Chamonix Market and trip to Zermatt

Slept in and packed up for an afternoon transfer bus trip to Zermatt. The snow was coming down in soft blankets throughout the morning so we were worried that the short trip through the mountain pass would be closed and we would have to go via Geneva. By noon the snow had stopped and blue-skies beckoned but so much snow had fallen the pass was closed. It was a Saturday so the morning markets were on in the central square and we trekked down to check its wares and purchase some local produce, fromage, saucissons (sausages) and bread. Nissan had a stage up in the town and the kids were able to participate in some of the games and won some toy cars. We also visited this wonderful toy store which had probably the best selection of lego that we've ever seen. The kids were in heaven and we agreed to get some small things to occupy the evenings in Zermatt. Zermatt was a good 3.5 hours from Chamonix the longway but we were able to see some castles, incredibly terraced vineyards and fields, and some wonderful peaks along the way. Zermatt itself has no petrol-powered vehicles allowed in the town so many park in Tasch (just outside) and take the train in to town. Otherwise the small transfer buses can make the drive but the road narrows to single lane at many points involving a few reverses and tight passes. The buses stop on the edge of town and small electric vehicles which have been modified to place baggage and passengers inside then transfer you to your hotel. We had organized to stay in an apartment as otherwise we would have to have 3 hotel rooms at the conference venue due to our numbers (8). The apartment is less than a year old and some of the appliances look as though they've never been used. It has this great vaulted/beamed ceiling with exposed wood and A-framed windows which view the mighty Matterhorn and central street area adjacent. The furniture is made of this pale hard wood ? oak/beech? with the same for hardwood flooring - it's absolutely beautiful (with in house elevator to boot)! Needless to say we're feeling a bit luxurious. It's about one kilometre walk to the conference venue at the Hotel Christiania - it looks plain and very traditional at the back entrance but further exploration reveals a 4 lane 25 m indoor pool with massive wicker lounging chairs - one that is a complete oval with cushioned lying area on the inside. I was a little set back as the introductory drink session disclosed I actually have another session (unexpected) later in the week! Back at the apartment the lego "prizes" were quickly being built and pizza bronzed in the oven. Today we will get our bearings, rent some equipment and organize our week.

Brevent-Flegere, fog and flakes

Our last day of skiing/boarding in Chamonix (..this time)! This area is incredibly beautiful and I can't imagine not coming back to explore it again in winter or summer. There is an overland track between the top of Grand Montet and Zermatt that takes 6-7 days - I've put it on my list of things to do when the kids are a bit older and more robust. Rock climbing here would be unbelievable with climbs everywhere. It apparently gets so busy with climbers that you might actually have to wait in line to climb! After a morning session of U/S in which Auntie Pinny kindly offered her abdomen as a specimen ( no suprises found - and a very nice looking gallbladder) we shuttled the kids out to their last lesson and test for la premier etoile (first star) award. Pinny, Jen and I headed to the local hill behind our hotel for one last chance of actually seeing its terrain as last time visibility was virtually nil. It was touch and go to start as appearances up the lift suggested we were in for another whiteout. Fortunately the fog wasn't too thick and what previously felt like a vertical wall of snow turned out to be not so bad with some nice fluffy coating. I was struck by how different each of the ski areas in Chamonix seem to be, each with their own distinctive terrain - some with wide well prepped slopes, trees and a few narrow runs, others wide open and exposed. Like all areas we seem to visit, each seems to have a sense of place - a certain 'je n'ai sais quoi' which makes it feel completely different - affected by its specific terrain or topography. In the afternoon Mormor took Pinny's place and the boys joined in for a few runs on the same mountain. Jen led the troupe while I was relegated to the caboose/ clean up position - apparently I go too fast and this causes some lack of control issues with the boys. While Cole had another small yard sale, discovering the complexity of deep snow on a pair of planks, Aidan switched on the whine and indecisiveness, making our last couple of runs somewhat strained. We made it back down for a swim and then had the kids help out for some more U/S practice sessions at the conference venue. Piper was transfixed by the U/S screen and looking at her insides! Today we're off to Zermatt in Switzerland where the Mattehorn sits in all its glory. In reading about it last night I was amazed to find out that both Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt climbed it in their day! Might have to put it on my list of things to do as well!

Les Houches and La Bergerie

Woke up worried about the weather as forecast was for deterioration through the end of the week. With some trepidation we loaded up the rented VW and headed to the Western side of the valley to Les Houches - otherwise known as Lez Hooches - to Jen. The cloud hung a little low but visibility wasn't too bad for the first few runs - the Gods had looked favorably upon us. As the morning progressed a nice fluffy bit of snow began to fall and we could catch flakes in our mouths as we headed up the chairs. We met up with the boys, Piper and Morfar for lunch down at the base and enjoyed some 'French Soup' et Vin Chaud (hot wine) (of course). The boys joined us for the afternoon and copped alot of "Slow Down!" "Turn" - especially Cole - he seems hell bent on tucking it from top to bottom without much worry to life or limb. I seem to get the blame for it as he likes to tag along with me - I guess I don't turn very much. He only had one yard sale - following me once again up on to the side of a run with some bumps. No injuries though and he was gleeful as a singing canary just to get some 'Stinky Air' whenever the chance arose.

It was the conference dinner night so after the evening session on Ultrasonography we dressed ourselves up and walked into the village to a place called La Bergerie. Dinner was fabulous with foie d'gras for an appetizer and an L'apertif (predinner drink) - Kir Royale - kind of like alcoholic fruit punch with berries sunk to the bottom of a small flute - beautiful. I made the mistake of letting Piper have a couple of the berries - she was never quite the same after that. The main was a rack of lamb, some scalloped potatoes, carrots and green beans. Went down gleefully and without a hitch. The wines here are incredibly subtle and we are enjoying those as well. Today will be our last day on the slopes of Chamonix - hopefully the weather will hold.

Off Piste with Lionel and L'Aguille du Midi

"Der are two rules for dis run - don't hit de trees, don't hit de rocks and God Bless." (Lionel - the crazy Frenchman guide). The weather gods had promised a semi-clear day but when Jen peaked out the window first thing in the morning, a blanket covered all the surrounds - fortunately as the morning wore on this lifted and clear skies beckoned us (Jen, Cynthia and I + some other conference go'ers) to the hill for a guided off-piste half day with Lionel on Le Grand Montet. Lionel is an English-speaking Francophone who grew up in Chamonix and knows these mountains like the back of his hand. He wasn't one to mince words and picked up on skiing technique inadequacies quickly. Jen copped it after her first run on planks for a couple years - "Jenn-ifer - you stick behind me - you lean too far forward..." She eventually remedied her skiing and won his confidence. He had some wonderful contextual comments which are difficult to share in a blog - but try to imagine a Frenchman raising his voice to our group to "Rock'n'roll", "Allez and God Bless", " You go any fur-der der and I hope you have a parachute - you go 300 meters down", "No Guts no glory God Bless." The skiing/riding was amazing with wind-crusted but soft untarnished snow for a good portion of the run - heaven to a snowboarder (unfortunately there was only one of us!) The vistas were absolutely stunning and we indeed felt blessed to be out here in this amazing area of the world. Meanwhile on Les Planards the kids were improving there skiing skills and Piper did her first Poma Lift ride without a hitch - her Morfar and Mormor were gaga with pride. Given the bright skies we decided to do the L'Aguille Du Midi (Middle Needle) in the afternoon with the whole clan. To get to this 'needle', built atop a 3842 m peak, you have to take a cable car up the mountain. Once to the platforms you can venture to different 'terrases' for viewing of the surrounding Alps- it was breath-taking both literally (due to the altitude and steps) and figuratively. Piper naturally fell asleep and did her best impression of a dead weight for most of our ventures around the terrases, waking just before the descent to catch some of the views. After an hour and half enjoying the views we headed down the mountain to prep for dinner and my evening session on more dermoscopy/biopsies and some skin repair review. Morfar cooked up an amazing boullabaise for dinner and we feasted. The weather is supposed to go downhill today so we may have a shortened day on the slopes and have to hit the town for a wander, a pint or glass de vin chaud (hot wine), build snowmen/women or have a swim instead?

Where's the mountain? and Mer de Glace!

Zipped through my presentation without a hitch - went a bit quick though so didn't quite fill the 2 hours - the audience and organizers weren't too fussed though - wanted to get skiing I think! While Morfar took the kids to their lessons, Jen, Cynthia, Mormor and I threw on the gear and stepped out the door to explore the Brevet - Legere adjacent our hotel. Weather looked a bit dodgy towards the top but seemed better than yesterday at first glance. Straddling that fine line between bravery and stupidity we decided to head up the chair called Cornu which takes you to the top of the Cornu Piste - one we avoided yesterday due to the visibility issues and harder runs for the kids. As we approached the top the clouds seemed to close in on us as if we were being smothered with cotton wool. Jen was not impressed as her visual cues essentially keep her upright. Needless to say there wasn't much 'visual' at all as we descended a seriously steep pitch on feel alone - you could just make out another skier or rider maybe 10-15ms ahead - but just barely. Mormor came unstuck and inverted herself down the mountain - skis flay-ling and seemingly unable to stop. It was like a purple blur cascading into the abyss of white around us. I quickly put the trusty Fat Bob (my snowboard) in gear and trusted I was on a flat surface (more or less) and took a quick turn to intercept but fortunately she had already stopped - giggling I might say - without any injuries. We eventually made it down and decided to explore the lower reaches of the mountain  where visibility actually existed. We called it quits around noon and joined Morfar and the kids for some lunch. We planned to go up the cable car to Aguille du Midi and to the summit of Mt Blanc where the views of the valley and surrounding mountains are touted as 'incroyable' but were frankly informed by the ticket operator that it was a total white out and not worth it. Plan B went into action - we decided to head to the ice caves - otherwise known as the Mer de Glace. A train takes you up the mountain at a reasonable pitch and then you catch a cable car to go into the valley where the Mer de Glace - a glacier - has been tunneled into and caves created. They've also carved massive polar bears, bedroom settings and a fire place into the ice - no bar though - so we couldn't get a drink. It was quite amazing really - tres incroyable (French for  very incredible - but sounds better). We're hoping for some better visibility today as have booked in with some guides to take Jen, Cynthia and I off-piste - we were hoping to do the Valle Blanche - a 20km off-piste route from the top of Mt Blanc - but it looks like this may not happen as weather and visibility is going to get worse over the next 48 hrs. Hopefully it will hold together today and we'll get a good run in wherever we end up.

Les Planards, Socked in on the Brevet and Fondue

Some morning snow gave the tracks a fresh frosting but not enough to assuage the packed conditions beneath. We started with the boys on the Ecole de Ski hill called Les Planards - I think it must translate to "the plains" as they weren't too steep or long - good for learning I guess. The boys jumped up a group and are now with a couple other Aussies and picking up new skills quickly. Jen, Cynthia and I did our best to attack the new snow and then took the boys across town for an afternoon ski on the hills adjacent our hotel. It's a massive ski area linked by a gondola and terrain not dissimilar to Whistler - runs a bit shorter. Problem was we were in a bit of  a low pressure system and clouds were hanging to the slopes leaving us with very limited visibility at times. Jen, who needs her vision to help with balance, struggled to stay upright, while Aidan - who remains a cautious skiier (unlike his brother), had his fears overcome him on one run where visibility was limited to your hand in front of your face, had to be coaxed down the trail. Needless to say, we ended the day early and whilst Jen and others took the kids sledding, I headed into town for some needed supplies and a look around. It's a beautiful little town with very narrow streets and a section dedicated to pedestrians only. Lots of old historical looking buildings and French-style chalet motifs. At the grocery store or "super marche" there were posters advertising Australia Day festivities at some local bars - inclusive of Australia Day Shots and Anzac Cookie chasers! There were numerous Chocolatiers, cured meat and cheese artisans, and then all your typical retailers (even Billabong, Quiksilver and Roxy have outlets). I naturally hit L'univers de Bon Bons (a shop I'm sure my brother would love) and took home a mix of assorted lollies to the kids - sampling a few on the way of course. After my evening conference session on Hyperbaric Medicine and Toxicology we trussed up the kids and joined some other conference goers for a meal at a local fondue restaurant - La Caleche. It was getting quite late for the kids as we got into the meal and by the end of this cheesy, meat and potato feast, both Cole and Piper were deeply asleep and required cartage back to our residence - 4-5 slippery blocks away. "Heavy lump" almost characterizes them both when they are fast asleep and both Jen and I definitely got some good weight training in hauling them home. Not sure where we'll be headed today - perhaps to the other end of the valley or an afternoon of sightseeing instead of strapping on the boards? I have my first session today - am  talking on Dermoscopy - wish me luck - hopefully all will go smoothly!

Chaos, Le Tour (for skiing.boarding) and Crepes!

After an early start we sluggishly organized the troupes and managed to find their ski school instructors et al at a local hill called Les Planards. It was chaotic as usual on the first day - moreso here as organization seemed to be fairly loose and our French isn't great. Aidan and Cole seemed to remember their ski legs pretty quick and were slotted into a group with a French speaking instructor and other kids - so if they don't learn much skiing they might pick up some French, mais no? Piper wasn't so sure - joining the chorus of the other 3 year old who wanted their mommy. She seemed to get into it once we were out of sight though. Jen, Cindy, Mormor and I ventured to the end of the valley to a ski operation called Le Tour. It was a little skied out but we were just taking it easy on the first day anyway - didn't want to break a rib or anything like that. The mountain crosses the border into Switzerland at its furthest lift so we naturally had to do so - no stamp in the passport though and if the truth be known - it was a bit icy there! Aidan and Cole joined us for lunch and skied with us for the latter half of the day. Some difficulties with the Pommell Lifts ( like a T-bar but with a round seat/anchor instead of a T which goes through your legs and pulls you up the hill) - eventually lead us back to the main chairlift and a few runs before the end of the day. No injuries and a genuine good time had by all. We ended up at a Japanese restaurant for dinner - how untraditional I know - but sushi is sushi! For dessert we wandered around the central township of shops and found a creperie in which to indulge! The conference starts today and we're off for Fondue ( more traditional) tonight. Haven't chosen where to go today but will soon get it sorted with all the logistics of the day. Au revior pour maintenant!