New year

We were in four, the car small and our bags large. But somehow we united into a single mass and parted for Chamonix.

And so it was we arrived on New Years Eve, slightly crumpled but happy to be in the mountains. The weather was damp, and it wasn't until we arrived at Argentiere that we found snow. We were staying in the Gite Belvedere which in all honesty could have done with a lick of paint, but was friendly with a good atmosphere. We ate here, and we ate rather well. A vegetarian course was prepared especially for us veggies, it was a welcome surprise to be catered for, and the meat eaters seemed well content with their meat products.

We decided to greet the New Year in Chamonix village. First impressions were a bit disappointing, the streets appeared lifeless and most bars were charging a kings ransom to enter. However we found one where we could enter for free and kill time in warmth until the time came to be in the main square. The village was now alive, full of people (to my ears mostly English), hugging kissing and setting of fireworks in a rather haphazard fashion. 2003 had arrived, we took the last bus home, and tired went to sleep almost immediately.

The following day, after a rather dull breakfast of bread and jam, we went skiing on the slopes of Les Grands Montets just 5 minutes walk from the gite. The weather was clear and sunny, but the snow was a little skied out. But it was easy to imagine that the off piste here is fantastic, great wide slopes that seem to go on for an eternity.

The weather then broke somewhat and there followed several days of snow and high winds that foiled our plan to ski the glacier blanc. At least the powder was building up, which made the rain in Chamonix a little more bearable, so we occupied our time with some short walks, reading and coffee. Due to high avalanche risk the pistes opened slowly with only 20% of the Grands Montets lifts running. However we went out and had a fantastic day. Low visibility made the runs challenging, but the snow was great fun and especially forgiving when you got carried away.

On our final day we choose to snowshoe along the valley from Argentiere to Le Tour. Considering the high avalanche risk we decided to stay low in the forest. It was my first real trial with snowshoes, and what a wonderful experience it was. They didn't quite float on the snow as I was hoping, but in fairness the powder was really soft. The weather had also changed and we were treated to fine views of the mountains that had up till now proved to be elusive. Breaking trail was hard work, but really enjoyable, and the forests were beautiful in their winter blanket of freshly fallen snow. It was a memorable and Christmassy experience.