Back in the Tarentaise, and there is more than a hint of Spring in the air. We’ve been delighted to be joined by our friends Gary and Kristine for a few days, and also slightly surprised to find that Gary had brought along an uninvited guest – Basil the Brussel sprout! If that sounds strange, I’m afraid the accompanying pictures (and even the cameo appearance on the video) will do nothing to clear things up.
Our first few days back on the slopes saw unseasonably mild weather, worsened by a Southerly foehn wind that also deposited Saharan sands across the slopes. Apart from the bizarre appearance of red ski slopes, it also made skiing challenging, with slush on a hard, sometimes icy, base. Kris even changed her skis to try and find something a bit more forgiving.
Unfortunately Kris had to return home after just a few days with us, but Gary stayed on. The weather conditions started to improve, and Gary and Jono took the opportunity to try a day tour around Mont Roup – a classic touring route in Val d’Isère. Starting from the Borsat chair we traversed under the lee of Pointe de la Sand, before ascending on skins to Mont Roup. Stunning scenery and some good early skiing, before we again encountered slush on the lower slopes – this time dense and forcing a cautious descent with kick turns and traverses. All good practice, as they say.
Gary and I have known each other for over twenty years, having met in the Antarctic back in 1998, when we were both working for the British Antarctic Survey. Gary’s job was to maintain the steel structure of the base. In the cold winter months this was often a two-man job, and I often found myself inadvertently “volunteering” to help. Gary took a selfie of the two of us on the Mont Roup tour – the picture reminded me of those Antarctic days, and I’ve included an older “selfie” from back then – you can see we have not aged at all!
Emboldened by the improving weather, we decided on a second tour, this time with Cate, and this time to the Refuge de la Leisse, round the “back” of the Grande Motte, and in beautiful wild mountain scenery. I took a short video of the day, and Gary brought along his new “friend” – as the pictures show!
On Saturday we said goodbye to Gary (although he has just moved to La Rosière for another week skiing with a friend, so we may see him again this week), and on Sunday said hello to my brother and nephew, Richard and Chris. We have had some great piste skiing with them up in Val d’Isère and Tignes, along with some lovely lunches. Cate and I could not resist one more tour: back to the Refuge de la Leisse, but this time to stay overnight (brrr, was it cold!), and use the extra time to skin up to the Col de Pierre Blanche. Once again, we enjoyed fantastic scenery, and for the whole of the trip we seemed to be the only ones on the mountain. Perhaps that was explained by the skiing – tricky breakable crust for the descent!
Another great blog as always. Thank you for your fantastic hospitality and look forward to next year when I can hopefully ski for longer. Love the video and hope that Gary’s venting whilst touring didn’t cause you too much hanging around! X
Thank you! It was lovely to see you both and to ski with you. Definitely stay longer next year.
Xx
What a fab day! Great fun, great scenery with great friends and looking forward to the next one. Xx