Col du Cristaux

Col du Cristaux is in the far left cornerI came to Chamonix 3 weeks ago with a calm mind and no firm objectives. Over the years I’ve learned that the quickest way to a humbling beatdown is to show up at a new area with all guns blazing. Sure, the truly gifted and unfathomably talented (think Alex Honnold climbing anywhere in the world) can get away with it but most of us need to wade in from the shallow end.

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The Chamonix Dream

The first time I became aware of the European Alps I was 14 years old. I was backpacking through the North Cascades on a 3 week Outward Bound style course. My first mentor, Miles Becker, would often wax poetic about the range, comparing the Cascades to the Alps. He shared tales of alpine daring by the likes of Louis Lachenal, Lionel Terray and other famous climbers of the modern era. I was captivated by their antics in the mountains surrounding the world’s alpine climbing epicenter, Chamonix, France.

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The Otter Kind

Thought I'd give a shout out to my friend Michelle Smith, a film maker from Jackson Hole who has been steadily upping her game with these fun videos featuring my old stomping grounds. The Grand Teton is getting some love lately from TGR and will be featured on Jeremy Jones' next effort, Higher.

Michelle beats him to the punch here with this tasty nugget. She was preceeded by the Otter Body Experience, a film by David Gonzales but that awesome movie is MIA on the internet now. UPDATE: This great film is now available again here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcsQG3HZkYU 

So, sit back and check out the fun on one of the coolest lines on the biggest peak in the range along with some perspective from Teton skimo pioneer, Mark Newcomb.

The Otter Kind from getungrounded on Vimeo.

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