Trail running and tree skiing

When I grow up, I want to ski like Hannah

Conditions in the Alps left a little to be desired for most of February and March. For the meteorologists: a lingering high pressure system gave glorious blue skies and mellow temperatures – but no snow. For those of you who are experimenting with a life across the pond: you can keep your powder, skiing is better without it anyway … honest.

That has meant a tilt towards running to try and keep the burger weight off. The sun has been excellent for opening up trails along the bottom of the valley. A new (masochistic) pastime is sprint efforts up to the 250m of vertical to the Chalet de la Floria. In summer la Floria is a beautiful little buvette that serves up a mean blueberry tart. In winter there are no blueberry tarts, but the views across to Mont Blanc are still epic. The strength of euphoria at a new best time up there is matched only by the strength of frustration when your fancy pants GPS watch fails to capture it.

The morals of this story: avoid ski school kids and you do not need a working thumb to hold a pint glass.

The pistes are still delivering on recreational skiing. The latest imports from Blighty, Messrs Fish (strange name, strange chap) and Tus, rocked up at the start of March with a mandate to: A) give their other halves some peace and quiet; and B) return intact. Part B lasted all of 4 hours before a run-in with a vicious French six year old and a “serious” thumb injury. The Fish now has a medical note exempting him from work (and housework) for 6 weeks. All is well that ends well.

If you want hardcore skiing it is still out there, but you have to work for it. A February trip to the Val Ferret – just south of the Mont Blanc (or Monte Bianco) tunnel – paid off with some stellar touring in the sun, not to mention river crossings and perfectly cooked polenta. And a more recent trip took advantage of the return of winter for espressos and tree skiing in Courmayeur: there’s nothing like the threat of a sudden aboreal stop* to make sure you have your powder wits about you…

And then there is Switzerland. Oh glorious Switzerland. Not only do they have some truly magnificent touring, but they are also home to Orangina Haribo, an endurance fuel that rivals even Percy Pigs. A week’s touring in the Valais served up an opportunity to work on winter travel fundamentals, from route finding to crevasse rescues. It also up every condition imaginable. Heavy crust gave way to blizzards which in turn laid the foundations for three days of perfect sunshine and powder. Thankfully, it was the latter that coincided with an expedition to the Grand St Bernard pass to explore some local peaks and enjoy the hospitality of the resident monks.

Spring conditions look to be some of the best that the Alps have seen in recent years (several fingers were crossed as I typed this). This bodes well for the next lot of visitors and my next round of adventures: bring on crampons and ice axes!