International Mountain Day 2013

Covering around 27 percent of the earth’s land surface, mountains play a critical role in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth. They not only provide sustenance and wellbeing to 720 million mountain people around the world, but indirectly benefit billions more living downstream.

That's according to the United Nations who have designated 11 December as International Mountain Day. Of course, you can pretty much take it as a given that we at Delicious Mountain love the mountains: we've chosen to spend our lives in the Alps. And while our own experiences of mountain living are undoubtedly very different to those who make their homes atop the mountain ranges of The Himalayas or The Andes, there remains a common connection in the respect we all afford to the highlands.

A community which is based in the mountains gives voice to mountain living in all its culture and ways of life. A hilltop community is simply different to any other, and expresses these differences in its language, its cuisine, its modes of getting from place to place and connecting with people.

It's no coincidence, then, that we have made a life here in Meribel built on these very foundations. Although Meribel is a relatively new and purpose-built ski resort, and is not hewn from history like Les Gets might be, for example, it is still very much a mountain community - and we were attracted to it as such. Of course we love the risky red runs and the menacing black moguls, the filling fondues and the tasty tartiflettes.  But most of all, we love the mountains and everything they offer us.

Always to be respected, sometimes to be feared, forever to be supported, appreciated and loved - thanks to/for the mountains.