Well the boarding in January was so good, that myself and Jimmy just had to go on another one! This time, to Chamonix. Accompanying us on this next venture was Chris, Psycho Pete (who I haven't seen for many years!) and Gaz. On the Sunday, Rob Savage met up with us for a few days for a bit of shreddin' before having to head home. The appartment wasn't as great, with small, cramped rooms and being self-catered, but what the hell...we were there to board, not lounge around!
Chamonix had a number of different resorts for us to check out, and whilst the snow conditions weren't that great, there were plenty of good blue and red runs to keep us occupied. Saying that, the Tuesday was something else entirely!! With the intention of gettin the cable car over past Mont Blanc and to Courmayeur in Italy, we ended up doing one of the most extreme days possible! Having got to the mid-way point on the cable car, we found out that the second part of the cable car ride was closed! Therefore, meaning we would waste time heading back. However, there was an alternative...taking the Vallee Blanche down! I hadn't really heard of it, myself, but Jim and the gang were going on about it and being an extreme route within the Alps. It's off-piste of course and dangerous due to the crevasses and glacier which leads down the valley. The start of the journey said it all; watching skiiers all roped together, wearing crampons and following a guide! Speaking to a few people as we headed down to the main part where we could clip in, many folk were giving us safety tips and advising to get a guide. Of course, we knew better! ;-)
And wow, the first part of the journey was fantastic, ploughing through deep, fresh powder...just perfect. The scenery was amazing too, heading through the mountains and valley of unspoilt snow and clear blue skies. Stunning! Some of the slopes were quite steer, and there were a number of cravasses to avoid, before seeing the amazing scale and sight of the glacier, glinting blue in the sun. After a dicey route to a cliff-side restaurant for lunch, we took an even more dicey traverse across almost bare rock where even the snow couldn't settle. Needless to say, one slip and it would have been game over! Eventually we made it onto the flat and the bottom of the valley. Just us and the clacking of rock falls to be heard. After a lengthy run, we made it to the end where the ice caves under the glacier were located, before a long ascent up too many steps to the cable car away from it all. What a journey...something we will always remember.
As well as the resorts of Chamonix, we also managed to get over to Verbier in Switzerland and Courmayeur (eventually) in Italy. A whiteout tained Verbier a little, but had some good runs, and in contrast the conditions in Courmayeur were great!
The Monkey Bar ended up getting out custom most nights, especially during happy hour and also had some great meals there. Still, one of the best was the massive steak up the road. Follow my lead next time, Chris and stay away from the lasagne! :-)
A great laugh with good company and some excellent boarding again. Just can't get enough of it! Roll on next season!
