Nothing like a holiday straight after Christmas to boost January spirits. Long-anticipated family holiday to La Plagne in the French Alps for a week of skiing; doing battle with the elements, sailing through fresh powder, bombing down the pistes, interrupted only by the odd "green chocolate" (hot chocolate with chartreuse, just the thing to put some feeling back into fingers and toes, and a bit of Dutch courage for the steeper, icier slopes).
Although I took my SLR, it was totally impractical for carrying while skiing (can you imagine falling hard on a camera body?) so made the most of my trusty Samsung phone to get these pics.
Descent from Verdons Nord, the piste opposite just visible in the mist.
Top of the Arpette chairlift, looking back into a foggy Belle Plagne.
View from the glass floor in the Vanoise Express cable car, running from La Plagne to Les Arcs.
Whiteout: disappearing into the mist
Room with a view: Mont Blanc in the twilight hour
Happy but tired: post-skiing catch up