A relaxing weekend chez les Chamossets

This weekend I was lucky enough to be welcomed by the Chamossets (Marie-Anne, Hervé and their son Roch) at their home in St. Gervais, a 15 minute train ride from Cluses.  I was thoroughly spoiled during my visit; French wine, a wonderful dinner of fondue, and the opportunity to meet some very interesting and lovely people! The Chamosset nest is a beautiful space for relaxing, being creative, and simply enjoying the company of others, and with snow falling lazily outside for the entire weekend, there was no better place to be than inside by the fire. Both Marie Anne and Hervé are artists, so I also got to spend some time doodling to my hearts content with an amazing array of pencil crayons, inks, watercolours and markers.

After feasting on fondue Saturday night, we did wander out for a walk in the ever-snowy Contamines (a little bit further up in the mountains) on Sunday.  A beautiful park designed for enjoying the outdoors (walking, cross-country skiing, dog sledding), it was magical with a fresh coat of powder and relatively mild winter temperatures. At the end of the park we stumbled across a small Catholic chapel, Notre-Dame de la Gorge, a small church resplendent among the natural beauty of the forest. The chapel was originally built for the spiritual reflection of travelers passing through the valley to and from Italy, and became a central part of the community over the years. It still remains open to the public, as hikers and skiers alike stopped in during our visit to pay their respects, or simply enjoy the ornate Baroque-style architecture of the chapel.

Mistletoe at the Chamossets

My sleeping quarters

Notre-Dame de la Gorge

Cross-country skiers enjoying the trails

Snow mushrooms in the river bed

Notre-Dame de la Gorge

Myself and Marie Anne

Ice climbing area in the park

Ice (for Morgan)

Marie Anne and Hervé

Very excited for snowshoeing!

Another small chapel tucked into the forest

The valley

Small windows to keep out the cold!

Up to the tree line in Mt. Saxonnex

I'll let the images speak for themselves from this tranquil hike just past Mt. Saxonnex, a small town perched on the mountainside above the Arve valley. Beautiful mountain landscapes, fog, some wildlife sightings, and some instant espresso and chocolate at the top made for a wonderful day.

The only thing that possibly tops the hike was a post-hike stop at a café/bar run by a local elderly woman in the village. The experience can be described as similar to walking into a stranger's home, and being served delicious drinks with a healthy dose of laissez-faire hospitality. This visit also provided me with my new favourite French expression: "pressé comme un citron". Comical and wonderful all in one!

Sweeping landscapes in Mt. Saxonnex

How to "faire la trace" with snowshoes

The mountainside dappled with trees

Clouds covering the mountain peaks up high

Intrepid explorers

The 1/2 hour detour, well worth the time

A natural ying-yang

No sign of the sun, but still beautiful

Trucking along

Well-used gear

Delicate traces in the snow

Mountain Life in Chamonix

With the snow beckoning from higher altitudes, it's impossible not to get fidgety sitting at home in Cluses. This was precisely the case this past Sunday. I was tired from the previous weeks' adventures, but couldn't stand the thought of remaining at home while fun was to be had outside. As a result, myself and my friend Elena hopped aboard the train to Chamonix, and headed to the bustling skiing and mountaineering town for some outdoor fun.

The last time I was in Chamonix, it was the Fall, and for Chamonix a very much quiet time of year. The population of this relatively small town quadruples in the Winter, so you can imagine my surprise when we arrived and found the place alive and full of people from different corners of the world (Russians, Brits, Americans, Canadians, you name it). The day ended up being filled with a myriad of adventures. Our main intent was to go snowshoeing, and luckily we fell upon a free guided tour. This resulted in a beautiful hike in a moraine (an area where there are debris left from a receding glacier). So much snow had fallen that the large rocks in the area were covered to look like over-sized marshmallows, a landscape reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (although there was no river of chocolate to be found). 

After returning from our hike, we happened across a ski jumping competition taking place on the side of the mountains close to downtown Chamonix. The only word for this was impressive; fearless athletes catapulting themselves off of ramps at high speeds, and literally flying through the sky. I was even more awe-struck when I discovered that these athletes were, in fact, kids. None of them more than 11 or 12 years old, and they were uncannily calm, cool and collected while performing this challenging sport.

The day ended on an exciting note, spectating at a National Championship for Ski Mountaineering. Competitors run up the mountains on their skis, remove the "seal skins" from the bottom of their skis, and then race down the mountain slalom-style. The capacity of these athletes to endure freezing temperatures, and remain technically sound on the downhill portion after an extreme physical effort was remarkable.

Chamonix is always action-packed and draws quite a diverse the crowd of people; athletes from any mountain sport you can name, tourists from afar who want a taste of mountain life, and visitors from Cluses, who like me, want to exchange dreary rain for a dose of mountain air and fresh snow.

Cold winter day in Chamonix

A young ski jump competitor

Post-jump stretch

Ski mountaineering competitor running up...

...and going down.

Fast, icy slalom track

Battling cold and exhaustion

Mont Truc Snowshoe

When I left my home in Cluses for a quick trip back to Canada for Christmas, it was raining, dismal, and a far cry from a winter wonderland. However, the Alps have officially pulled through and are living up to their name; the mountains are laden with glorious white powder and the population of Haute-Savoyards and tourists alike are out in droves enjoying the mountains. Whether you are into skiing, snowboarding, ski touring, snowshoeing, ski mountaineering or even dog sledding, the mountains seem to offer a never-ending list of activities for all tastes.

Although I haven't officially hit the slopes on skis (an outing is impending this week), I did make it out for a beautiful snowshoe  adventure to Mont Truc, one of the many mountains offering snowshoeing terrains and marked trails in the region. After driving up past the snow line and into a literal Narnia-esque world of snow, myself and members of the CAF of Cluses strapped on our snowshoes and started off on a trek up the mountain. The terrain was easy and varied; there were wide paths switch-backing up the side of the mountain, narrow twisting trails through the forests, and finally, and an open area at the summit dappled with chalets (closed for the winter) with a vista of the surrounding mountains and valley. The snow was blinding and beautiful all at once. I've never seen snow quite like it; flaky powder that was almost chunky, and diamond-like in its brightness and form. The sun was surprisingly warm at the peak, and we ate lunch sheltered by the wall of a chalet, soaking in the winter rays.

Although I didn't lug my camera up the mountain this time, luckily another CAF member did (Photo Cred Bernard Gontier) and took some great shots of the day. Here are some of the pics:

Playing in powder (Photo: B. Gontier)

Running free (Photo: B. Gontier)

CAF members on Mont Truc (Photo: B. Gontier)

Almost there (Photo: B. Gontier)

Chalet closed for winter (Photo: B. Gontier)