Gendarmes confirmed today (Saturday) that the body of a 60 year Briton was recovered yesterday after a mountain biking accident in the Chamonix valley on Friday.
The man, who was on a camping holiday with friends, was found by hikers early Friday afternoon and gave the alert to the Gendarmes. It seems the victim hired the bike the same morning and was on the Petit Balcon Nord in the Argentiere area when he somehow fell. The Petit Balcon Nord is a popular biking and walking route along the valley floor which is not considered technically that difficult.
Rescuers found the bike and then the victim, some distance away. The Gendarmes are waiting the results of a post mortem, but it is believed the man fell between 50 and 100m, hitting trees on the way down.
It seems there were no witnesses to the accident and the man was biking on his own. The rescue helicopter was scrambled yesterday afternoon to recuperate the body.
A friend of mine who runs a chalet company here in the valley has just signed the lease on a very nice place called Chalet Le Bechar. We managed to borrow a really good camera, complete with a wide angle lens (which makes all the difference with indoor photography), and came up with this set of images which we’re going to use on the website.
Does this look like a place you’d like to stay in?
Boss Des Bosses day has come round again. I’m starting to feel more of a part of these seasonal milestones now I’ve been here for a few years. This is only the 3rd time I’ve seen the event, but this year marks it’s 20th anniversary. For 20 years teams of seasonaires from all over the Alps have come to Chamonix to compete in a head to head moguls competition.
Last year Zermatt won. They won because they practiced and were also really good. Chamonix were second. Because they didn’t practice. But they were really good. So we’ll see. Either way, it’s sunny, there’s a BBQ & we’ve got a bag full of beer and wine to get through.
Tonight’s parties in Chamonix mark the beginning of the end of the season
After our visitors left at the weekend I had quite a few things on my to-do list. First was the cat. She had to go to the vet to get her rabies booster which is the last stage of getting her little kitty passport sorted out. She hates getting stuffed in her cat box and hates being in the van even more than that. Getting a rabies jab isn’t high on her fun list either. But that’s it now. She’s fully micro chipped and inoculated and she could legally travel to England without the need for quarantine.
But as it turns out, she’s staying with me for ever. I’ve discussed it with her first family, and the kids are happy with the arrangement except for their demand for a new Nintendo DS game as payment (they’re only kids I guess). That and the fact that they’re getting a new kitten and a dog to compensate. So Tia is mine now. I’m even going to get the details on her micro chip changed to me.
Next was sorting out my telemarking kit. It’s a goal of mine to start telemark skiing this winter. It’s thought by many to be the purest form of skiing, and also the most difficult. It’s like normal (alpine) skiing with 2 important differences.
Firstly the heel is not fixed to the ski. This leads to what’s called the telemark position, with the skis spread out and one knee dropped toward the snow. Secondly the skis do not release from your boots if you fall.
So I’ve sorted out my kit. I bought some second hand boots and bindings from a mate. I mounted the bindings on a pair of old Dynastar skis I was given for free last year. The boot liners needed re-molding to my feet and I needed to by a pair of knee protectors to stop me breaking my knee if the ski hits something at speed while the knee is dropped. In total I set myself up with all the kit for EUR 200. Not bad eh?
Now I’ve got to learn how to do it. I thought about getting a lesson to get started but then yesterday I found this website www.telemarktips.com. There are a few beginner videos on there which I reckon would be what the instructor would progress through so hell – I’m just going to get out there and learn it myself having watched all the videos.
By the end of this season I’d like to be able to do this:
This morning was the best morning’s work I’ve had for many months. The alarm went off and I was out of the shower and out of the door before 8:30am – almost like I’ve got a proper job! I was on my way to meet Mark from All Mountain Performance to drive down the valley to the Tecnica warehouse in Annecy. AMP is sponsored by Voelkl, Marker and Tecnica again this year and it was time to pick up the equipment. Skis, Boots, Bindings, Instructor uniforms, hoodies, T-Shirts and even a snowboard or two – it’s all free when you’ve got a great sponsorship deal like this.
The Tecnica warehouse was amazing – stuffed full of all the kind of equipment I find exciting these days – and the Voelkl marketing bods looked after us well. I’m so glad I went along.
So I’m pretty much sponsored by Voelkl this season. I’ve got a brand new pair of Voelkl Mantras (191 cm) with Marker Baron bindings to ski on, a new jacket, ski trousers etc – even a couple of decals for the side of my van, which is going to look well bling! In return for all this great gear I’m going to be a walking (or skiing) advert for Voelkl & make them look great in all the photos and films I take and make this year.
I’ve never skied on a brand new pair of skis before. They’ll be propped up against the wall in my living room for a few days while I admire them before I take them to the shop to get them drilled and the bindings mounted. What do a brand new pair of skis look like? They look fucking cool :)
I enjoyed my trip to the UK, catching up with lots of friends and spending some quality time with the folks. I’m glad to be back in Chamonix now though. It seems I’m back just in time for the arrival of winter. It was raining hard when I arrived in Geneva and the temperature dropped quickly while driving up into the Mont Blanc Massive. The clouds remained and yesterday it started to snow in the centre of town.
Waking up this morning, there’s a few inches of snow on the ground on the valley floor and plenty more than that up high. It’ll melt away of course, but some of the snow up high will stay and form a base layer which will slowly be built on as we get closer to mid-December when the lifts open and the ski season gets underway. It’s great to see Chamonix covered in snow. It looks so clean and perfect (for a short while). When it’s not winter here, I sometimes have trouble imagining what it’s like to have snow.
