Pierra Menta - Day 1

The first day of the Pierra Menta turned out to be more interesting than either Nate or I wanted. A smoldering virus ruined Nate's day and I, of course, had to watch the carnage unfold while my own aspirations of some sort of decent performance vanished.

Click to read more ...

Back to Italia - Chamonix day 8

Yep. That's the Matterhorn.I had another early morning rendezvous with my French friends and headed back to Italy for a traverse of Becca d'Epicoune. It's a popular peak on the other side of the valley from my first Italian objective last week. We were able to drive and then skin past some dairy farms on a nice road until we were in the alpine and headed straight for the peak.

Click to read more ...

Plum Factory Tour - Chamonix Day 6

The 7+ hour beat down tours with my new friends provide me a nice excuse for a rest day and a chance to do other things. I brought unmounted Hagan X-Race skis with me for the Pierra Menta with the intentions of having them mounted during a visit to Plum. That finally happened.

Click to read more ...

Mt. Fallare - Chamonix (Italy, again) Day 5

The view from the summit of Mt. FallareI guess the guys thought I was handy enough to have around to bury myself putting in boot packs that they invited me back for another trip through the tunnel to check out another cool summit, this time above Courmayeur. Mt. Fallare is a popular hiking destination in the summer with a nice Euro-style hut not far from the base.

Click to read more ...

Becca di Luseney - Chamonix (Italy, actually) day 3

Jean and Roman spying our objective, the pyramid on the skyline.When I started thinking about things to ski when I got to Chamonix, a list of classics came to mind. But little did I know that the first locals I would meet would be more interested in skiing out-of-the-way objectives in Italy. Jean, Fred and Roman all favor the less crowded side of Mt. Blanc and are keen on long days and high adventure. I was game.

Click to read more ...