Monday 23 February 2015

Spring Like

A long settled spell with plenty of sunshine has graced the Alps recently so it's been pretty easy to get out the door and enjoy the almost spring like conditions. Again the downhill skis have been put away and the touring kit has been out as well as the crampons which is rather odd for me these days.

The Berard Valley
Given the high pressure and a quiet Aiguille Du Midi lift I managed to get some Cosmiques Arete laps in on my lunch breaks , once alone in an hour and the following day with Guillem taking it easy but still managing to stop and waste plenty of time enjoying the views just below the little wall move. It was great to be back up the midi doing some very chilled out climbing on the arete which only had a couple of people on it but were easily passed. The legs were feeling good but having not been at altitude since Colorado in the summer my lungs were feeling it a little on the first push up to the abseil but thereafter all was good. Probably the best way to spend a lunch break anywhere in the world I reckon.

Lunch canteen view
Works been pretty busy and having just the one day off a week has meant less up hill training at Les Houches but I have still managed some pretty decent tours on my days off. I headed up Mont Buet leaving the car around 6am. The plan was to try and traverse back to my house in Les Houches but the weather didn't look too tempting from the summit so I just did the usual ski tour up and down Buet. It's still a reasonable 1700m climb from car to summit. The final 300m or so on Buet somehow always seem to nail me. Even in summer when running up I always feel properly drained on the last stretch to the summit. It is not exactly high at 3100m well not high considering what's around but something always happens to me up there and I find it pretty hard on the last stretch. Anyway I was still 3hrs 30mins car to car and given most of the snow on the descent was horrible I was pretty happy with that. I then got home had some food and went for a skin up Les Houches with Guillem who was on his lunch break. Probably the slowest and worst I have ever felt on the climb up there but I did finish the day having done nearly 3000m of up hill work.

Summit of Mt Buet looking to the Mont Blanc Massif
So the sun keep shining and on my next day off it was looking all too good for a bash at going from Les Houches to the hamlet of Buet over the Aiguille Rouge. I drove up to Flatiere at 1300m and left the car at 7am. I headed up onto Aiguilette Des Houches at 2300m just as the sun peaked over the Dru which was pretty special. I then skied down a couple of hundred metres , skins on again and up to Brevent I went. From here a skied over to Col Brevent and headed down the backside skiing some really nice snow until I got down to the bridge where you cross in summer to get to Refuge Anternne. I stayed on the right bank of the gorge and skinned up towards the Chalets de Villy. Skinning up this valley which is one of my favourite summer runs was amazing. Nobody else around and the sun blazing down was excellent and I was loving it.

Sunrise on Aiguilette Des Houches
I stopped here for about 20 minutes just to enjoy the views and having a look around at the abundance of other tours around here to do in spring. It was then up to Col Salenton at around 2500m and down to Buet to meet Guillem who had kindly come to pick me up on his lunch. Probably my favourite ski tour I have done here with my first Paradiso mission coming a close second. It wasn't the best snow ever especially coming down off Salenton but the whole day and weather was just great. It was 30km with about 2500m of ascent and I was done in 5hrs 34mins. The snow is coming back this week but all I can think of is more long tours in spring like this one.

Deserted
Nearly at Col Salenton
I have managed one run this month! One lunch I went for 12km to Lavancher and back. Nothing amazing but I felt good. Lungs were going well but the legs felt a little tight. Normal I guess for this time of year but I really do need to start getting more runs in especially next month with Transvulcania only just over 2 months away. I am getting more and more excited for summer and back to the trails and races. Every time I look at my race schedule I have a double take. I honestly am unsure how I am going to afford it all but if it means living on pasta and tomato sauce all summer then so be it.

Trails running well to Lavancher
Transvulcania(Canary Islands) , The Rut(Montana) , Tromso(Norway) and The Bear(Utah) are huge races for me. All four of them I would love to do pretty well in , which is a new feeling for me as normally I just want to finish. It's going to be great getting to see new places. The past two years my focus has always been on my hundred miler and just to get it finished and that will never change. My main goal this year is still The Bear 100 however having also entered the other epic races I feel pretty driven to really give them a good go this season and just see what I can do. It's still in the back of my mind that I am only doing one 50 miler this year before my hundred and I am still unsure if it is a good idea to have it 4 months before my hundred , I would prefer it to have been 2 months. I did have the chance to run one in July but I really want to run The Rut and Tromso so I decided to do races I really want to run rather than just enter another 50 just for the sake of it. Who knows if this will work but I feel I know what I have to do to be successful in completing the Bear in September.

Anyway enough of this running chat for now , I am off for some Les Houches laps........

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