Le Mas de Maupas » Weather

Steak, Chips & Skiing on Ventoux

Annie Templeton — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:03:00 +0000

Snow has been dumping on Mont Ventoux for weeks now and the Giant of Provence is blanketed in white, which can only mean one thing…ski time. The snow has been brilliant this year so yesterday some friends and I and headed up to the Northern side of Mont Ventoux to make the most of it. We headed to the ski station at Mont Serein and were on the slopes within only 20 minutes of leaving Le Maupas. We didn’t have snow chains on the tyres so had to get out and push to make it.. but it was worth the effort. We had a fabulous afternoon of skiing on great snow, most of it powder, in the sparkling sunshine, stopping for a lunch of steak, chips & wine on the mountain. Fantastic!

The ski station at Mont Serein opens whenever there is enough snow, which is usually around mid-February. A ski pass costs 13 euros for the afternoon, or around 23 euros for a full day. You can hire skis & boots for about 20 euros per day. Take a look at the Mont Serein website for more information and don’t forget to check out the live webcam of the slopes. The Mont Serein ski station is just 20 minutes from your base at Le Maupas.

Picnicing in the hills above Crestet

admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 16:09:24 +0000

The lovely weather this week called for an impromptu afternoon picnic/hike with family. We headed for the hills above the village of Crestet, taking Tommy the dog along for the trek. We started just above the Domaine de la Verrière, where the renowned Chêne Bleu wines are produced. It is a beautiful spot actually, the property of the Domaine includes a ninth century priory, although these days the main business is wine production & wine related courses, seminars and events. Well worth a visit.

We hiked for a good hour meeting lots of fellow hikers along the way before stopping for our picnic, high up in the hills with the most breathtaking views….then proceeded to get completely lost in the mountains on our way back. But on a such a beautiful day who can worry about getting lost! la Verrière and Crestet are around 20 minutes from your base at Le Maupas.

Spring weather & stunning skies

admin — Sat, 11 May 2013 12:50:36 +0000

This spring has seen some very unseasonal weather here in the Vaucluse. Non-stop rain has saturated the region for endless weeks, making the local wine-makers fear for their vines and delaying building progress on our renovations here at Le Maupas – but when I saw these breathtaking boiling golden skies over the house and the Mont Ventoux this week I had to tip my hat to the weird weather for producing such a spectacular show. Every cloud has a silver lining they say…