We just got back from a family holiday in Les Arcs 2000 with Chiara, Noemie, and all four of Chiara’s grandparents. Thanks to Anthony’s perfect planning, a tag-team childcare system in the chalet, and some decent snow, everything was in place for an amazing week!

Canon EOS 20D – EF 50mm – 1/160 sec at f/11, ISO 100 – Late afternoon in Les Arcs, top of the Arcabulle ski lift, a view from the Mont Blanc. This picture is a panorama created from 3 pictures. This was one of the only days where Mont Blanc was clear of its usual cap of clouds.
A late snowfall of about 15cm at the start of the week gave us just enough powder for the next few days—perfect for some fun runs and a solid warm-up for La Grave.
We brought along our trusty (but soon-to-be-retired) EOS 20D with a budget 50mm lens. It fit snugly in the backpack with minimal financial risk. Surprisingly, it worked pretty well! Not the best for landscapes, but with some photo stitching, we pulled off a few nice shots.
Others brought their cameras too, and the iPad once again proved its worth. It was perfect for gathering everyone’s pictures and putting together nightly slideshows—and, of course, doubling as a fantastic toy for Chiara and Noemie!

Panasonic TZ5 – 1/640 sec at f/10, ISO 100 – The A-(ski)Team posing in front of the Mont Blanc in the only red slopes they managed to take during the whole week (kidding obviously, all decent skiers ). Ready for the next winter Olympics. (Photo from Anthony)

Canon EOS 20D – EF 50mm – 1/800 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100 – Picture of Les Arcs 1950 resorts. It was a very pretty little wooden centre and therefore extremely popular with Russian, Dutch and British tourists. The cloud at the bottom of the picture was moving up fast and we were in it few minutes after.

Canon EOS 20D – EF 50mm – 1/1250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 100 – Sab and Chiara in Les Arcs 1950 – during the only lunch break we did outside of our chalet. Chiara boots are about 3 sizes bigger than her feet – but it was impossible to find snow boots, size 17 …

Panasonic TZ5 – 1/400 sec at f/8, ISO 100 – Picture from the Mont Blanc, late afternoon, taken from a similar spot from the first picture of the post. The picture was cropped to a panoramic format and de-saturated. The wide angle and the clouds give a very different perspective, maybe more dynamic than the first one. (Photo from Anthony)