packed full by ~10am, with cars and recreational vehicles lined up in some strange, fractal fashion.  If you search hard enough, you’ll eventually find the single lane route that’s somehow left open through the parking lot, allowing traffic to flow.  And also be sure to watch out for the ice as you step out of the car – salting is optional!

 

Vintage Diesel-Powered French Téléski

Compared to your average North Eastern US $70 full-day ticket price, ski rates in France are a bargain.  An adult ticket is ~25€ ($35) with rental ~20€ ($28).  There is also usually a way to find some local coupons for discounts.  When you purchase your ski ticket, expect to be pressured to add on accident insurance for a few extra euros.  Basically, this covers your medical expenses and evacuation in case you decide to try that triple helicopter jump in the huge pile of powder at the summit.  If you actually dare to refuse the insurance, the hourly rescue rates tend to be listed next to the ticket prices so at least you’ll know that it will only cost a mere 300€ an hour if you break your leg (which is probably cheaper than most US health insurance deductibles).

French ski stations in the Alps vary widely in size, but even the small family ones are often huge by New England standards.  When purchasing your ticket, it is very important to ask for a ski map to navigate the labyrinth of slopes and shortcuts for connecting to the various lifts leading to different peaks.  If you need to go back to the base station, you sometimes have to mount 3-4 different peaks before connecting to a return path.  Ski slopes are also color-coded with different lines:  green/blue (circles), red (squares) and black (diamonds). 

Le Tire-Fesse

That Crushing Sensation...

One of the more thrilling experiences in older French ski stations is wrapping your legs around a pole with a circular seat at the end known affectionately as a “tire-fesse” (literally ”butt puller”).  Because of ski area size and basic economics, there can’t be chairlifts (télésiège) everywhere, so the smaller hills are sometimes serviced by an old fashioned “tire-fesse”.  Some of these lifts seem like they were built at the dawn of industrialization and are literally chiseled into the mountainside with whizzing cables and ancient gears pulling you up an ungroomed 20% incline with no hope of escape and nobody at the top to help extract you from the contraption…  At this point, all you can do is remember the rules:  hold on tight and try not to crush anything important with the pole!

Lunch Time

If there’s one thing that French skiers like to do more than skiing, it’s also eating of course!  At many stations there are snack bars, bistrots and restaurants at the bottom, top and mid-slope.  If the ski area is sunny enough, many also have outside lounge chairs for a quick cat nap in the afternoon sun to recover from all the spiced wine served with lunch.  Although this may seem like a great way to spend the afternoon, the pleasure of eating out can also cost more than the ski ticket itself because, just like in America, restaurants in ski areas are often overpriced rip-offs.

Priorité à Droite?

The French can also be quite frugal and frequently bring their own coolers and picnic lunches to save on the exorbitant food prices.  The difference is that in American ski lodges you just need to find a free bench, empty your cooler on the table and have a grand old time.  However, in France it is completely rude to just sit at a random free restaurant table, even in an outside snack bar, and start eating your picnic lunch.  Often you’re left with the choice to either pay for food or join the French tailgate party in the ski area parking lot during lunch hour (unfortunately, without any music).  At this time you’ll see many families cracking open their compact hatchbacks and having some good old ham and butter baguette sandwiches with the occasional flask of “eau de vie”¹ before heading back to the slopes.

Risky Business

Did Somebody Say Lawsuit?

Unlike in America, the average French ski resort doesn’t seem too concerned with lawsuits.  They may put up a warning sign or two, but you have to be smart enough to not ski too close to cliff edges and be careful when the slope intersects a “téléski” (the official name for the “tire-fesse” ski lift).  Also, don’t be a moron and ski off the groomed trails when there is a high chance of an avalanche!  This may seem like common sense, but in America it would definitely be grounds for a lawsuit if you slipped off the sheer unfenced cliff edge that happens to be a mere 5m (15ft) from where you get off the ski lift!  In any case, don’t expect a Saint Bernard to come running to save you anytime soon.  Like many natural tourist destinations in France (mountain hiking trails, natural beaches,  etc.) the spectacular beauty can also be pretty dangerous, so try to keep in mind that you’re pretty much on your own…  In the meantime, pull out that flask of “Eau de Vie” and enjoy the stunning vista of the French Alps!  Happy Skiing!

Links

Le Vanoise Express - France boasts the biggest ski area cable car (téléphérique) in the world.  It is a massive, double decker machine that can hold over 200 people and links La Plagne and Les Arcs ski resorts in the Savoie area.  Despite its size, fortunately the laws of physics still apply!

Conduite sur Glace at Serre Chevalier  - Many of France’s bigger ski stations also have a special car circuit nearby reserved for teaching people how to drive on ice.  Basically, it’s a regular driving school where you can crank on the steering wheel, slam on the breaks and slide into snowbanks to your heart’s content!  It’s amazing what fun you can have when companies don’t have to worry so much about lawsuits…

SkiFrance.fr - the domain name is self explanatory.  Lists all the ski areas in France with webcams, snow reports and ratings

Skiset.com - Online ski rental site for many stations.  As usual in France, I’d recommend giving a call after you reserve just to double check with the rental shop that they received the email…

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1. ”eau de vie”, literally translated as “water of life”, is popular after-meal hard liquor usually made from fermented mountain flowers [↩]

February 28th, 2010 | Tags: Auron, circle, Conduite sur Glace, diamond, eau de vie, france blog, french blog, French lawsuit, French mountain roads, Gréolières, guard rails, icy ski trails, Isola 2000, Le Vanoise Express, mountain rescue, New England skiing, route de ski, Serre Chevalier, ski bus, ski parking, ski restaurants, skiing in the alps, spiced wine, square, St. Bernard, tailgate party, télésiège, téléski, tire-fesse, Valberg, wind chill | Category: Civil Society, Côte d'Azur, La France, Le Vagabond | Comments (1)