I’m two years into my writing these columns and I realize — too late — that I should have presented them to you chronologically: “Kathy’s adventures/the early years” etc.
Resorts including Chamonix, Tignes, La Plagne and Val Thorens have had significant amounts of snow this week, with the western Swiss Alps, Verbier, and far north-western Italian Alps forecast to have a good covering in the coming days
The 15,555-foot peak the highest in Western Europe stands as a sentinel to anyone who visits the Chamonix valley, even though the actual summit is typically not visible from the valley floor. The upper points of the Mont Blanc massif including the spiky Grandes Jorasses appear differently at every hour of the day based on sunlight and weather patterns that continually tangle and tussle, and occasionally, if briefly, harmonize into a stunning alpenglow that looks more like a watercolor painting than something that you're seeing with your own eyes. While the Mont Blanc summit isn't attainable by trail running reaching the glaciated top of Mont-Blanc requires advanced mountaineering skills and a lot of gear the mountain exudes a distinct mix of scenic beauty, breathtaking ruggedness, and a mystical aura that serves as a physical and sensory backdrop to running around its jagged flanks in both France and Italy.
We’re on the road for a few weeks starting in France before heading over to Switzerland and then perhaps Austria. Why ski in April you may ask? Well, it’s a fabulous time to be in the mountains in our view. Here’s why…