Get on track to cut carbon

Hopping on the Eurostar (train) instead of jumping on an EasyJet flight (or any plane) can cut your carbon emissions by 14x for a single trip to Paris. That’s 1 flight equalling 14 Eurostar journeys. And you don’t have to peel the oddly shrink wrapped soggy plastic off your steaming mid-flight croque monsieur before burning the roof of your mouth on the molten cheese and wiping greasy finger stains down your only pair of trousers, vowing to never order another in-flight croque, knowing full well you’ll do exactly the same thing on the way home.

So when the SkiYodl team met for an end of season debrief in Val d’Isere (bagging ourselves some epic April powder days in the process) we figured we’d save a little carbon, see what train travel to the Alps is all about and try to find something more appealing for lunch.

Q: I want to fall asleep in Sheperd’s Bush and wake up in Val d’Isere. Preferably with a glass of champagne in hand and a hot tub to dip into.

A: Well tough ship, missy. I want a disco ball bunny that poops Cadburys creme eggs. You’ll have to settle for the Eurostar with at least one change and most likely a short taxi/bus/funicular which takes 8-10 hours but you can have the champagne on route and the hot tub on arrival.

cut your carbon emissions by 14x for a single trip to Paris. That’s 1 flight equalling 14 Eurostar journeys

The thought of getting up early to be at St Pancras International an hour and a half before the train leaves was bonkers. This was supposed to be easier than flying. But then I also didn’t know St Pancras International is across the road from the St Pancras you arrive in on the Victoria line. So the 5 minutes of staring at the board in puzzlement at the trains to Bedford and Peterborough but none to Paris whilst the crowd looked on equally as puzzled as to why anyone would be taking a snowboard up the country could have been entirely avoided. And arriving an hour before the train is heaps of time. Top tip, look every bit the bedraggled half awake mess struggling to control a 5ft 5 board bag and overstuffed suitcase around the hairpin bends of the queue management retractable barriers and a kindly chauffeur will fast track you through security so you don’t make an absolute pain of yourself to everyone.

Next stop France. Sadly the tunnel didn’t have the aquarium vibes my travel companion was hoping for. Though thinking about a glass tunnel under the channel you probably wouldn’t get the tropical sea life views she was imagining anyway. We were saved a sight by the dark concrete. And we were in France before you could settle into your seat anyway. This train is plush, with pre-booked table seats and so much space and you can grab breakfast croissants and a coffee from the bar. This is also where you can buy metro tickets to cross Paris so you don’t have to faff about finding and conversing with a French machine or ticket personnel in your fractured GCSE language skills that comprise mainly of numbers and pleasantries from every country you’ve been to in the 20 years since school.

London to Paris takes just over 2 hours as you sit back, chat, catch up on work, read or roam about the train. It’s a far cry from the cramped confines of flying. And I’d imagine with kids in tow it would still be much more enjoyable than navigating the airport.

• For winter 2023/24 Eurostar has released a new snow train You don’t have to change at Paris

• A direct train from St Pancras to Lille Europe. From where you catch a train to the Alps (Chambéry, Albertville, Moutiers, and Aime-La Plagne. Bourg-SaintMaurice). Prices from £99 each way.

• The train will run for 8 weeks; London to France every Saturday - Dec. 16 through Feb. 3. France to London every SundayDec. 17 through Feb. 4.

We had an hour to cross Paris from the Gare du Nord to the Gare du Lyon and it’s super easy. Pre-book a taxi and your guy will be waiting for you as you exit the train and you can hop across Paris in 20 minutes. We were taking the metro having bought our tickets on the Eurostar. You don’t have to leave the station, just follow the TGV signs down a few escalators and its two stops on the metro to Gare du Lyon. Where again you don’t have to leave the station and follow the boards like any train station or airport to your next train.

Grab some water, drinks, snacks etc here. We grabbed lunch here as well. You can get a direct TGV to Bourg St Maurice but coming on a Wednesday we took a train to Chambery and changed (literally the other side of the platform so straight from one train to the next) and the Chambery to Bourg train was something out of Harry Potter (though no sweet trolley bringing round chocolate frogs and Pumpkin pastieshence the snacks in Paris) but the compartments for your group and fab mountain and lake views all the way worth the train journey alone! The Harry Potter theme even came over the tannoy/next compartment, whether this is part of the experience or a one-off, we won’t know until next time. Being the final train and a slightly slower one, snacks become welcomed nourishment to watch the snow caps go by.

At Bourg, you can hop straight on the Vernicular to Les Arcs meaning no taxi whatsoever. Which would have been a great shout. But we were heading to Val d’Isere on a pre-booked taxi taking about 30 mins. There’s also a bunch of shuttle buses you can hop on if the timing is right. Normally every hour or so (especially at the weekend). But from here you can easily access numerous resorts, Val d’Isere being prett y much the furthest. All areas of Tignes are about 15 minutes away, La Plagne is not much further. You also have La Rosiere and St Foy.

Words & images Joe Englert