Back in Araches, but still pining for Mario!

1/ A delicious curry with David and Georgina in Les Carroz.
Forget the date - something wrong with their camera!!

Somehow, we actually managed to make it back to Araches after our long day of ski touring in Italy, shower, shave and change into clean clothes in time to join Lucy Sellick's sister (Georgina) and husband, David, for a casual curry dinner. G&D have rented an apartment in Les Carroz, just up the hill from us. Sans les enfants, they have enjoyed a tremendous week of good snow and glorious sunshine.

We must have been running on over-drive! Limbs aching and noses glowing from 3 days of snow & sunshine, we wolfed down Dave's delicious curry. G&D must have wondered "who" or rather "what creatures" they had invited to dinner!

As the night wore on, there was some vague plan hatched over the second bottle of wine about catching up for a ski with G&D around mid-morning in Les Carroz. At the time we must have felt invincible to make this suggestion. I certainly must have forgotten all about the grinding ache in my knees, blisters on my feet and a general light-headedness from too much the sun. Of course, that's what did it...too much sun!

Needless to say that by daybreak next morning, our grand plans of the night before had evaporated, leaving only the aforementioned sore knees, feet and heads! Not only that, but my feet were so badly blistered I couldn't put on normal shoes, let alone ski boots! We feel a little badly that we didn't get more of an opportunity to ski with G & D. We hope they will forgive us!!

So our day was spent with the usual domestics and a very early night. But all through the day we reminisced about our trip to the Mario Bezzi Refuge. Here's some more reflections on the trip!

2/ How cool! Mario Bezzi has his own monogrammed crockery!!
The funniest thing is that, Mario, does, actually look a bit like a marmot!

Christophe our Guide

Christophe is an excellent guide. He pushes us just enough to make us feel that we have achieved something without taking us beyond our limits. He is very safety conscious and explains why he is making a particular decision at a particular time. He is keen to share information with us but even more admirably he readily seeks out information from others he respects. His interaction with the Mario Bezzi, an old man of the mountains, was delightful.

He has a wicked sense of humour and the patience of a saint. Apart from having to nurse me up some of the more exposed parts of the mountain, he was also forced to listen to my tortured attempts at the French language. I figured, since we were going to be spending 3 days in close quarters, I had a perfect French tutor on hand.

However, Christophe quickly developed two very effective techniques to encourage silence from me. First, if my attempt at french conversation was getting too long, he would subtly increase the pace of skinning, slowly pulling further and further away from me. To keep up, I would have to markedly increase my leg speed, by which time I was huffing and puffing so much there was no chance of any further witty repartee.

His second technique was a lot less subtle. As I struggled to find the correct words or pronounciation he would initially feign interest and then suddenly drop his head making loud snoring noises. Hint taken!!

3/ A Christophe speciality: Crushed Crisps for lunch?

Another Christophe classic, was his choice of touring food. He had endless supply of pototo crips and would offer them to us at every opportunity. Take it from us, pototo crisps are not ideal ski touring food!! OK, I will concede that they're light, but if the packet doesn't burst from the reduced air pressure, the contents resemble oatmeal by the time they have been shoved repeatedly into a pack.

And the very last observation about our fearless leader, Christophe, is his habit of donating head torches to Refuges throughout the alps. At the Colle di Giasson, he was rummaging through his pack to discover that yet again he had left his head torch at Refuge Mario Bezzi. I am not completely sure about the exact translation, but I did understand that over the years, he has left 36 head torches at various refuges and mountain bivvies around the alps. He used to be sponsored by Petzl which covered the first 20 or so, but obviously (given the level of swear words) the "freebie days" are long gone!!

But all jokes and observations aside, we would seriously rate Christophe as a guide. He has a "nose for the snow" and we've thoroughly enjoyed our touring with him on this trip and also our first trip closer to home. We have been lucky to have found him as our guide.

4/ Our handsome guide - Christophe!!

Refugio Mario Bezzi - Day 3

1/ Atop Truc Blanc -3405m

It was a sad farewell to Mario and his magical Refugio this morning but his delicious food and comfortable beds have revitalised us. The temptation to stay just one more day is almost overwhelming. But Christophe has another trip booked for tomorrow and must return to Les Carroz. C'est la vie!

Despite "day 3 legs" and a heavier pack, it turned out to be a better day on the hill for me. I conquered a many of my initial fears and postively zoomed up the icy slopes this morning. No "cup of adrenaline" for morning tea this time. Although the weather forecast is hinting at some bad weather on its way, today it's another pefect sunny day for the run home.

It was my turn to summit a little peak. Now don't get excited.... it was 55 m smaller than Graeme's Pointe Bassac Sud and I could skin up the southern face of my peak - Truc Blanc (3405m). But even better, I could ski down her sunny face in corn snow to the Col below where Graeme awaited us. After his supreme exertions yesterday, I fully understood why he decided to sit this climb out.

The views from the top, like Graeme's yesterdays, were breathtaking. Looking South-west over another huge bowl called the Gran Paradiso the ski touring is endless and can be linked by travelling from Refuge to Refuge through the mountain passes. Just incredible!

We had reached Truc Blanc by mid-morning and so, it was decided to make a start on our long descent back to the valley floor rather than to hang out at the Col where a cold breeze was blowing. Along the way, our trusty Christophe sniffed out all the nicest pockets of powder.

3/ Lunch and admiring our tracks

3/ On Colle di Giasson (3154m). "My" peak is above my head in this photo. Graeme's peak is to the extreme right of the photo and in the background!

The run home was truly amazing. While there had been some heli-skiing activity in this valley a few days previously, there was still plenty of lines to be had in the frost dried powder. Whoohoo! Check out the film footage - the 3 video clips of skiing in this valley are at the end of all the photos.

And to top off a perfect day, our last task was a fun ski down through the conveniently spaced spruce forest to the valley floor. From there it was a flat skin along the road back to the car. This was truly the longest skin we had done in 3 days...at least it seemed that way. I could see the dam wall, where Christophe's car was parked, but like a mirage - it just kept moving further & further away with every step that took!

But finally, we made it to the car, and to a gorgeous little hillside hotel for a congratulatory beer and then home via the Mont Blanc tunnel. I am sure that the drive home was as equally exciting as the journey here, but I couldn't tell....I was asleep!

4/ Skiing the trees, for the final leg home.

Refugio Mario Bezzi - Day 2

1/ Setting off early morning. Only the 3 old German blokes ahead of us.

Today I found my personal limits!

An easy climb for our guide Christophe and Graeme - that I found very difficult. The route to Pointe Bassac Sud - 3460m involved steep skinning on hard snow.

Unfortunately, my fear of "slipping" let me down and I made slow progress up the peak. Even despite the extra "bite" of my new ski crampons, I found that I really lost my nerve, especially when we were transversing a very steep slope with a cliff below. Try as might, I could not get the vision of me sliding uncontrollably down the slope and over the rocks!!

2/A break at a flat spot on way to Pointe Bassac Sud

To add insult to injury, I was ashamed to find myself being passed by the nimble 69 year old Mario, who was out for his daily run. He had started over an hour behind us after doing some cleaning and food preparation at the refuge. No fear of slipping from this this mountain goat, he strode past me without even breaking a sweat. Typical.... he wanted first tracks!!

But despite all the doom in my head, it was another perfect day. Bright sunshine and a gentle northerly breeze. The boys burnt me off at about 3200m and continued up the ice and rock scramble to the summit of Bassac Sud on foot. I was pleased to see that Christophe put a rope on Graeme as they climbed together, although with Graeme at 6'4" and Christophe considerably smaller, I did rather wonder what Christophe would do if my surefooted hubby did actually trip? I guess it's a moot point as both boys had no problems. Graeme managed the last 200m climb with ease! He is my hero!!

In the meantime I dug myself into the snow and passed the time watching the aerobatic antics of a big Eagle and a small group of Choughas who really wanted to eat the bread that I had left for them, but were too shy to land while I was there. I really like these Chougha's. They are excellent pilots. To me, it seems that they are really just flying about for pleasure, using the wind currents to lift and float them above the mountains.

2/ Graeme atop Pointe Bassac Sud - 3460m. Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the background

No sooner than the boys returned to pick me up and we had our skis on for the run down the hill. Christoph wanted to make sure the sun wasn't going to ruin the pockets of shaded powder that he had spied on the way up. Poor Graeme barely had time to catch his breath before we were hurtling down the mountain back to the refuge.

Graeme skied like a champion. He must have been exhausted but he linked turn after turn. In contrast, I skied dreadfully. After a day of adrenaline pumping through my system, my legs were like jelly and were no longer taking instructions from the brain above! In the end, I gave up trying to be stylish and opted for the "speed is best" approach. "Point 'em" down the hill and get down asap! After all, I had the incentive of a hot shower and a delicious 4 course Italian feast awaiting me!!

Well at least that's what I thought. But Graeme and Christoph wanted to practice our rope skills. The sun's last rays had left the refuge by this stage and we had to practice our crevasse rescue in the chill of the early evening. Nothing like freezing to death to add a bit of "realism" to the practice session. Did I mention that hot shower and big feed? That was all I could think about towards the end. Christoph must have also been thinking similarly. I could have kissed him when he suggested we take the rope inside and practice some more knots over a glass of Italian red!! What a guide!

After another delicious Italian feast, Graeme and I were so tired we literally collapsed into our beds, to dream about the next day!

4/ Thawing out inside and practicing some knots. Christoph & I

Refugio Mario Bezzi - Day One - Part 2

1/ A racoon (Christophe), Rudolf the Reindeer (Andy) & chinese bloke (Graeme) enjoy a wine with The "Mario Bezzi!"

Named after the charming old man who has been the guardian of this refuge for nearly 40 years - Mario Bezzi, this refuge is a true European Alps experience. Originally built for the Italian Army, it is now leased by Mario and provides walkers, skiers and climbers with an outstanding level of comfort in the high mountains from Mid March to Mid October. This place has showers, toilets, bedrooms with linen and the most delicious italian food you could ever wish for.

But what really makes this place, is the crusty old mountain man and host - Mario. He does not speak a word of English but speaks French fluently. He takes time to talk with all his guests over dinner each night. He is a font of knowledge about the mountains and in particular his own little valley and peaks. Christophe is very respectful and he spends a lot of time talking with Mario about snow conditions and our proposed touring route.

Mario is very interested to learn that we are from NZ and even more so when he finds out that Graeme is a telemark skier. With Christophe interpreting for us, he explains that telemark skiing is the "birth of skiing". He respectfully bows to Graeme and drops his knee to imitate a telemark turn. I think we may have made a good impression!

2/ The Bar Area in the Dining Room

Imagine after a hard day ski touring sitting down to a beautifully prepared meal, a bucket of minestrone brimming with vegetables, another huge bowl of pasta, a meat course ( we had veal scallopine with fresh green haricot beans on the first night), cheese platter and then chocolate mousse for dessert. I was feeling a little bit of a fraud eating so much on the first night as we had only skinned for 5 hours or so along the flat valley.

Did we also mention the lovely Italian wine too! Oh, I am in heaven!!

Mario and his friend ( who is 78 years of age!!) are on their own here to clean the refuge and prepare all the meals. Totally amazing!

3/"Est-ce tu peut haricot, Andy?" "Oui, Merci!!"

We are sharing the Refugio with only 2 other parties. So much for the crowds! There are only 10 of us here. And Christophe and I are the youngest! There is a group of 4 swiss ski tourers and another group of very senior German men. I particularly enjoyed talking with one of the swiss guys who had been to NZ. Given the Swiss lake of coastline, he predictably loved the Bay of Islands and the Abel Tasman Track.

No-one lingers much after dinner. Ski-touring is hard work and everyone will be up for breakfast at 7am and away into the mountains by 8am. We are much relieved that we are not making this trip in April as the usual morning starts at 5am or 6am to avoid avalanche danger in the late afternoon. Graeme and I are more your "latte-style ski tourers!!"

Just as we are about to turn out the light, we gazed out our bedroom window to see Mario's special friend. It's a mountain fox who comes every evening around 8:30pm to the kitchen door. After years of receiving a guaranteed feed he is tame enough to take food directly from Mario's hand. But he is still very shy of anyone else and will quickly vanish if someone else tries to feed him or take a picture. Mario had explained to Christophe, that this fox always seems to know that the Refuge opens in Mid March. He manages to survive on slim pickings for the majority of the winter, only to be spoilt for choice when Mario arrives in March.

With thoughts of foxes with thick winter coats and endless bowls of pasta we drifted off to sleep!

4/ Tucked up in our cosy little room for a terrific night's sleep!

Refugio Mario Bezzi - Day One - Part 1

I have a strong feeling that our ski touring trip to Refugio Mario Bezzi will be a highlight of our European skiing holiday. There was not a cloud in the sky when we set off this morning and the forecast looks good for the next few days. We are headed to the Italian side of the French Alps, basically out the back of the famous french resort of Val d'Isere.

As usual the most terrifying part of the journey is the car travel. Christof noticed yesterday that I spent most of my time in the backseat with my eyes shut tight. Christof is quite multi-talented! Not only is he a mountain guide, but he can also drive a Landrover Defender at rally speeds down a mountain, while talking on his mobile phone, searching for a CD to play from the overhead visor, changing gears and pointing out all the relevant mountain peaks and couloirs we pass! Meanwhile in the back seat, I am grabbing for the "Oh Jesus Bar" and praying to whoever might be the patron saint preventing car accidents! This morning, Christof asked "Tu est fatigue?" My answer - "Non, merci. Je suis desole, mai, j'ai peur!" Christof: - "C'est etrange? On n'est pas dans la montagne encore?" But kindly, Christof took the hint and slowed to what he later termed a "grand-mere vitesse" and I could allow the blood to flow once more into my knuckles!!

Thanks to the handy Mont Blanc Tunnel we are in Italy in 25 minutes from Araches. Basically heading down the Aosta valley, we turned north west up a valley to Valgrisenche (45° 38′ 0″ N, 7° 4′ 0″ E ). At the end of the valley is a deserted dam. This is where we parked the car and began our climb into the Mario Bezzi Refuge.

The Dam wall is really just a historic relic - it no longer holds back any water. Ever since the Vajont dam disaster in 1963 when a landslide caused a tidal wave to wash over a dam wall, killing 2000 people, high alpine dams, which can be vulnerable to landslides or avalanches, have been banned throughout Europe. Someone might like to mention this to the Clyde & Alexandra residents???

1/ Looking north to the main French Alps with the defunct Valgrisenche Dam in the foreground.

While, Christof has been to this area a few times, it is only the second time with clients. Most clients don't like the long flat walk up the valley into the hut - about 3 hours. We didn't mind at all. The weather was truly magnificent and the valley vistas - amazing. Huge icefalls clinging to the valley walls, historic villages, and the only the steady rhythm of our skis sliding on the snow to break the silence.

For the first time in the European Alps, we were alone!

2/ The incredible valley views! Check out that icefall!!

3/Lunch on a roof - interesting!!

Lunch was enjoyed sitting on the roof of a summer residence now buried in snow and abandoned for the winter. The sun was deliciously warm and it was hard to resist the temptation to take a quick kip in the sunshine.

But we had another 2 hours of ski touring to go to climb up to the Refuge at 2284m. It was around 4pm when we reached the Refuge. OMG!! I had seen pictures on the internet of this place but I really had no idea what it was going to be like.

4/ The "Mario Bezzi Refugio"

Read on Part 2 for more pictures of the Refugio.

Vallee Blanche - Part 1

An early start this morning, with our french guide, Christof picking us up at Le Refuge at 7.30am for our first ski tour adventure of the week - The Vallee Blanche.

Along the way we picked up the perennially young Stewart Poon. Stewart, is a former guest of Te Wanaka Lodge and a regular visitor to Wanaka for heliskiing each year. We had met up with Stewart in Hong Kong, on our way to Europe. He went out of his way to show us a special day in his buzzing home town. He is such a delightful man and we thoroughly enjoy his company.

Stewart had been heliskiing with friends in Italy the week previously and he had organised to meet us in Chamonix before continuing his heli-ski extravaganza in Switzerland. He confessed to us that he had already skiied the Vallee Blanche 2 days before, from the Italian side, as part of his heliskiing trip. But he was happy to go again with us.

We had asked Christof if we could do some ski touring and see a bit more of the Glace de Mer, rather than merely skiing the traditional route down the glacier. Stewart, although a very strong skier, had never used skins or touring skis before, so it was a new experience for him. Unlike his first trip, we left from Chamonix on the hair-raising telepherique to the Aiguille du Midi (3812m) and walked down the infamous snow arret. This part of the trip is probably best described by http://www.pistehors.com/ :

"Before you put your skis on, there is the famous arête from the cable car
station which needs to be negotiated. Judging by the number of deaths this is
probably the most dangerous section of the route, especially for those who will
follow the voie normale. People fall off this ridge and die each and every year.
On one side you basically end up somewhere near Chamonix 2000 meters below.
Although both faces have been skied it is around 40 degrees pitch so once you
slide it is goodnight Vienna."

1/ The busy "VB" Arret!

But to be honest, it was not that bad. Even for me, who really hates tracks with big exposures. Compared to the conditions when we visited the Aiguille du Midi on Christmas Eve, a good track had been cut into the north face of the arret and roped on both sides. Travelling down this route was much easier. There was only one breathtaking cliff on your left, rather than on both sides when you climb down on the ridge line. We were also ensconsced in a big queue of people who, like us were off to enjoy their Vallee Blanche adventure.

There is no question that the scenery on the Vallee Blanche is breathtaking! But the number of people is quite daunting. And today was a quiet day, according to both Christof and Stewart! The Vallee Blanche is not the solitary mountain experience that we usually enjoy when ski touring at Mt Cook - that's for sure!

Stewart coped well for his first time on touring skis! We joked that he had now begun his mountaineering career!! He responded, that at 60' something years of age he may have left his run a bit late!! But he did say that he enjoyed being able to have a good look around. With heliskiing, the mountain scenery tends to pass by in a blur of speed!

2/ Stewart the "mountaineer!"

Our itinery took us to the southern edge of the glacier rim for a lunch stop on the Col d'Entreves at 3527m. We were spoiled with a cloudless sky but more importantly there was no wind - a rare event at this altitude. You could see the Matterhorn to the east and the Courmayeur Ski Resort stretched out far below us.

3/ A little Choagh waiting for lunch!!

A flock of the pretty little Choagh watched and waited for the humans to depart their high altitude home. Through experience they have learnt that humans are messy eaters and there is sure to be plenty of crumbs and leftovers to enjoy. What a contrast to our our bolshy NZ Kea's whose general modus operandii is to take a daring swoop at a sandwich or launch an attack on an unprotected ruck sack!

After lunch, with no other person behind or in front of us, we began our long run home down the Glace de Mer! Christof even found us some pockets of nice powder in which to leave our tracks. No mean feat as it has not snowed in Chamonix for nearly 10 days now.

For the run home...see Part 2!!

4/ Looking back up the Glace de Mer to Aiguille du Midi

Vallee Blanche - Part 3

1/ Stewart very happy that he can "ski to Chamonix". (Or so he thought!)

And finally, by late afternoon, we had just about filled our memory cards and were heading to the end of the glacier. There are many things about the Vallee Blanche that are not included in the glossy marketing brochures! But one of the things that unfit skiers must find daunting is the climb out of the Glace de Mer at the end of the trip.

Before "global warming", the glacier was much higher and skiers could just bounce out of the glacier, over a ridge and then ski down through the forest to Chamonix on the valley floor. Alternatively they could take the chairlift up to the Montenver Furnicular railway and catch a train back to the village. Now the glacier has shrunk so much, it is a steep 40 minute climb up an unformed track to reach the ridge or the chairlift and train station.

For those skiers who have already found the day already extremely challenging, this climb, carrying their skis, would almost break them. Certainly I passed two girls sobbing quietly as they hauled themselves up the icy track on wobbly legs. Graeme was also convinced that the man gasping for air in front of him, was going to collapse of heart failure!

Stewart, while a fit older man (his age is rarely revealed- suffice to say he is well more than another decade older than Graeme), did not enjoy this climb the first time he did it, 2 days ago. Somehow on the way down the glacier, Christof's comments about "skiing to Chamonix" were lost in translation. Stewart thought that Christof had an alternative route that meant he did not have to make this horrendous climb again!!

2/ The fairly challenging climb out from the Glace de Mer

Alas, this was not the case. I have another photo of Stewart which I've refrained from publishing. Stewart's joyful demeanour evaporated when Christof revealed that the climb was still necessary. Seeing the look of sheer horror on Stewart's face, Christof was, however, kind enough to carry his skis for him.

3/ All is forgiven about the expression "Ski to Chamonix" - Christof, Stewart & I.

In the true French tradition, a bouvette, selling beers and soft drinks awaited us on the ridge as we completed the climb. With breathtaking views to the mountains and back up the glacier, it was an ideal place to stop and rest in the warm late afternoon sun.

Only the ski down to Chamonix remained. This of course was another challenge, as the snow was thin or non existant in places. Narrow turns at high speed and the ability to take hairpin corners, steeply banked with scraped snow were essential skills! Somehow we all managed to make it down in one piece!

4/ The fairly "agricultural" run home!!

It was a challenging end to a spectacular day and we'd like to think that even Stewart enjoyed his second Vallee Blanche expedition in 3 days. Although he did admit that he might have a quiet day in Chamonix tomorrow. I wish we could say the same! We're off to Italy with Christof for 3 days ski touring! Phew!!

Vallee Blanche - Part 2

1/ No, do not adjust your computer - they are not flying saucers!

The truly amazing thing about the Vallee Blanche is the amount of infrastructure. Two huge cable cars deliver skiers, climbers and tourists to both sides of the mountain (Italy and France). A furnicular railway and a chairlift meets you at the bottom. And strung between the two sides of the glacier is another cable car. It's incredible!

Because the capsules of the cable car traversing the glacier are so high, you don't see the cable. They look like UFO's hovering in the sky! The engineering required for all these mechanical wonders is truly unbelievable!!

2/ Admiring our tracks - the furthest left.

Christof has a good nose for the snow! Even though the glacier was riddled with thousands of ski tracks he managed to find a couple of patches of old powder snow where we could leave our own mark. We didn't let him down. 4 nice sets of parallel tracks!!

Our route took us down the far skier's right of the glacier, avoiding the traditional route and crowds of people. It is not a popular route as there are some very steep sections where the risk of injury from a fall is increased by some big crevasses waiting at the bottom of the slope! Christof, the master of understatement, suggested that this was not a good place to fall! He said something about "Bon nuit, Vienna!"

3/ Christof, our funny french guide - a master of the understatement!!

It was a long trip down the glacier! So many photo opportunities! It was difficult not to stop every five minutes to take a picture. We kept thinking how lucky we were with the weather!!

4/ Looking down the glacier