Wild flowers of Turkey

Lucky me! I got to go guiding in Turkish Delight land!

Here are just a few of the wild flowers of the stupendous Antalya region(Mediterranean)













Tulips are originally from Turkey, Louis XIV's ambassador brought them to France!

tiny spring flowers

Keep your eyes open, little sparkles are popping out everywhere!

Vinca major - Grande pervenche

Happy toxic weeds!

...and then it snowed...

yep, that is the pear tree, gonna ski under it this afternoon!

Who is living & dying in my pear tree?

Hungry silk worm attacking a bug!


Lady bug got caught too! See the silk on its belly?

The Verbier lifts have closed!

Put away the skis & into the garden! Yippeee!


Pear tree is bloomin' like never before!

Verbier last ski day

The pic-nic club!! Actually the snow was surprisingly good & fun to telemark in!

Tour Soleil

Started off in HOT weather from Realp (Andermatt)

Ended up in a deserted capana in the Tessin near All Aqua (Airolo)
Where we hung out during the white out & snow storm (1.5m fell in 4 days)!

Let me tell you about the wild men I found after the powder descent! Aiiayaayyaaa!

Adonis Vernalis

Really something to see this flower is a relic from before the ice ages that has managed to persist in a secluded spot of the Valais.

Schwytz Muotathal

Absolutely fantastic 2 days in remote central Switzerland, with turquoise blue finger lakes and snow covered mountains. A dream for hiking, biking, or just gaping at the views! Breathtaking!

Rando Col des Ecandies

Great walk up to the Col, but there was no candy at the top! Interesting place to contemplate the Trient Glacier, one of the Alps' glaciers that has changed drastically over the years.

Ski touring Les Hauderes

Fabulous discovery of a mountain with more crosses than can be remembered. A perfect place to go snowshoeing and find out more about local valley architecture.

Skinning Bourg St. Pierre - Cabane du Vélan

Most original river crossing I have ever encountered! As usual when there is bad weather in the Grand Saint Bernard area it is REALLY bad, and as usual it is bright sunny in Verbier!

Clean Swiss Mountains

Snowshoe Chutte du Bisse

Still more snow than I have ever seen! You can stand 2 meters above the bisse, just don't fall in please! What a fantastic winter!

Telemark in Bruson

Every now and then I manage to convince my space buddies to come for a telemark day of lunacy! They were on time once again for Spring maddness!
Some are more traditional...

Skinning Bruson

Another gorjus day in the Val de Bagnes!

Skinning Grand St. Bernard

Just a short skin over the top to have lunch in Italia! Ahhh, was definitely worth the pasta della mama, coffee & grappa!

Chutte du Bisse on snowshoes

Still so much sun & snow to play in!

Loosing heads in Verbier snowshoeing!

Yikes!!

Happy spring snowshoeing in Verbier

What a day! We made it up through the forest before the sun turned up the heat to melt all the fresh snow off the norwegian spruces. Absolutely lovely way to spend the morning!

Bruson Top Secret Run

Wow! Just a little windy at the top of Everest today...

Chinese Downhill in Bruson

Yahoooo! Fabulous day, after non-stop hiking up, and up, and up and up and up and up, we finally let loose and came back down!

Up to Verbier

In tropical heat we managed to find enough snow to snowshoe from Le Châble up to Verbier! Not only a major work-out, but a great day to work on our tans!
Fabulous fun in the sun.

Sunny Verbier

What a view! An easy stroll up from the center of Verbier to the majestic views of the Val de Bagnes.

Les Combins

Verbier's pride and joy - the Massif des Combins which culminates at the giddy glacial height of 4314 meters.
This is our equivalent of Chamonix's Mont Blanc & Zermatt's Matterhorn.

Snowshoeing in Kandersteg

Gorjus day! Gorjus powder! Gorjus pic-nic! Gorjus company! Gorjus mountains! Ahhhh, just gorjus!!!!
Hope you are playing too!

Premières traces en raquettes

La poudreuse était au rendez-vous! On était les seuls à s'aventurer à faire la trace dans les 40cm de neige fraiche tombée pendant la nuit! Youhouhou!
Une première pour moi avec mes raquettes aux pieds d'une fille de 12ans! Un succès!

Raquettes à neige sur Verbier

Une superbe matinée avec des traces d'écureuils, lièvres variables et chevreuils partout, combiné avec le chant d'une pie! Le paradis quoi!

Le Chable to Verbier

All the way up there??


Phew, made it!
Am amazed by the amount of snow, this is the first time in 10 years this has been possible!

Powderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

This is THE BEST!
Just got new skis & it keeps dumping! Yeeehaw!
Verbier's South slopes have twice the amount of snow they normally have.

Mother Nature

Winter has been harsh this year for the wild animals. Remains of a chamois which probably fell from a cliff above and was then eaten by the famished critters around. What a sight!

Happy Winter!

Snowshoe Bourg St. Pierre

Right near Italia we had to go check if the snow was falling and the gale winds keeping it all out of Verbier. And it was!
How did Napoleon get through here back in 1800?!

Posing Above Verbier

Sometimes group photos are the hardest to take. hihihihi!
A short but super fun morning.
The sun was shining in Verbier, even though it was snowing everywhere else in Switzerland!

Fresh tracks!

Wonderful week-end with hoar-frost crystals to keep us company in Bruson!

Verbier

Wow! Paradise!
Why do people go to Canada?!?!

Snowflakes in Verbier

What an amazzzzzing winter we are having!!!!

CONTEST - WIN A CHERRIES WALKS OUTING

Guess where this foto was taken before January 30th 2009!
Hint: Val de Bagnes area, on November 24th.

La Garde

Beautiful little summit with tons of animal activity to observe in the fresh snow!

Pimp My Ride

Thanks to Graphitek I now have a CherriesWalks vehicle! Yeeehawwww!

Champex Lac

A beautiful day between the trees & the fresh snowflakes in Champex Lac!