This season’s really shaping up well! Here’s come of our best photos of the winter so far:
30th November: The snow arrives in earnest and we go snowshoeing along the river.
..returning to a magical twilight at the chalet
The snow continues steadily – this is two days later, a lamppost in central Chamonix:
…and the day we’ve all been waiting for dawns bright and clear – opening day! Les Grands Montets, 5th December:
Wonderful views from the top of the Poubelle couloir…
…and from the base of the Grands Montets, a few days later, where the frost and snow looks like cherry blossom on the branches:
It’s not too long before the fun starts, though clearly our photo skills are a bit rusty!
and as you can see, the coverage is pretty good by December 10th above the midstations on the south side of the valley:
December 14th, sunrise. The snow is definitely moving down the sides of the valley
New Year brought rain and wildly fluctuating snow levels, but by January 4th, it’s thick and powdery even on the lower runs of Les Houches:
..and on the 5th we had the first perfect bluebird powder day at Flegere
Even better, we were in the right place at the right time for first tracks on the Floria lift, which opened at about midday:
Classic “sea of clouds” at Les Grands Montets:
Also in very good shape at the moment are the ice climbing conditions:
For years now, we’ve wanted to try parapenting, and a group of friends arriving when there was a good forecast was the perfect catalyst. We called Evolution 2 and asked them to book six of us in for tandem flights. We decided to go from the Plan de ‘lAiguille, which is the midstation of the Aiguille du Midi lift, as it meant those not flying could go to the top of the Midi instead.
I always forget that the Aigulle du Midi is one of France's biggest tourist attractions! We should have booked really. There were long lines as it was a gorgeous Saturday, but we'd allowed plenty of time, and before too long, we were up.
It was a dramatically beautiful day with clouds swirling around the Midi
You could feel a September freshness in the air, even with the sun, and there was a dusting of snow on the Blaitiere not too far above us
Some mental preparation as we watched people run, take off and float, incredibly, upwards.
Nick and I trussed up and ready to go.
Take-off!!! Run run run run!!!!!
What a fantastic feeling! There was no time to be scared, we just lifted up and then the sound of everyone cheering behind us faded instantly and was replaced with rushing wind. I was amazed at the speed and steep curves of the movement. I had been expecting a gentle float down rather than this exhilarating swooping motion.
To my surprise, we didn't head straight for the landing field, but began to move over the forest heading towards the Bossons glacier. Patric pointed out chamois leaping down through the trees, or lying in patches of myrtille bushes, and then we flew low over a spectacular waterfall which can only be seen from the air, turning just before the seracs of the Bossons glacier began.
He also pointed out the Pierre Pointue, where there's the remains of a chalet that used to be a resting place for 18th centrury Mont Blanc ascensionists - really interesting to see the last crumbling remains....
After everyone had formed a group, we headed out into the centre. Chamonix is laid out far far below
I got a bit worried while we were out in the middle of the valley, over the town, but Patric was very reassuring and told me exactly what he was doing all the time, and it wasn't long before I began to feel more confident. He let me try out the feeling of steering it with the handles, speeding up, slowing down and turning. It was amazing to look down and see the chalet, and then glance across to see Nick and Tigi floating close by
Paul and Caroline in front of Mont Blanc.
Just a few weeks ago, Caroline had set a world record as the first woman to land on top of Mont Blanc – she told us that the best thing about the day had been the wonderful time that she’d had doing the Tour du Mont Blanc with friends. There’s a video of it here.
Paul and Caroline come in to land.
Tim & Frank coming into view over the ridge
Paul & Patric touch down. They'd been doing some twirls in the air before landing which we did too - it was great fun! Like being on a giant waltzer with beautiful views and, instead of lights, the flashing colours of the sky and the wing.
The smiles say it all...
Caroline and Patric unbuckle a beaming Paul
Tigi and Paul celebrating
Tigi and Frank
Six happy parapenters, newly hooked!
I would recommend it 1000% to anyone visiting Chamonix – it was a truly wonderful experience and we all absolutely loved it. Thanks again to Evolution 2 Orane and Tim who organised everything, and especially to the pilots: Frank, Patric and Caroline whose enthusiasm and knowledge made the whole day really special. I’m already planning my next time – I’d like to try going from the Grands Montets around the Dru, which looks amazing. We often see them circling the summit when we’re at the Rochers des Mottets
Summer is in full swing at the chalet now – the garden is full of wildflowers, the geraniums are overflowing the windowboxes and lazy days in the hammock beckon. We’ve been spending some time in the mountains too:
Massive snowfalls over the last week have continued this season’s spectacular run, with a base of over three and a half metres at Les Grands Montets. We have well over a metre in the chalet garden! There was over 60 cm of fresh powder at Flegere and Brevent – here’s some photos.
While the Index was closed, we rode lovely powder around the lower lifts anyway…
Soft landings in bottomless powder at Brevent
Lovely snow and it cleared up in the afternoon…
…and back home – thick snow all the way down to the valley floor at Flegere
With the new snowfall being measured in metres, conditions are probably the best we have ever seen in Chamonix, with well over a metre in the chalet garden! We caught one of the first lifts to the top of the Grands Montets and were rewarded with enormous fields of powder…
That’s what I like to see!The Dru and Mont Blanc with our new powder skisReady to goIn the powder – it was thigh deep in places…Happy days!The top of the Bochard liftPowder below the BochardFinally, these were conditions the same day at Brevent, where WhiteDot Freeride were testing their skis – many thanks for their permission to show this fantastic photo!
We had the first big snow of the year last week, and the sun came out in the morning on a perfect day to reveal a white world! Here are some photos taken from the paths around the chalet.
Crab apples peeping through the snow in the morning:
The Aigiulle du Bochard:
Snow blanketing the larches, framing the Dru and the Aiguille Verte
Back at the chalet, with the sun scattering the snow from the branches
The sunshine has arrived in Chamonix and the flowers this year are the best we’ve had yet, with campanulas, clover, vetch and daisies springing up all around. We’ve added a new hammock stand for the summer which is a wonderful place to relax and watch the mountains. Here are some photos:
6 am on Good Friday 2008 brought the forecast snow – thick, light flakes have been dropping all day. 40 cm were already on the ground this afternoon and there’s no sign of it letting up for a while – the snow is due to continue for the next two days with an amazing 120cm forecast. Adding to the already excellent base, this should now see superb conditions right into April. There were huge grins on the faces of everyone arriving for Easter as the town gets into full swing for the holiday, which looks like being a memorable one for all!
We have one long weekend available in March – check out the special offer late availability deal if you want to grab some of these amazing conditions for yourself!
With sunny skies over Chamonix, we decided to treat ourselves to the Vallée Blanche on February 14th 2008! We went to the Association Internationale des Guides du Mont Blanc office on Rue des Moulins, as we’ve talked to them before and they’ve been very helpful. There, we met up with Neil Hitchings, who’s English but has lived here in Chamonix for over 25 years, and arranged to meet him at 8.30 a.m. at the Aiguille du Midi.
I was very happy to see that the arête (the steep ridge that leads down to the start of the Vallée Blanche) is fully equipped now with sturdy posts and two ropes. We roped up, and carefully descended the ridge. Two paths have now been equipped, which are both very well trodden in.
Once we’d gone a short way, Neil decided to take us down the steeper “Envers du Plan” route. Immediately, the scenery is spectacular, with the trail leading over snow bridges between aparrently bottomless crevasses.
The Petit Envers route had some nice patches where powder had accumulated
before rejoining the regular route below
It’s difficult to convey the majesty of the scenery – the scale is so vast that it defies photography. Probably the nearest to heli-skiing I’ll get this year!
