If you missed part I of our 10-day visit with Lou and Tracy, click here. This is part II: Chamonix, France.
One of the main goals of our trip was to visit Chamonix and ski The Vallee Blanche in the Mont Blanc range. Ta da!
We rode in the Téléphérique de l'Aguille du Midi, which was built in 1955 and holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world.
Packed like sardines.
At the summit, we admired the Mont Blanc massif. Breathtaking.
To ski the Vallee Blanche, we hired my childhood friend, Fabian, now a Swiss Mountain Guide.
The 17 km route starts at the summit of L'Aiguille du Midi at 3812 m (12506 ft). Yep, way up there.
Negotiating the famous arête or ridge was tricky (it's a 40 degree pitch!), but we made it down safely, roped in with crampons.
The Valley.
Its glacier. (Check out the people on the bottom right of the picture for some perspective...)
It takes several hours to ski the Vallee Blanche, so we took a short break for lunch.
Along the way, we saw seracs and crevasses.
And had some fun, skiing through a crevasse!
Wow! What a run! Next? La Haute Route or High Route, from Arolla to Zermatt!
1 comment:
Alls I can say is OMG (short for oh, my goodness!) What a treat for all of you, especially Lou and Tracy. Glad the mothers who aren't out doorsy don't see these things before the kids do them.
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