Since the seed of this expedition was planted I had mostly looked forward to the training and a repeat trip to Chamonix was always on the cards.
Training has been a huge part of my life for past couple of years and I intend to keep in going long after the science programme in the Arctic is over and have it as part of my weekly routine. One crucial turning point for me was when I injured my ribs in Wales on Pembrokshire coastline a few months ago... I thought my dreams had been shattered right before me when I felt excruciating pain everytime I trained.
I remember back in November we were training right outside Buckingham palace and the pain from doing a simple push up make me nauseous and whilst in plank position when i thought i couldn't do anymore, I spotted a tiny stuffed bear peaking at me from behind the grass, as sweat was watering the foliage around me I looked at it and it felt like he was willing me to go on, 'go on Flo, awesome effort Flo, keep going', i'm not sure where i found the will power from but I worked through my damaged ribs and completed the remainder of that session effortlessly. I kept the bear and named it Royal as it was found on Royal grounds and it's also a Rich Royal blue. Not much of a name for a bear but it was very fitting. I often wondered who Royal belonged to, where he's come from, what he's been through, with its well stuffed body it was perfect aside from a small tear on it's right shoulder, but to me Royal was perfect. I kept him as he was as his perfection and flaws were part of who he was to me...
Royal has been with me ever since that mid November evening and he has kept me going when I thought I couldn't give anymore, he was my crutch in everyway. In mid December my first trip to Chamonix, Royal came with me and it was was to be no different for this Chamonix trip too.
With my rucksacks packed and Royal within reach we left like early birds in the morning and caught a plane to Geneva, good old BA airmiles sorted me out...
Looking out at Geneva from the plane the little peaks of terrain everywhere reminded me of meringue tops, I knew I hungry for some sugar, not for the pitiful sandwich that was offered on the flight!
From Geneva an hour's drive took us into the heart of Chamonix...Ahhh Chamonix, I'm back again! Not only does it harbour Mont Blanc the highest peak in Europe but it's also a natural hub for extreme sports all year round so it's a wonder why I've fallen for this place. A little over two hours from home and you're surrounded by natural delights...
The only downfall is the exchange rates for food and drinks (5euros for a beer!), but equipment shopping is worth taking a look at, and there are plenty of shops here! I'm a keen shopper for kit! Shopping for extreme wear over the borders of another country certainly makes me no different!
Our first day was, -you guessed it- shopping day! We made sure there was time for this and Chamonix didn't fail! It was my plan here to complete my kit list as there's a lot more choice here with brands and models you'd find hard to get in the UK. Back over here you get Cotswold, Snow and Rock, Ellis Brigham which contain a small selection of styles from different brands, in Chamonix you get whole shops dedicated to one brand!
Icebreaker was my first stop and my favourite kind of baselayer... There is nothing that compares to 100 % Merino wool against my skin and I wouldn't dream of using anything else (smelly Helly, er no thanks!)... The day rounded off nicely with gear complete and Fondue and beers downed in the evening!
My hotel room looked out onto the mountains but the next morning I awoke to find a blanket of cloud had descended and visibility was poor. We made it to the Aguille Du Midi lifts and the live monitors showed that the visibility doesn't get better at the top. I had to swallow my disappointment as we went into plan B, the Montenver Glacier. The hope was to get onto the glacier and do some glacial work but our cute train ride up there confirmed that the visibility was not dying down so the cable cars were stuck. We crossed our fingers and toes that they would reopen soon whilst we visted the crystal caves and small shop/cafe there. Plenty of skiers and mountaineerers were stuck there also.
Our prayers were answered when the cables started moving, woo! With our kit on our backs and a smile on our faces we took a short cable ride down. The ride proceeded with a 350 down to the natural ice caves, it was interesting to see what level the glacier was at certain years, it's levels have been lowered throughout the years and by a fast pace too. The first thing you'll notice when you get up here is the deafening sound of the glacier when it moves and cracks against it's own pressure firing off other areas with repeating cracks almost as if each crack is in a competition to beat the others... so addictive and hypnotising to hear. We got to the caves but the clouds were still so thick we were advise that it'd be too dangerous to proceed onto the glacier! Despite the disapointing start to our trip we put our chins up and made the most of the day by enjoying what we could.
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