On day 4 we took the train to Le Tour. This was a pretty easy way to get there. No need for a car. The train was new, good schedule and well organized. We took the train to Vallorcine and took the gondola there into the ski area. then returned via
bus from Le Tour. It was a pretty good loop. This area was pretty cool with the west half being lots of trees and rock much like Alta, and the south east half be wide open with not a tree in sight.
That night we walked over the Maison de la Montagne and booked a guide for Courmayeur with the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix. It was pretty cool having this place about 50 feet from our hotel. It became a nightly visit to talk with the guides and plan the next day. Early the next morning we stuffed ourselves with as much bread, cheese, yogurt and coffee as we could and stumbled out the door to meet our guides and the rest of our group. We all loaded into vans and drove through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Italy. To Begin with, we had a pretty big group of about 20 with 4 guides. Were were going to do some evaluation runs where the guides would test us and split us up into groups. these are always some tentative moments because you have no idea what the caliber of skiers will be. I recommended to Jill that she buckle her boots up tight and try her best to impress. Pierre, the lead guide asked everyone to follow him closely and immediately ducked off the piste into tight trees, over rocks and around bushes in an effort to loose everyone. Jill was stuck
to him like glue. When he finally stopped and Jill sprayed up next to him I was so proud. We waited as others tickled in or collected their gear after tumbles. We had
both made the top group and would be following Pierre for the rest of the day. We had the luxury of having a ski instructor, Jeujuex, and a guide in our group. a Jeujuex was awesome and he and I had fun all day picking alternate lines on the areas Pierre took us. They took us down through some trees to a big meadow with a few stone biudlings covered in snow where our groups reunited fro lunch. Inside this cozy little building was just our group, a wood stove, big furs covering the benches to sit in and the proprietor to bing us plate after plate of food. You didn't order, she just brought out whatever they were making. First she brought a pizza with fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil, then a pizza with butter and garlic, then a plat of pasta. When she brought the first plate of pasta I though: "mmm, that looks good, but its kind of small." Little did I know that it was the first of three types of pasta she would bring. After that, she brought out four kinds of desert and espresso, then finally some hot wine. 2 and half hours after starting lunch stumbled back outside and clicked into our skis. Many of the runs Pierre took us on were super tight trees that were steep. and there were bushed mixed in between the trees. They were the kind of runs that if I took my friends there, they would all say: "This is the last time were following you!" For the last run, Pierre let Juejuex take a selected group on Final "Le Desent De Juer" which was probably the steepest tree run either of us had ever gone on. We will never forget making it out into the valley below Mont Blanc as the sun set and following the road back to the car. I was so happy and so proud of Jill. It was the best she had ever skied and she definite had some break thoughts on that day.
Each night we had amazing times in Chamonix and ate, drank and wandered in awe at being there, ski culture and the people.
We had so much fun that we decided to ski with Pierre again the next day in Grand Montets. We did the usual evaluation runs and I will never forget Jill's face when they handed her a climbing harness and told her she was in the expert group and would be going out onto the glacier. She was so proud as she looked at me and said,"Expert, Ive never been and expert before!" We had great runs which included the Glacier D'Argentiere and views over to the Aiguille Du Midi where we longed desperately to go.
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