Chamonix, just one more run....

Well It's been just over a month since I first rolled into Angers on good ol Doreen.  I took advantage of the week I had remaining before my classes started and headed to Chamonix, France, to get some turns in on the telemarks.  Out of Paris one can hop on a night train and be in Chamonix early the next day with just one small connection transfer train to get up into the valley.  Arriving in Chamonix and stepping off the train I felt immediately back a home.  That is to say, among the mountains.Where I was studying in Spain, Segovia, was right next to a small mountain range but the city itself was completely disconnected from anything that goes on in the higher elevations.  Unlike Chamonix where life is based around the mountains and what the extended weather forecast is bringing for those waiting eagerly to go play in some fresh powder.  I settled into the youth hostel located just outside of town, and prepared for some solid days of telemarking.Day one was absolutely amazing, I was riding on some G3 Rapid Transits, which treated me well.  There was a low hanging cloud-line in the valley making every lift ride beautiful as one broke through the upper layer revealing the peaks surrounding Mt. Blanc.  I got a little carried away the first day and could not stop skiing.  I made the mistake of skiing until my legs no longer worked, an error I would quickly come to regret.  I was able to get a second full day in of skiing before totally killing my quads.  I didn't take into account that I had just finished with a three week bike ride, making my muscles accustomed to slow twitch performance, and then three days later ripping turns in the Alps, the exact opposite of what my body was accustomed to.  What resulted was a severe stretch of my quadriceps tendons, leaving me almost unable to walk by the third day, and a week recovery before I would get any-sort of flexibility back in my legs.  I was amongst some of the best lines in the world, but I was benched, just observing, and imagining what I was missing.  I wasn't to torn up over the fact that I had to sit back and relax in Alps, I mean, If you have to just chill and recover for a while why not surround your self with jagged mountains, and hanging glaciers?  The mountain air refreshed my spirits and I headed back to Angers renewed and ready for the upcoming semester.

Looking out over the glaciated entrance to the Vallee Blanche... 2,800 meters of vert over 17km on the skis!!!

Cloud cover over the valley.

Argentiere Glacier

Another aspect of the Argentiere Glacier.