Patrouille des Glaciers 2010

Bravo à tout le monde qui a le courage de se lancer à skis dans cette épreuve!

Les Follatères

I feel a little snow blind from being at altitude, so have opted to go biking for the day! Awesome ride up to Champex d'Allesse above Martigny on a nice little road. After a picnic in the sun we rode/walked our bikes down to the wine growing village of Fully. The flora is stupendous in this protected region at the edge of the Rhone River. The orchids are comming up fiercely, but the most amazing thing is the flora from Asia that has survived the glaciations & rising of the Alpes. We traversed through the only holly forest of Switzerland, and perhaps of the North of the Alpes. A fascinating area worth discovering

Monte Rosa 4000ers

Well evidently doing my 1st 4000 meter peak in Europe was not enough, I had to go back! We ended up in Italy again as the Swiss huts were all booked up with people training for the epic patrouille des glaciers race from Zermatt to Verbier.
From the lifts in Gressoney we had a pleasant walk up to the cabane. After a surprisingly super comfortable night at 3455 meters in the Rifugio Mantova we set out in the wind to climb to the top of the Piramide Vincenz (4213m) at 7 a.m. Then we hopped over to the Christ Roi on the Balmenhorn (4161m)overlooking the Lyskamm at 4532m. We managed a short picnic break out of the wind and set off for the Punta Parrot (4433m). What a magical accomplishment! Never really imagined I could possibly be on top of these mountains which I have admired many a time from Zermatt & the top of Mont Fort in Verbier!

Gran Paradiso

What a beautiful expedition to 4061 meters! We spent the night in the Rifugio Vittore Emanuele II and took off the next day at 6 a.m. to reach the top of the highest mountain 100% in Italy! Absolutely fantastic powder all the way down to the valley floor. What luck! It was amazing!

Spring Skiing Verbier

Do we look like the Völk Green Babe Team, or what?

Little green girls & cars! Spring is invading!! It is green & flowery in the valleys meanwhile the mountain tops are still covered in beautiful snow! Definitely worth getting up for before it gets too hot by mid day.

Birthday outing

What a spot for a birthday pic nic, complete with dyed easter eggs & champagne! AND...fresh powder descent! Yahhhhooooo!

Rosablanche powder!

Fantastic skin up to the Rosablanche after the best powder run off Mont Fort! Yeeehaw!