Oh, there are nerves in our house at the moment.  Just 2 more sleeps to go until the Wilmington Runners know if they have been accepted into the UTMB this year. – The “lucky” draw winners being entitled to 46hrs of guaranteed pain, exhaustion & cold,all voluntary of course!?!

The big thing being that if they don’t get in it this year’s, the entry criteria for UTMB2013 has risen and 7 instead of 5 points are needed.  Admittedly obtained across 3 races, as opposed to 2, but it will require an additional competition weekend away nevertheless.

Competition to get in is very tough.  Just look at these pre-registration figures below.  Along with the TDS and PLT, pre-registration is made up of 10’000 runners from 72 countries:

• UTMB 195% over subscription
• CCC 165%

To make the chances even slimmer of getting in this year, 800 of this year’s UTMB places automatically go to those who were not given a place in 2011 draw. There will therefore be, for those runners pre-registered, a draw with only less than a one in two chance of success.  Umm, a tough one!

Commiseration places will be offered for the TDS, providing it too isn’t over subscribed.  But that will scupper the ‘automatic UTMB place’ into 2013 providing necessary points are obtained.

However, if the 2012 entry really is important, and you are a kind hearted fellow, the 3rd option is to run for their chosen charity under the colours of a solidarity race-bib! This option, of course, not only benefits the nutters who want to do it but also those who aren’t in a position to do much for themselves, so win, win.

So fingers crossed for Friday, and all things being postive we can worry about getting the time off worked approved.  Now that’s another story…!

I’ve been keeping an interested eye on the various tweets flying about and lots of unusual occurences seem to be happening….

“Blimey the weather must be bad if they closed #LesHouches6969 early this afternoon in #Chamonix6969 almost unheard of!”

“#Chamonix expecting 70cm #dump6969 of fresh #snow6969 above 2000m tomorrow. Lift closures inevitable. NB – EXTREME CAUTION REQD – SKI SAFE !!”

“Chamonix currently being punished by biblical tempest…monsoon low, 1m snow @ 2000m, screaming wind, THE SNOW GODS ARE ANGRY.”

“#Chamonix #Avalanche6969 #Risk6969 6Jan. 5/5-4/5! 1m snow at 2000m may cause spont releases on all aspects and altitudes! Risk reducing pm.X CAUTION”

“Winds of up to 100km/h in #Chamonix6969 this morning, so lots of lifts are shut. If you’re going out on the slopes, wrap up warm!”

Of course these kind of conditions seem to have hit the whole of the Alps with avalanches in Alp d’Huez, Zermatt, Val d’Isere and so on. In Les Arcs preventative avalanche blasting will took place closing off roads between Arc 1800 and Arc 2000, same for the the Mont Blanc tunnel etc..

There have also been incredible statistics being banded about. On the 7th January, “60% of reports last saw snow on 6th January (Ski club of Great Britain)” which is no mean feat.  There is stuff about one resort having had more snow this season already than the whole of its two previous seasons combined (can’t remember where though).  And check out this photo of the road to St Anton last week – courtesy of Snow Finders!

So if there is too much snow, what do you do?

A couple of tips I’ve gleaned:

1. Check out the immediate meto.

2. Think about the weather for the coming week.  The Ski Club of Great Britain offer a great overview.

3. Keep an eye on the potential avalanche risks

4. Check out the lift opening status with the state of the domains and have a lie in if things are closed.

5. Consider taking the bus to the lifts once they reopen, as it will be a right bun fight in the car park when skiing opportunities are reduced.

6. Be flexible on your prefered slopes.  Just going the other side of the mountain can have tremendously different conditions.

7. Think about taking some training, such as the free sessions being offered by Avalanche Academy

8. Wrap up warm of course.

9. If all else fails, hit the bar.

Stay safe and enjoy!!!

After quite a wet summer season the last week of August was blessed with a beautiful week following nicely into September. Earlier in the week we’d cycled from the town, through the Bois du Bouchet, up the valley along the side of the Arve and decided to circle back via the Paradis des Praz after cruising through Le Bois.  It was a trip of about 8 miles which the children managed quite comfortably. Part of the route took us through Les Tines. We were spoilt for lunch choices while cycling through Les Bois and Les Tines.

Given the fine weather, when our friends returned for their second leg of their visit we opted for the restaurant with a pool – Hotel Excelsior.  However this was in effect a bonus, as the meal was very fine and it would have been a treat to eat there regardless of the veranda and pool.  I must admit I can’t remember exactly what we ate, but I recall the kids ice creams were top quality .  I remember the food being beautifully presented though and the staff extremely accommodating, particularly as two of our party seemed to add an extra 13 miles onto their cycle trip so arrived a little after 2pm.  The bill was around 100E for the 4 of us including drinks.

After our lovely lunch the kids played in the pool for an hour or so, the pull of Paradis des Praz not being quite as large as it usually is.  So it was just as well we were cycling not driving, with the parents making the most of the bar facilities. Restaurant Le A, just at the corner of our road is also a lovely dinning experience with a pool, but perhaps not as informal and rural as The Excelsior.

The bit that tickled Yas and I the most was seeing a small number of slightly older ladies arriving for afternoon tea.  Then taking it by the pool and going for a dip. How marvellous, we can’t wait for retirement.

However given the size of the snow dumps over recent days, often accompanied by gales it can lead to great instabilities.  For example the risk of avalanche is forecast to be high, so be careful. It’s forecast to be a 5 tomorrow.

Up-to-date avalanche forecasts can be obtained from France Meteo.

Although I don’t mean to scare monger, four years ago there was a large avalanche in Le Tour with a number of fatalities.  I’m not saying that that is going to happen at the moment, but it’s sobering to be reminded of how powerful the natural environment is.  The clip below is the UK news coverage of the event.

personally, I prefer to watch them from the comfort of the flat window.  So presumably they are pretty big, and potentially lethal if you can see them happening on Mont Blanc from the town!

Help is at hand for spotting what to look for while in the high mountains though.  Avalanche Academy, based in Chamonix runs a series of courses aimed at different knowledge and experience levels.  So keen are they to share their knowledge and reduce risk to the adventurous folks that they are also offering free lectures in La Terrasse bar in the market square from 7pm on Monday nights, starting 19th December and running to the 26th March.

We wish them luck with this venture and lookforward to hearing reviews.

You can check out the ever changing webcams here.

Those in Chamonix are currently taking the 112km trip to Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta valley in Italy.  However, things are now looking promising, particularly as Les Grand-Montets first open day was yesterday.  The rest of the resort is due to open on the 17th December.

Roll on more ‘natural snow’, not only as its far better for the environment, but also due to the difficulty of creating snow in the warm temperatures created by temperature inversion, resulting in the town actually being cooler than the slopes.  Once temperatures are down to 3.5 on the sloped though the cannons can begin.  So we should be ok soon

And perhaps, not surprisingly given you’re reading this blog, Chamonix received a bronze award in the Best Worldwide Attraction & Destination category: European ski destination.  So let’s remember why….

Chamonix is the 3rd most visited natural attraction in the World and throughout the year it plays host to a cosmopolitan clientele. Mountaineers, hikers, enthusiasts of legendary places, all types of sportsmen and women and ordinary visitors, there’s something here to fulfil everyone’s wishes. Renowned in winter for its skiing, the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc offers 3 superb mountain areas with styles that are as different as they are complementary to one another :

Brevent-Flegere area : the great skiing spectacle

Situated between the altitudes of 1030 m. and 2525 m. and linked by cable car, these two south-facing areas offer the finest view points in the Alps. To make progress in a sumptuous setting, enjoy varied pistes of all levels and to discover some of the finest runs in the Valley.

Grands-Montets area : legendary skiing

Situated between the altitudes of 1235 m. and 3300 m., the Grands Montets area enables you to ski the greatest height losses in the world in the heart of the mountains, close to a glacier. The pistes are spread over three slopes – the Argentière glacier, Lognan and the Pendant which also offer magnificent off-piste, known throughout the world and essential for freeriders.

Balme area : skiing amidst nature

Amongst the alpine pastures and starting from the villages of le Tour and Vallorcine, the Balme areas offer multiple skiing and pleasure on two distinct slopes. In the Charamillon sector, you can enjoy wide, gentle pistes facing the Chamonix Valley, while the Vallorcine sector enables you to ski through the pine trees near the Swiss border. It is possible to ski back to the resort.  This is our kids favourite.

A a beautiful film by Seb Montaz to get you in the mood for this award-winning resort

The awards are the largest consumer voted independent awards scheme in the UK, audited by Deloitte, The British Travel Awards in association with Lloyds TSB Cardnet, serves to recognise all that is great about UK travel companies – according to the all important customer.

This ski area is also home to the L’Arret Bougnete at the Vallorice train station which proves to be a great incentive for meandering down through the trees to acquire a hot chocolate.  You have to watch the snow conditions though as the twists and turns can get a little precarious for the little ones if its a bit patchy – when we first used it it was classified as a red run,then was down graded to blue last year which suggests it has its moment.

The main ski area consists of 11 blue runs, 9 red and 1 black, which is why its so nice for the kids.  However, I’m told that there is ample off piste for the adventure seekers, easily accessed of the lift system and it will take you back to the bottom of the lifts via a number of routes.

So book your accomodation now for the Kandahar World Cup, which has been scheduled for 4^th-5^th February 2012.

The Kandahar is one of the most famous stages in the Men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup and attracts some of the biggest names in the sport. It takes place on the Verte piste in Les Houches; a 3343m black run with 870m vertical drop and a surface like polished glass. During non- race times you can of course experience the run for yourself, and try to comprehend how these athletes are able to cope with the speed. Guide tours can even be taken.

The Downhill and Slalom races will take place on the Saturday, followed by the Super Combined on the Sunday. Chamonet says there will be plenty of entertainment going on in Les Houches and in the centre of Chamonix throughout the weekend, starting with an opening party and fireworks on the Friday evening in Place du Mont Blanc. Expect past and present race footage on giant screens, live music, catering stands and some very frantic French commentary from the over-excitable man who always hosts these kinds of soirees. Click here for the program

Access is free for one of the best spectator events of the year (although there are VIP tickets on sale which get you all sorts of extra goodies). Tiered seating will be set up at the finishing line, or you can hike up the side of the piste and claim a good spot to watch the lycra-clad speed demons come whizzing past (or to get your face on Ski Sunday).

The Kandahar is one of the most popular events in the skiing calendar and last year’s event was watched by 225 million viewers worldwide, 9 million of which were in France.

Not quite a view down the Kandahar, but nevertheless from the top of Les Houches looking down the valley towards St Gervais.

As usual, the slopes of the Grands Montets will be the first to open in the Chamonix Valley (www.compagniedumontblanc.fr). The official opening date is the first weekend in December, but the area will open for the last two weekends of November if there is sufficient snow.

Ah, think about getting those skis dusted off

The organised cleaning party was in its fourth year, arranged by Lafuma and Club Alpin Français.  It include the famous mountaineers  Catherine Destivelle, Patrick Gabarrou and Christophe Dumarest. Last year an even greater amount of rubbish was removed; 4.3 tons.   Check out last years video…

If you’d like to see some of the other giant bits of rubbish found on the glacier, the Espace Tairraz has some remnants.

Two plane crashes into the Les Bossons Glacier on Mount Blanc, one in 1950 and the other in 1966, and attracted a great deal of attention, especially when the artifacts and bodies began to be recovered many years later. Artifacts from the crash of the Malabar Princess, which killed 48 people in 1950, reappeared almost 30 years later, when a sack of mail in 1978 and part of the landing gear in 1986 were found.

In 1992, the partial remains of the 117 passengers and crew killed in the 1966 crash of the Kanchenjunga accident began to emerge.