The weather, typically for this season, has not been kind to us. Warm southerly Föhn winds have brought slushy snow conditions and large quantities of Saharan sand that have turned the slopes orange. So our grand plans to spend the spring ski touring have been thwarted. We have managed one small trip to the Leisse hut round the back of the Grande Motte in Tignes, where the Guardian greeted us with draught beers – most appreciated.
Otherwise, our skiing has been limited to days on the piste, or walking up beside the slopes of La Rosière on skins. We have even resorted to another attempt to cycle… on a lovely April day we packed the car and headed off to Ugine, to join the cycle path from there up to Annecy, around the lake, and back. It was a lovely day, much warmer than the trip in February, and we had a great lunch in the sun in the old town of Annecy. Disaster struck – again – just before the end of the cycle when Cate got another puncture: the third in just two cycle trips on the back wheel. At home we spent ages inspecting the inner tube (now the third!), the tyre (the second!) and the wheel, but still couldn’t find anything wrong. As we were checking the back wheel, we noticed the front deflating – another puncture. Then, when we had fixed both wheels we set off on another trip – planning to cycle to Aime along the cycle path in the valley… only for Cate to get yet another puncture, again on the back wheel. In desperation we have taken the bike to a local shop. Their expert opinion is that the inner tube must have been pinched by the tyre, as they could also find nothing wrong. So we will now have to wait until our return this summer for further test cycles.
When not skiing or fixing Cate’s bike, we have been making preparations for the sailing season and our crossing of the Atlantic. On bad weather days we have completed an online boat electronics course, so hopefully will be better prepared to troubleshoot future electrical problems on the boat. We have also booked the boat in for a rigging change in Spain in June, so will have a couple of months cruising coming up very shortly. Tomorrow we return to the UK and will be there for a week before we fly out to Sardinia and back to Merryn to start our summer sailing adventures.
