Duthie's Diaries: It's all over now, baby blue

Even when blessed with great conditions, the Meribel season seemed to end with a fizz rather than a bang. With over a week left, half the lifts were already closed, and the Moonpark had been demolished for weeks. It was all pretty depressing, so we headed over to Val Thorens where they were still in full swing. A long-overdue trip to their park was the plan: I had got word early on that it was the best in the Three Valleys, with a budget reportedly five times as big as Meribel's. The only problem is that it's not very handy for Meribel residents to get to, whereas the Moonpark is only one chairlift away. After finally sussing it out, I really wished I'd made the trip earlier.

Val Thorens' park is well stocked for beginners, but the red and black lines are where it really earns its reputation. Each jump is better than the last, with mellow transitions and long, steep landings. Add to that the column, hip, wallride and barrel tap features down the bottom, and a flawless rainbow and S-rails up top, and you've got all you could ever ask of a park. On only the second lap, the excitement of it all got the better of me:

sheeeeit clarence....

After a quick dust-off, it was back to the kicker line for a few laps. The next day was the same, and yeilded some of the best times I've ever had on a board. A lot of this is down to just how much better the features are, but the biggest difference was the atmosphere. The riders in the Val Thorens park weren't there to pose, and just about everyone was stepping up their game. Much like the Meribel park, skiers dominate, and only one boarder was joining them on the black line. Still, he made up for the rest of us with countless variations of 7s, each smoother than the last. The flow worked better too: the Moonpark was plagued with ESF instuctors and misguided parents leading their barely-snowploughing kids over the knuckles and down the landings, but there was none of that here. The last day's blizzard with zero vis was devastating; it's a truly awesome park, surely among the best in Europe.

having too good a time to worry about shots, but Kyla grabbed this from beside the park. back5 stale over the red

But that was that: it was back over to the Brides bubble for one final descent. The last day's fresh was like a kick in the teeth, especially once the vis had improved, but generally we were ok with how we'd finished the season. Still, it's hard not to think about Val Thorens, open til 9th May with plenty of snow, and that park.

From now til next season, Brides-les-Bains is the go-to town for French salad-dodgers looking to slim down with the help of the local spa pools and health workshops. Ski rental stores are now summer fashion outlets catering for the rotund, and walking around town is comparable to being on the spaceship from Wall-E. The town may have changed drastically, but it's as hospitable and friendly as it was all winter. We may have landed in Brides because it was the only place we could afford, but it turned out to be just what we wanted. We can't recommend it highly enough.

The Three Valleys as a whole is an incredible range, but there's no escaping the big let-down of the season. Sorry to go on about it, but it's a thorn in my side. It's no surprise that the Meribel park was never firing when the overwhelming majority of its seasonaires have no real interest in riding, even when presented with so much amazing terrain. Everyone's entitled to their own way of enjoying their season, and the party side of things should and will always be a part of it, but the balance isn't right in this resort.

The biggest surprise of the winter ended up being how much I missed the dry slope sessions back home. At the mat you're guaranted to ride with folk who are truly stoked on it, and don't take any part of it for granted. Just a glance at Will Nangle's stuff from Morzine and Mayerhofen shows that there's plenty of awe-inspiring progression happening on snow as well, but at the mat you'll find it in its purest form: just the other day Barry Parker and Kris Bell raised the bar yet again with this Garthdee box session, easily more impressive than anything I witnessed in Meribel. I'll be back to the mat soon, to ride with them and the others who, for me, have the right idea; more thrills, less Jack Wills. Can't wait.

That's all from Brides. It's been an awesome five months, with more highlights than I can list here. Thanks to all those who read Unbez over the winter. Thanks especially to Kyla, for everything. The last word must go out to the good people at Sire de Beaupre, to whom we are both eternally grateful. We'll miss you.

Duthie