On Ice and Snow and Rock

Since the age of about 9 or 10, maybe earlier, I have been fairly obsessed with the mountains, with skiing and with climbing and mountaineering and with adventure of any sort. We had a book when I was growing up called "On Ice and Snow and Rock" by Gaston Rebuffat. I'm pretty sure my father brought it back with him from Chamonix. It had many full color pictures of Gaston climbing the beautiful granite spires that rip up through the brilliant glaciers around Mont Blanc. For anyone who has seen this book you know how great these pictures are. The images stick with me more than those of my other children's books. At night my father would pour a cup of Cognac, light the lantern and read aloud from Annapurna in which Gaston performed such human acts of heroism while so out of his home alpine element. His knickers and wool sweater seemed so impossible and out of place in this high Himalayan darkness which I already understood was another world. Jill and I are leaving for Chamonix in 9 days.

The book wasn't the only thing my father brought back from chamonix. He brought back a bunch of great stories, a bunch of great color slides, some cool glacier glasses with beads sewn on the side by the hand of some hot french chick. He brought back two ice axes....(if anyone knows where they might be, please bring them back to the ridge) and I'm pretty sure that he came back with a bunch of memories that I wish he would write down or tell to me as a story.

I'm so excited for this trip that I can hardly think. I have been obsessed with the planning of this trip and with ensuring that I can keep my wife and I safe here, in what some perceive as a Disyland of mountains, that in spite of all the hype, can unknowingly give anyone the ultimate beat-down like horse shakes a thousand flies off its back and continues eating. I will be out of my element and I know enough to give these mountains the respect they deserve. Just because there are three espresso machines within a 1 mile radius doesn't mean that the stone falling at 150 mph will hurt less. For some reason it is with quite a bit of emotion that I travel to Chamonix.

Mmm... but the espresso will be good. For anyone planning a trip to Chamonix for skiing here are a few weather links that you may find helpful:

Good basic weather for quickly viewing on a phone
http://chamonix-meteo.com/bul/metPreMatEn.php

SnowForcast – with extended
http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Chamonix/6day/top

Welove2ski
http://www.welove2ski.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=000

Seblog video report
http://www.welove2ski.com/snow-report/Chamonix/

Chamonix.net – webcams, snow report
http://www.chamonet.com/

Compagniedumontblanc
http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/index.php

Intellicast
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?unit=F&location=FRXX0212

MetoFrance With avalanche…needs to be translated using Google…
http://france.meteofrance.com/france/MONTAGNE?MONTAGNE_PORTLET.path=montagnebulletinneige/DEPT74