I’m grinning ear to ear and I can hear Steve laughing out loud ahead of me. We’re skiing the Vallee Blanche, it’s my first time, and I’m loving it. The winter is just getting better and better with everything building up to this moment where I am making fresh tracks in knee deep powder, weaving between bottomless crevasses, and not another soul in sight.
Ski touring in Chamonix is mandatory and not having a touring set up limits not just where you can go but who wants to ski with you. It might sound strange but I now fully appreciate where this comes from. The phrase ski touring was completely unknown to me just a few years ago. I remember watching from ski lifts, people slogging their way up mountains, completely unable to grasp why they wouldn’t just get on the lift and save themselves some trouble. Now, however, I am a total convert, with my eyes opened to not just the health benefits but the scope that getting yourself up a mountain provides.
“You know, I’ve not brought a beginner class over here before”. Mike, our instructor, smiles, shrugs his shoulders, and is suddenly off down a red run. 3 days into me learning to ski in Chamonix and things have suddenly got a little steeper.
A basic strength, stability & mobility workout for trail running | posted on June 2, 2016
Living the Dream – Moving to Chamonix | posted on May 9, 2014
Climbing the Frendo Spur – A very civilised affair | posted on June 26, 2015
Trying (and failing) to run the Haute Route | posted on September 16, 2018
Switzerland, Winter Conditions and Climbing the Dufourspitze | posted on August 17, 2014
Running for the joy of running at the Cortina Trail | posted on June 28, 2017