the mountains
Skiing with world champions
I’m back at work today after a marathon 5 days in a row of proper skiing with my friend Phil. Starting off with a full day’s off piste on fat skis in good powder on Wednesday, we then toured up to the Argentiere hut on Thursday to get a bit of experience on skins. Friday [...]
The Nissan Outdoor Games Extreme Film winner
A few weeks ago a Nissan promotional team came to town and set up some big-screen TV’s in the square where they showcased the entries to the Nissan Outdoor Games Extreme film competition. The film competition features 5 teams composed of kayakers, mountain-bikers, rock climbers paragliders, skiers and BASE jumpers. Based on an original concept, [...]
Living in my ski gear
The last 2 days I are mostly been wearing ski gear. Or been asleep. I’ve been donning the banana yellow ski trousers and heading up the mountain first thing in the morning since Phil arrived and not needing to get changed till I go to bed. I fully intend to don them again tomorrow (though [...]
Which left is right?
When I’m out skiing I often hear people describe a route down the mountain using the term ’skiers left’ or ’skiers right’. Now to me it seems pretty obvious which way is left and which way is right. I often wondered why people bothered to use the extra word. I found out in the pub [...]
The gathering storm
Finally. After a long spell of high pressure, no new snow and warm temperatures. Finally the storm clouds are gathering and the skiers are looking up to the summits with baited breath waiting for the new snow.
World’s most extreme Kaffee Klatsch
Kaffee Klatch is a German word.
(KAH-fee klach): noun (from German Kaffee = coffee + Klatch = gossip): a casual gathering for coffee and conversation, usually accompanied by pastry.
Not here in Chamonix, though. Here the gossip and conversation is accompanied by hard-core skiing.
I skied with the Chamonix Girls today. Lisa, Ali, Genviere & Sarah. We skied [...]
New All Mountain Performance video
Now the pooter’s fixed I spent the day making the film I was trying to make on Sunday. It’s a much improved version of the All Mountain Performance promotional video. So much better. the editing, the sound, everything. It’s visually better too, with some newly learned techie tricks, but more importantly it has a better [...]
The Vallee Blanche with the Chalet Girls
Had a beautiful day on the Vallee Blanche yesterday. The dangers of the run do get built up a bit at times, and yesterday was purposely not death-on-a-stick skiing. It was just myself and the Chalet girls from Chalet La Lune, doing a quiet, sunny, safe lap of the punter route. Obviously we took all [...]
Cream Crackered
I’m been out skiing for a couple of days this weekend. It snowed towards the end of last week, so powder everywhere. Saturday was still cloudy on Grands Montets, but that means that fresh tracks are even more plentifully available than if the sun is shining. I found myself haring down a steep pitch somewhere [...]
Walking round, nutting Stuff
I was feeling the winter yesterday. As I sat at my desk rubbing my hands together to keep out the cold I realised suddenly that I was feeling a bit crap. Obviously that’s because I’ve been working far too much. I needed to unplug and go skiing, so that’s what I did this morning. It [...]
