Dave and Sara’s Excellent 2018 Adventure

Another Day, Some More Powder

By Dave and Sara on Monday, February 19, 2018

Last night, we went out to Le Petit Coq so that we could share with our friends all of the wonderful attributes of cheese. We had some wonderful raclette and fondue with a few liters of wine.

After filling up on cheese, Sara, Jeff, and Dave spent our last day with our guide, Fabio, that came over from Chamonix. After taking the funicular up we skied as fast as we could to make it over to the Punta Indren which is above Alagna.

This goes to the highest point of the Monterosa Ski Resort that is lift accessible. At the top of the Gondola, we put our climbing harnesses which we thought was for skiing on the glacier. We were wrong… We skied across the traverse, and hit the first of many side stepping portions which were quite exhausting. Once we got to the top, we arrived at our first open bowl area which had some relatively nice powder. We skied down a bit and hit another traverse. After side stepping to the top of the second traverse here, we realized what the harnesses were for.

There was a very steep very tight chute that we were going to rappel down in our skis.

The way this works is you ski down and clip on to the rope. Then skiing backwards the guide slowly lowered us down in to the chute. It was one of the gnarliest things I have ever done. The photo below does not give any justice to how steep this was.

Once we got down to the bottom of the chute we got to a wide open bowl of untracked powder.

It was a bit crunchy below but was great skiing. After getting to the bottom, we took a long traverse that also included a rope portion where we had to slowly lower ourselves through an icy chute in the woods.

This part was a hiking trail along a pretty stream and waterfall that had frozen over. After the hiking trail we joined up with a road that took us to a very small hamlet that had a parking lot and a pommel horse. We took the pommel up and then skied down the valley through backyards, across foot bridges and at least one little park. Once we arrive in Alagna, it was 2pm. We left the house at 8am and we basically did one run. With our legs shot, we needed to hurry back up the mountain to not get trapped in Alagna. It is a 6 hour drive from Alagna to Champoluc so rather than break for lunch we grabbed the gondola out of town. Once we got to the top of the Bettaforca, we finally stopped for lunch at 3pm. It was a such an amazing time. Here’s our wrap photo.

Karen had a lovely day at the spa and Nate and Christine hit the piste runs. Tonight we are laying low in the cabin and Jeff is cooking us a delicious smelling polenta and mushroom dinner.

Champoluc

Le Petit Coq

By Dave and Sara on Sunday, February 18, 2018

Last night Christine and Nate got in around 11 after a few complications at Linate airport. We had a light dinner of bread, meats and cheeses and then shared the sweets we brought over from Chamonix.

This morning we woke up to a beautiful view of the mountains.

We met up with Fabio, our guide from Chamonix at 8:30. He’s from this area and used to guide here so offered to come over and guide us here. Fabio is the mayor of Champoluc, everyone knows him here. After grabbing a coffee at the bar and saying goodbye to Karen the six of us headed up the gondola.

We took a few lifts up and arrived to the ridge line between the valley we are staying in and the next valley over. Fabio led us through the off piste, it hasn’t snowed here in a while so the conditions were a little tricky. By the time we made it to the other side of the second valley it was lunch and we stopped at a great place with an amazing view of the Monte Rosa. After lunch we split up and Sara, Dave, Nate, Jeff and Fabio did another off piste run headed back to Champoluc. We came through this crazy couloir/gully that was beautiful and at the end we had to walk across an old avalanche path.

That’s Nate putting his board on after waking across the debris. It was so cool!

This resort, like everywhere we’ve been so far, is expansive. From lunch back to the base area we’re staying at took 3 hours. By the time we rolled into town it was time for Spritz and we met up with Karen and Christine at the bar next to our apartment. We settled with Fabio that tomorrow we’ll head all the way into Alagna, the third valley over to the east from here where it’s a little higher and hopefully the snow is a little softer. Tuesday we’re taking the day off from skiing to explore the region and Wednesday we and Jeff are going to go heliskiing . The route will take us back up to the Klien Matterhorn in Switzerland, down through Cervinia and finally back into Monte Rosa. It’s very exciting and we are all hoping for good weather.

Tonight we walked a little ways out of town to a restaurant called Le Petit Coq so we could experience fondue and raclette the Italian way. It was super fun and super delicious. The brisk walk back into town was much appreciated after our Italian-cheese fest.

Champoluc

Cin-cin!

By Dave and Sara on Saturday, February 17, 2018

Crossed into Italy today and guess who we ran into!?! This week we are so excited that Christine, Nate, Jeff and Karen are here with us, it’s going to be super awesome.

Left Chamonix early this morning where it was still raining. We were happy to exit the tunnel on the Italian side where it was snowing at a pretty good clip. It hovered around freezing most of the day in the valley but on the hill it was probably colder so we are hoping for a great day tomorrow!

Champoluc isn’t quite as big as Chamonix or Zermatt but it is very charming. Today we grabbed lunch at a nice bar right next door to the apartment we are renting. The location is perfect- walking distance to the base lift and grocery store, bars and restaurants. Definitely a great home base for our shenanigans!

This evening we went out to grab firewood and saw the start of nighttime randonee. Hats off to those dudes! We’ll catch you at the after party at the finish line.

Also in case you were wondering, we included a map of Val d’Aosta so you don’t have to go and google it yourself 🙂

Here’s another rainy, snowy travel video. This one is of our drive from Chamonix across the tunnel, into Aosta and arrival in Champoluc.

The sky was a little dreary today but the region is really beautiful (so many castles!) hopefully we get some sunny days.

Chamonix

Last Day in Chamonix

By Dave and Sara on Friday, February 16, 2018

So our day started somewhat no great today. We woke up and it was still raining. We packed up and headed off to Grand Montets hoping to ski our last day here. When we got there, we learned that the gondola was broken and the Tram had a queue over 2 hours long. We decided that it wasn’t worth it to wait. The other resorts are much lower and with the rain limit at 2000m, they would all be getting rain instead of snow. Therefore, we headed back to the condo. Instead of skiing, we decided to go to the sports center to run. After our run, we came back for a quiet lunch at the house of bread and of course cheese.

After lunch, we headed out to explore the town one last time.

Chamonix, it’s been grand. Until next time.

Chamonix

Rain Rain Go Away

By Dave and Sara on Thursday, February 15, 2018

Today we one up to a fairly steady rain in town. We knew it was snowing pretty good at elevation so we made our way over to Grand Montets. When we arrived, the high tram was closed due to heavy snow and wind. We took one trip up the gondola and skied down. The snow conditions were good but the visibility was terrible due to heavy snow. If it was our first powder day, we probably would have kept skiing but we didn’t feel like we needed to push it. Therefore, we headed back to the apartment. To lay low for the afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow we get some better weather.

Chamonix

Photos from our Ski Guide Yesterday

By David on Wednesday, February 14, 2018

After such an epic day yesterday, our legs were pretty tired today. We headed over to Grand Montets, again, where the reservations for the high tram were full (yes they have reservations). We decided to wait in-line (on-line?) for our first run. After about 25 minutes, we boarded the tram and headed up. The snow was still quite good but pretty chopped up. We were able to find some goods hidden and still had some fresh tracks. On the way down, we were able to find a location to put the sticker for Jake. We are thinking of him the whole time we are here. In the background of the photo is the Glacier d’Argentiere

After making our way down, we took the Gondola on the frontside back up. The frontside is a bit lower and much more chopped up. Dave did find a small 4 foot cliff to jump off which he did successfully. The highlight of our day will be our Valentine’s Day dinner at Hameau Albert 1er which is a 2 Michelin Star restaurant. Although, we won’t have any money left after, we are looking forwards to it.

As promised below are the photos from our ski guide yesterday (unedited). You can click on the photos and enter full screen.

Note: Leave us a comment if this works. The internet is really slow so it is hard to tell if it is working.

Chamonix

Cross-Country Skiing

By Dave and Sara on Tuesday, February 13, 2018

After skiing yesterday afternoon we met up with Fabio, our guide for today at a bar near our rental for a quick drink and to make plans. We decided that with Chamonix being quite crowded (it’s a school holiday this week for a lot of Europe) our best bet for finding more untracked powder would be to head to Courmayeur first thing in the morning and then to ski back into France from the Italian side of the Vallee Blanche.

How convincing was Fabio’s description of the skiing Valhalla that is Courmayeur? So convincing that Sara actually agreed to board a bus at 8:30 in the morning to cross into Italy through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Yep, a bus.

Our plan decided, Dave and Fabio rushed across the street to purchase tickets for the bus. The lady at the ticket counter made it quite clear we were to bring our passports with us. “No passport, no travel.” Dually noted. Skiing with our passports, definitely a first.

After saying goodbye for the evening to Fabio we went out for an early dinner at the Le Monchu, a restaurant specializing in mountain food near our hotel. Mmm, more cheese. Also, the local wine grape is called Mondeuse and it’s delicious. With an early morning border crossing bus ride in our future, we went to bed early.

This morning dawned clear with the sun casting a pink hue on the snow covered mountains. No clouds and no wind. In other words, the beginning of a perfect day for skiing. (And bus riding) After a solid breakfast we met Fabio at the same bar, downed an espresso and boarded our bus for the 30 minute ride through the tunnel into Italy.

The Mont Blanc tunnel is pretty cool. It is 11.5 kilometers long and goes from Chamonix to Courmayeur. You ski on top of it and the tram parking lot on the Italian side is literally right next to the tunnel exit.

We plan to go back to the town when we get to Aosta but for today all we saw was the parking lot and the hill. (A note to anyone planning to ski Mont Blanc. Your MB Unlimited pass is valid for Courmayer but you must stop at the ticket counter in Italy and get it activated before riding the lifts). We took the first tram up, switched to a lift, then a 70’s era gondola, then to a tiny antique tram and then to an even more anitque peak to peak tram. We noticed the same thing in Zermatt that the higher you go, the older the trams get. That last one today seriously was museum quality. Finally at our destination after one bus and 5 rides I must admit I was doubting our decision a little bit. After a tricky traverse and many warning signs I was beginnging to doubt it even more, especially when Fabio started side stepping down the backside of the traverse into what looked like a giant coulier. Another traverse, this time on the north facing slope and then we saw it. A giant, wide open untracked bowl of fresh powder. Fabio looks at us, grins and says “Stay 3 meters apart and have fun. See you at the bottom.” And that was only the first part! We skied at least 3 of these amazingly delicious bowls all in row, making our way down eventually into some really fun tree skiing and finally to the track along the creek. Sara began to ask herself; Is Courmayeur really ski heaven and was this our Italian ski angel? Does riding a bus always lead to these amazing experiences? Who knows but then the day got even better! Just at the point when the run out and poling became tiring, Fabio turned to us and says well it’s about lunch time and if you want to go to this one place they will come and get us with a snow machine and give us a tow back to the restaurant. How could we say no to an Italian lunch that starts with a ride behind a snow machine? Clearly we could not.

So glad we opted for the free tow, it was a very long run-out from where we stopped. After a lovely lunch on the Italian snow beach with an insane view of the Mont Blanc, we headed back towards the base area to catch the Skyway Tram back towards France across Helbronner Pass.

The Skyway tram is by far the newest tram we’ve been on and it’s very fancy. It’s circular and rotates 360 degrees as it climbs, which, with the steep terrain is a little dizzying. Terrible construction idea.

But the views at the top were pretty breathtaking.

At the summit of the Skyway we put on our harnesses and Fabio tied a climbing rope called a sling to each of our harnesses and carabiner clipped to our jacket collars. He said it was for easier crevass rescue. Umm…yes, sign me up for the easiest method of crevass rescue please. We headed out onto the lookout terace and then down a few flights of metal stairs marked with really scary signage about immiment danger and then climbed over multiple closed gates (apparently optional) until we got to the end of the staircase and handed Fabio down our skis so we could make the last few meters on a rebar ladder stuck into the side of the rock supporting the Skyway terminal. Queue the happy skier sounds, we had arrived at the famed Vallee Blanche, a ski route that goes over high alpine glaciers and eventually back down to Chamonix. Directly in front of us was the Aiguille du Midi which is the more common beginning to the route. This also means that while the route across from us was already tracked out even one day after a big snowfall, our route was still quite pristine and we had lots of fresh, untracked powder, again to play around in. (Thanks Fabio!) Even with all the crazy signage, the skiing itself wasn’t that technical today, the snow was amazing and it’s not that steep. There are however giant pieces of glacier jutting out of the snow everywhere which, while arrestingly beautiful, reminded us that skiing a requires thoughtfulness and care. The route is 22 kilometers long and we had the place pretty much to ourselves for the first half. After joining up with the run-out for a bit, Fabio took us to the far side and into this crazy glacier-ice luge. It was one of the most amazing, coolest, unforgettable experiences we’ve ever had. Skiing these narrow chutes, at times taking our skis off and walking between 20 foot tall ice walls and ice arches, was something we’ll never forget.

Towards the end of the Vallee Blanche there is a staircase that takes skiers up to a short tram and then the cog train. 30 years ago, skiers could exit the glacier directly to the tram. Now there are literally hundreds of stairs that have been continually lengthened as the glacier retreats at an unexpectedly rapid rate. It’s a dramatic real life example of climate change for sure.

At the bottom of the valley we took our skis off, attached them to our backpacks and hiked straight up a steep hillside for about 15 minutes. It didn’t take that long but after a long day of skiing, it was really hard. After the hike we put our skis back on for the long cat track back to Chamonix. We arrived back at the base in Chamonix a little before 5 and walked back to our rental, saying thank you and so long for now to Fabio, our intrepid guide for one of the most amazing days we’ve ever had on two planks.

Editors Note: We skied two runs today and our legs are completely destroyed. Also, at least Dave’s upper body is destroyed from all of the poling that was involved. If you were to do this every day, you would be in such good shape! Our guide took a ton of photos for us. We will add them as soon as we get them.

Chamonix

Powder Days

By Dave and Sara on Monday, February 12, 2018

Last night we were able to decrease our number of grocery store runs. This is good because most everything was closed because it was Sunday. After enjoying a glass of wine next to some folks from Michigan, we headed home and Sara made a great penne pasta with smoked salmon and romanesco. It was delicious.

This morning we took the leftovers and made it into a fritatta. The perfect fuel for our day to come. It snowed most of the night and we decided to head out to Grand Montets earlier today. We were on the Base Tram before 8:30. The visibility remained poor but the conditions were amazing. There was knee deep to waist deep powder. That early in the morning we were able to get two runs on the mid mountain gondola that were basically untracked. The day prior, we made a reservation for the high mountain Tram at 11:05. We thought most of the snow would be tracked out but we were wrong. Nearly the whole run we were able to get fresh tracks. Following our first team ride we made another reservation for an hour later and grabbed some lunch. During lunch the sun came out and our second run on the tram was also amazing. Light fluffy powder. Unfortunately the GoPro died before the second tram ride but below are a few shots of our day today.

We’re having some technical issues getting video up which is a bummer because we took some sweet ones. Hoping to get them posted tomorrow. Until then here are some nice shots of Aiguille du Midi from when the weather cleared today in town.

Chamonix

Great Mountain, Bad Visibility

By Dave and Sara on Sunday, February 11, 2018

Not much to post today. The highlight of the day was getting the washing machine to work. We had so much laundry and it is great to get it all clean. Having a place with a kitchen means that we have been trying to eat in. Last night we made some Salmon and Romanesco. It was great to eat something fairly plain.

This morning we headed over to Grand Montets to ski. It is about 15 minutes outside of town and came highly recomended from the Davidsons. When we arrived, it was snowing pretty good. The conditions were great but the visibility was not. When you are in the clouds, it is snowing, and there are no trees, it is impossible to determine what is up and down. Undeterred, we skied a few runs from almost the top, but decided not to go all the way up because it was just too hard to see. We skied for about 3 or 4 hours and decided that it was getting too hard to see. The takeaways from our first day here in Chamonix is that the snow is fantastic and the mountain is really fun. They are expecting to get about 30 cm tonight so conditions should be fantastic tomorrow. We have a reservation to take the highest tram at Grand Montets tomorrow. Hopefully we will get some great photos/video of the good conditions for our loyal followers. Tonight we are going to make some pasta with leftover romanesco. Yum!

Chamonix

The Road Less Traveled

By David on Saturday, February 10, 2018

Today we took the long, scenic trip from Verbier to Chamonix. Normally this would be a 45 minutes to 1 hour drive via Martigny but this being the mountains, Mother Nature had other plans for us. A week or so before we left a huge mudslide took out the road and it’s closed until Spring. Dave posted on the Chamonix Facebook page asking for alternative routes so that we could avoid going all the way down to Geneva and a very nice person gave us the backroad way via Portes du Soliel and Cluses. Yesterday when we checked google maps, the app recommended that we go over into Italy and back through the Mont Blanc tunnel but since we are travelers with no set time limits we opted for the longer and what we hoped to be more scenic route through France.

It did not disappoint. Sweet little Alpine villages nestled into valleys along the Rhône River between dramatic peaks and snow covered larch forests, the road took us through the Haute Savoie region of France up over the Pas de Morgins.

On the way we stopped in Cluses, by far the largest town we drove through, at a giant Carrefour to load up on essentials and get a French SIM card. So far we’ve found it very easy and relatively inexpensive to get a local number and (at least some) data.

After leaving Cluses we joined one of the main highways for about 30 minutes before turning off for thr Mont Blanc Tunnel/Chamonix/Milan/Turin exit. We immediately started to climb again, passing though smaller tunnels, past frozen sheer rock faces and over waterfalls.

We arrived in Chamonix around 2, dropped our bags and groceries and went out to grab some lunch and check out the town. This time we are staying in an apartment with a kitchen and washing machine. It’s very centrally located to the Aiguille du Midi cable car and the center of town.

This town is very cute and it is full of hardcore mountain people. People who are strolling around with their touring skis, harnesses, climbing ropes and crampons like it’s just their regular thing they do on Saturday.

We had lunch at a pizza place called Restaurant Le Boccalatte with great people watching, the food was just ok. After lunch we walked up to the Main Street which has a store from every possible outdoor company you could imagine and lots of charcuterie shops. We stopped by a second grocery store to grab a few small extra items for the apartment then we headed back to the place to rest and do laundry.

We decided that we wanted to hire a guide for Tuesday after looking at the snow forecast and when the guide that was recommended to us by our guide in Zermatt was unavailable we went back into town to the Bureau of Guides to book one. Second trip, still early and still interesting.

Our French is non existent so it’s no surprise there was at least one misstep during the grocery store outing. Coming back to do laundry we realized that we had purchased fabric softener instead of detergent. Ooops…back into town for the correct bottle that could face our dirty ski clothes. This trip clearly cutting into our happy hour time was not as enjoyable.

This evening we cooked a dairy free dinner, attempted to do laundry and watched French Olympics coverage. Tomorrow will be our first day skiing in France.