A random catch up in the mountains

Jason, our mate from Amsterdam, was going to be skiing at Les Deux Alpes - which is the ski resort just up the hill from where we were camped at Venosc. We thought it would be pretty cool to catch up.

We then found out that Jason and his mates were in a chalet in a village just down the hill from where they would be skiing ... and, even better, that the chalet was right across the road from the campsite, 100m from the van.

We couldn't have planned it better!

So we headed up the hill for a great day on the slopes - perfect blue skies and fabulous views across the mountains. During the week, Jason and his mates invited us around for drinks and dinner on numerous occasions, and we quite happily crashed their holiday and hung out in the comfy chalet.

We'll have to randomly run into each other in the mountains again some time ... maybe Canada next, Jase?

The boys heading down the piste ...

... and relaxing in the sun.

Winter is over - and it's time for summer!

Winter is over.

We've certainly had some awesome days skiing, boarding and ice climbing - and some fabulous nights out too - visiting some famous and some less famous areas all over the Alps and into Bavaria as well. We've caught up with friends, we've met other climbers and even at rare times had some solitude on a climb. We've both now much more confident on ice than before, knowing the ice, our ability and our gear better (and perhaps being more than a little interested in upgrading!). Jen's even started to enjoy black runs on her skis - quite a change in attitude! - and Mark's had loads of fun off-piste (and has the black patch scars on his board to prove it).

But ... to be honest, it's not been much of a winter. It's been quite depressing at times in the Alps, with all those sunny skies and warm days, chasing away the fresh snow and melting the ice. We've had to stick to north-facing routes, as most south-facing ice routes never formed properly, and we were extremely surprised (and overjoyed, too - don't get me wrong!) to have had three such great snow days in Val Thorens with the Ambers after almost six weeks without fresh snow.

This means that we're just going to have to spend another winter in the Alps before we can contemplate leaving Europe. It's a hard life, but we'll manage!

And in the meantime? Summer awaits! So, in preparation for the change in season, we're back at Rhona and Brett's place in Munich. We've emptied Fred out, and are busy cleaning and sorting gear - in between hanging out, long games of Carcassone, cooking, eating and drinking, of course. All the winter stuff is being left behind, as is the UltraBox, and no doubt this will make life in the van a lot more comfortable. No more skis, snowboard or multiple axes to shift every time we need to eat or sleep or drive! No more drying ropes, harnesses and sharps each day! Hurray!

Fred is also having some minor repairs tomorrow (apparently that funny noise and occasional smoke isn't normal or good, but is at least easily fixed) - and then he will get new tyres on Thursday too... and by the end of the week, we'll be ready for summer. 

Bulgaria? Turkey? Greece? Here we come.

A day at Les Deux Alpes

Apparently it was pretty busy out there today.

We were too busy enjoying the great snow to notice ...

... both on the piste ...

... and off the piste. "Good snow" is relative to the season - Mark sadly isn't actually up to his waist in powder here.

We loved these red pods, that opened up like an egg rather than having doors. Very retro.

And the shape of these (surprisingly speedy) chairs, too! Look, no feet! Ah, they don't make 'em like they used to.

... and the best bit is, we'll be back up there for more tomorrow. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Val Thorens

We'd planned ages ago to try to meet up with old mates from Amsterdam in Val Thorens, when they'd be there for a week of skiing and boarding in February - and so we jumped in the van and headed back west.

The Ambers could not have hoped for better snow during their trip! After a month of almost no snow and warm temperatures across the Alps, it bucketed down fresh white stuff ... we couldn't believe what great timing they had. We were super stoked about being able to get out there (and Jen really, really wanted to test her new skis and boots, too).


Arriving in Val Thorens, we realised that we'd been misinformed about the campercar situation - meaning we had to park down the hill at Les Menuires (pronounced "Lez Manures" ...?!). We could easily catch chairs up to Val Thorens each day with a ski ticket combining both resorts, but getting down again in the evenings proved to be not so easy.




The first night we tried to get a taxi, only to find they were both unavailable and really expensive, so settled for Plan B: ski / board back down the hill. There's a pretty straightforward piste running from Val Thorens down to Les Menuires, but when it's midnight, with no moon, you've had a beer (or two) and you're sharing that narrow piste with a snow groomer - it's a little more exciting. The next two nights we sadly left our mates to their apartments, hot showers, social dinners and drinks before the sun had completely set, because ... well, because we're sensible (and a little boring)!

Anyway, we really enjoyed catching up, having a few runs and hanging out during the day with the Ambers crew - and having snow that great, this winter, was just the icing on the cake.

Skiing! And Snowboarding!

Sunny days and snowy slopes - and a friendly (almost) local to show us around - meant an awesome three days.

Our buddy Marty played the tour guide, and each day he took us to a different resort in his current home region of Voralberg, Austria. We started at Damuls, hit up Lech's neighbour Warth on Thursday and finished up on Friday at Brand. Each place had its charms, but the runs were the best at Warth.

It didn't take long for us to remember the simple tricks on skis (for Jen) and snowboard (for Mark), and soon we were keeping pace with Marty and daring him to show us the black runs. Jen felt more confident than ever and surprised Marty and Mark by actually being willing to go fast, even beating those slowboarders to the bottom of runs (well, sometimes ... ) There were no notable stacks caught on camera, sadly, and only a few suspicious snow marks on clothes.

After midday it was time for a long and hearty lunch of local cuisine, including hot chocolate with cream and germknoedel for dessert ... germknoedel being a massive doughy dumpling, filled with a liquer jam and covered in vanilla sauce and chocolate shavings. Yum.


As the days wore on, the thin snow was taking more and more of a beating and the runs would become increasingly icy and hard. We guess sunshine has its downside, after all. There's no snow in the forecast, either, or even any decent cold temperatures - just more sun! As fun as ice climbing and skiing and snowboarding are, they need good conditions ... will we be back on the rock earlier than expected?