Snowboarding - What's that? - Boarding in Les Houches Park

Today was park day!

Having skied from the age of 4, I had never really considered the alternative art of snowboarding. Why have one plank when you can have to? Why do we have two arms and two legs, why are two heads better than one? Contrary to popular belief – 2 is the magic number, (three is also good Mr Bob Dorough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU4pyiB-kq0, but that was back in 1973 - times have changed)

Les Houches Ski Area - more info in at Chamonet

In any case I couldn’t see the appeal, until now. My skier readers right now are probably cursing and swearing at the computer screens, but hear me out and blame Jase. Having spent a couple of the not too good snow days on his old board, I developed a strange taste in my mouth, as if someone had poisoned my water, what was it? The left over whisky from last nights’ session, or, the wee in my water pack from that pant sniffing yeti? No, it was a taste of the dark side, and it had got a hold of my soul. Having grappled with the dark lord of board for a number of days, I ended up in the Les Houches park on my new tray- the Bataleon Disaster. I got it for half price! (apologies to my friends and family for the shame I have brought upon you.) The park is nice and gentle and wicked for any beginners wanting to learn to pop 3's and get your grinds down...

The Bataleon Disater has a buttery biscuit base

I found it pretty awesome... managed to pull off some nice grabs and a magic 360... don’t ask me how, but I was told that it was claimable. That board is unbelievably flexable, easy to butter, and the triple base technology (may stand for - Buttery Biscuit Base technology) makes it really hard to catch an edge. It's also lighter than a hydrogenic explosion. BOOM!

 It’s not all fun and games though... when you stack, you do it hard. As I sat on the side of the park, in pain, hoping that nothing was broken, I could sense the eyes on me, looking in amusement and the contagious pain that must have accompanied a vocal "ooooh" at the site of my landing. Then, as I ran through working order of head, shoulders, knees and toes,  I realised my ears still worked, wow, I could hear something, was someone asking if I was ok? No no no. It was the increasingly familiar growing laughter of French teens floating over on the chairlift above. Flashback! I'm 13, and I've forgotten my trainers for P.E., I could not skip it, it was not allowed, besides which, I would have wanted too anyway, so my teacher who'm I shaln't name (you know who you are..) told me that she had found a little something in the lost property that I could use. Phew! I will be able to play after all! Then, they appeared - Ahhh yes I remember them well, the white roundness, the shabby velcro straps, and, oh yes the beautifuly embroidered pink flowers... I never could forget those shoes, or the tears running down my cheeks as I endured the hours of mockery from friends and foes alike.

Relative of the unwanted shoe

Check out this little video of one of my more painful moments in the park, it'll cheer you up if you've had a bad day!  Classy fall number 1

In all, I think that you need to give the other sport a go. See what goes on in the heads of the other riders... I have a boarder mate, who has just taken up skiing and loves it! Let’s celebrate these mountains in every extreme way possible and shake each others hand for doing so... although douches on chair lifts... no shakes for you....

Riding back-country - Aguille du Midi and La Vallée Blanche

It was morning and the sun was rising, one eye creaked open as thoughts of the pant sniffing yeti popped into my mind, I haven't heard from him in a few days... I wonder if he's okay. In any case it was no Yeti, it was Jase reminding me of the promise, that today was Aiguille du Midi day.

Our mate Ryan from Vancouver with whom I'd previously done a sweet route over in Le Tour had said he wanted to ski down the back of the Aguille du Midi (3842m) and so we had agreed on the next clear day, that we would go.

So the team assembled: outside the Hostel. FYI hostels are a great way to meet loads of folks, some totally weird, odd and weird again, but many are nice, and often you will have things in common. Sweet!

 Riders of the day.

Getting up the Aguille du Midi is a bit of thrill, even if you're not going to ski, you get an adrenaline rush, and one hell of a view. It is expensive though, around 40Euros for a trip up... but it is an experience. On the upside if you have the Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass you get up for free.

Aiguille du Midi

If you are going to ski, beware! Make sure you have all the right kit, there are crevasses and it can get pretty hairy....


In my book the essential Kit List:
Transceiver,
Probe,
Shovel,
Harness,
Rope,
Spare pair of pants


 The walk to get down the back is pretty sketchy and steep. I didn't manage to get any shots from the walking ridge decent, mainly due to the fact that I was on my arse for the majority of the way down... My advice would be to definitely strap your skis to your bag, and hope for the best, it's about 3ft wide, and steep... with crevasses off either side. It's a true Buzz, and definately worth it!

The Ridge Descent

After a roughly 75m walk across the ridge, you are finally able to gear up. Make sure you have good gloves, by the time my fingers started to warm up, they were stinging like a bee on crack.

Once you catch your breath, the view is amazing! We carried on down, and were lucky enough to have some tracked routes to show us the way, still with some sweet powder left to play in. Be warned there are massive crevasses here, so you need to be really wary of where you are going! Fortunately Ryan had done the route before and planned it out on his techie GPS watch the previous night...

Ridge Trekkers

The powder was thigh high, and after Jase and I took a wrong turn we left the rest of the group to meet up in the Mer de Glace, take a look at the at our rough routes down.

La Vallee Blanche

After meeting in the bowl where the 2 routes join, we proceeded to traverse across La Vallée Blanche. Be warned get your board/ski's waxed, mine were not.. and it's a good way to push. (Boarders you may want to consider taking some poles.) After a little treck, you carry on down the route, and eventually come out on the slopes of Les Planards. If your like Jase you'll crash into some metal barriers on the way, but you should end up there eventually....

At the end of it all, the day was epic, the scenery magnificent, and the next routes spotted... what more can you ask for?

The Crew Rides Midi

                                   Photos courtesy of Ryan the Rydog rider... (located pic above.)

Off-Piste in Le Tour - Chamonix

So here I am sitting in the little village of Peuty in what I presume, by the colour of the flags, is Switzerland. I have entrusted my life into the hands of a Canadian Guy that I met in the Hostel last night. I don't often do this, but a promise to get out in the back-country is one that can't be missed.

Now I understand that this may sound a little like the start of a Brokeback Mountain storyline, but I had been previously assured that he is married, and is an experienced backcountry venturer... take that how you will.

So, as we approached Le Tour I found that me and my new mate had a lot in common. He liked to ski, and so did I (what more could you need for an sweet day out in the valley?), and as he hailed from Whistler, an epicly epic home to some infamous ranges, I could sense that today I was in for an adventure.

Left - The trek up the Le Tour Ridge, Above - View of the"Les Herbagéres" valley

After a roughly 20 minute bus journey to Le Tour we set up the Gondola and first chair. Having spotted a few passes that looked quite nice to the right (we had seen some avalanches around that area the previous week so check it out properly before riding out) we decided to take a look around the back. After a half hour trek up the ridge from the "Col de Balme, Trient, Switzerland" (for gmaps), we spotted a sweet route down. Not too tracked and the snow was still fresh. It was a good 45/50 degree decent over the back which let us sail down into the Swiss valley. (From google maps I think it's called "Les Herbagéres").  Take a look at the map link - note; this is only a rough guide... http://goo.gl/maps/MlYWA



After a good 4.5/5 km ski over some nice bowling terrain, and then later into a small valley (not advisable on fresh or heavy snow) we arrived in the village. A little flat skiing and we were at the local bus stop. 7.50€ back to Vallorcine (which is at the bottom of Le Tour). Note that this leaves at 12.30 so you would need to get on it early... Remember check the weather conditions and be safe when doing off-piste, plus go with someone who's experienced!

My next post will have some of the essential kit and some reviews of the stuff that i use. I'll also include some shops/stores that you can get it from here in Chamonix, just in case you don't have time to get it from home. 

On another note, just done my first review for Snow and Rock! So keep your eyes peeled!

The trade - Chamshare and working for food!

So yesterday I volunteered to help paint someone's house. My legs were killing from skiing and I though a good deed may lead to a free home cooked meal.

I was left to merrily mask away the windows in the porch, but could not help but notice the feeling of being watched. Was it the pant sniffing yeti? No, it couldn't be, I had my deadly encounters with him last night, at the hours of 2, 2.30, 4 and 5am. So what was it I wondered? In any case I carried on with my porch inspired masterpiece, and began to whistle away.

Gizmo

What was that! A scraping of nails on wood slowly got louder and louder, until a creak of the front door alerted me that this was no peeping Tom. I heard the faint howl of a horrifying night wolf to realise that a dog, similar to Gizmo from The Gremlins was watching me. Intrigued by the tunes of fighting fire with fire in whistle fashion, I am sure that the beast's, (known as "Peanuts") head rotated 360°. For fear of being buried for a later snack i slowly closed the front door and continued with the painting at hand.

Peanut Lookalikey

 In any case, the owner returned, I was rescued, the painting was completed and a hearty meal of pizza given in return. Seasoning can work if your here on a budget, and don't mind spending an hour or two working after a snow day.

A good site to use if you are looking for trades, buys and sales in Chamonix is Chamsocial. This is an absolute gem that will allow you right into the heart of Chamonix life. It contains items for sale, events, competitions, work, it's brilliant! Make sure to remove yourself from the emails otherwise you'll get 100 or so everyday.

As for getting home after helping out, at any location after 7.30, it's crud. If you can get back before then, great. However if the buses are finished, and the only way home is to walk, it can be a little bit too much. Fortunately the French seem very 'offay' with Hitch Hiking, if you just keep going for it and don't be disheartened you will finally get a lift. I think it deserves a whole post on tips, so keep your eyes peeled for some good advice!

The Great Escape!

So it's happened!

The job's packed in and the adventure begins. Myself and a friend are off to Chamonix for the season! Although i often think if ourselves as Tango and Cash i'm afraid that this blog and my unfortunate lack of coppy know how may tend to put us more in the light of Shaggy and Scooby doo, the accident prone duo, destined for awkward circumstance. So bare with me, i'm sure it will get better.

 The aim of this blog is to hopefully give you some helpful a-z tips on how to do your ski season cheap and cheerfully... learning from my many many mistakes... and also to give you some light entertainment in the process.

Chamonix Sights and Sounds - Frenching up Fenton

So it was mine and Jason's first night in Chamonix...

After getting supplies from la Petite Casino, mainly consisting of pasta (1€ 50) eggs x 12 (3€) and beer 26 x 250cl (13€ 50) we headed up to a nice little burger place called Poco Loco. They do good food, and not to bad a beer either. (On a side note: I have recently found 20 (stubby) beers for 4 Euros 71, from La Petit Casino by the name of "Kellegen" ).

As we wandered back to our hostel blissfully unaware of the chaos yet to unfold, I thought to myself, why would anyone want to work in London when this mountain valley walk could be your day to day walk to work, the peas to your pod, the bacon to your butty if you will?

As we approached the main road into Chamonix the faint screams of a mad man running down the road did not seem to phase many of the bystanders, but as he got closer and I could see the whites of his eyes, hear the hoarseness of his French accented yell, smell the fresh lasagne eminating from a local restaurant, I could tell he was fixated on something.

At first I thought that this man just had just spotted his long lost love, when i saw the panting tongue and large ears I wasn't that impressed with his choice, but soon came to realise that it was a very suprised deer.

It turned out that it was in fact the pet husky who followed hanging from the deer's hooves was actually the culprit. The man-dog-deer chasing continued for a number of minutes, until at last the breathless man, with a great bound, managed to mount his husky with a very audible growl. The deer appeared unscathed, and seemingly proud of himself, which is more that can be said for the frenchman, who had given a good 15 cars some great entertainment, and it was with a happy smile that I continued  the evening, having witnessed my very own version of "Fenton dans l'Alps".


For those of you who have missed out on the Fenton action - Please see below :)

On another note though on things to do, there is a good amount of things to do in Chamonix:

• Indoor Climbing and Bouldering - http://escalade.chamonixsport.com/index.php?rub=39 - i'll be checking this place out soon, so keep posted for a good review.
• Ice skating - Indoor, outdoor, and I think there are some natural lakes over in Agentiere that you can skate on too. I'll find out and post up.http://www.chamonix.com/patinoire-du-centre-sportif-richard-bozon,sports-facilities,48-3132-sitraLOI321540,en.html. The rates are pretty good, and i think if you have an unlimited ski pass for upto 3 weeks you get in free!
• Swimming, handball, five aside football, and a state of the art gym, where i've heard Kimi Räikkönen trains.

I'll be ticking these off the review list, so i can hopefully give you some good tips when you get here!

The hostel - Chamoniard Volant

So the hostel Chamoniard Volant. This hostel was one of the reasons we ended up in Chamonix, at 15€ a night we thought we couldn't go too wrong.

It's actually not too bad, but the quiet dingy corridor and entrance has a sort of Adams family feel to it, fortunately more so in the ridiculously comical fashion...

Jase and I are staying in the 18 bed dorm which is probably not the most comfortable, but it will do. Once you get over the noises of the night, like that yeti that always seems to sniff my dirty pants bag when I'm trying to sleep, and the gentle chorus of morning alarm clocks repeatedly being snoozed by their tired yeti sniffed owners.

My advice, definitely bring earplugs. But practise using them at home, I put one in somewhere, and haven't found it yet!

In any case, the HOstel is about a 9minute walk to the centre of town, there is a bus stop at the end of the road, with the number 1 bus, which will take you right to the end resorts - Le Tour (25mins) and Les Houches (25mins). So it's not bad really. Note though, that if you are in the big room, bring an adapater and extension cable, there is only one plug!

http://www.chamoniard.com/
http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/france/chamonix/25248/8/
(note: their are also 4, 6 and 8 bed rooms - costing upto 20 Euros a night/person. If you stay longer than 5 nights i think it comes down to 18.50 Euros.)