Premier Str8line Chamonix Camp * MEGABLOG TR *

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02-07-2006, 05:58 PM
skier666

Premier Str8line Chamonix Camp * MEGABLOG TR *

Music - John B on XM radio - Right click, save target as:

John B - Jan. 22, 2006 - XM radio

Dates: 01/29/06-02/03/06

Bad_roo provided his experiences in extremely well written detail in this thread:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=45782

Str8line camp Chamonix.
Countries involved....Italy and France.
Snow riders from all over the Northen Hemisphere which included shirk, Hicks, Horizon, Bad_roo, Hayduke, Skier666, Francis the Guide, and of course Mr. Str8line himself.

Day One - Courmayeur, Italy - 1300 m to 2300 m on this day

(the only non-bluebird day) taking the Tram from Entreves from just about 1300 m and riding lift access to about 2300 m. The upper trams were shut due to flat light, so we took this day to acclimate on some piste and tree runs. Roo tweaks his knee skiing through the untracked rooted mazes....go figure.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Courmap1.jpg

A quick 15 min ride through the Mt. Blanc tunnel from Chamonix:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_02.JPG

My first Italian espresso:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_01.JPG

Closed upper mountain:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_03.JPG

Trees that like to eat knees:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_04.JPG

Now do you see why Roo got hurt?

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_04a.JPG

Courmayeur pedestrian mall:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_05.JPG

...and a hidden pizza establishment in a dark alley:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_06.JPG

Day 2 - Courmayeur, Italy - Helbronner tram from La Palud at 1370 m to Mt. Helbronner to just around 3466 m.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Courmap2.jpg

I found this Brit in the parking lot begging for Euros:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_07.JPG

Some nice chutes on the way up....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_08.JPG

Mt. Blanc looker's right:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Cham_09.JPG

You can see the Matterhorn in the distance...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_010.JPG

Looking down toward Chamonix:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_011.JPG

The top with Mt. Blanc in the background:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_011a.JPG

Mt. Blanc - a tall hill...currently my desktop background:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_012.JPG

Niiiiiiice.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_014.JPG

Here's our run.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_013.JPG

And here's how you get down to the run (lack of snow prevented any chance to ski down to the glacier)

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_015.JPG

You can see the town of Courmayeur way down there.....and yes, we ended up down there, not too bad for vert?

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_016.JPG

Str8line wants my camera, but I won't give it to him:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_017.JPG

Str8line carves up the photo-op:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_018.JPG

From the midstation down to the valley floor was a tad thin....the line lookers left was primo, but I was also the first guy down. The traverse on lookers right is all dirt and rock.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_019.JPG

Once in the chute, it looked like this:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_020.JPG

Horizon makes a few turns:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_021.JPG

....then shirk decides to give it a go:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_022.JPG
02-07-2006, 05:59 PM
skier666

Day 3 - Les Grands Montets - From Argentiere at 1252 m to 3275 m to ski from the highest tram.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...ds_Montets.jpg

This day was firm.....the piste was great in the morning. The longest groomer I've ever skied happened today. Not many action shots because well...it was hardpack. And by the way, I'm not taking groomer pics if we're skiing Cham.

Popular ice-climbing area:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_023.JPG

Some big blue ice....I think its called a GlaCieR...the Argentiere one:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_024.JPG

From the summit, loking down at the valley at the World Cup DH course at Les Houches:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_025.JPG

The "sunny" ski fields.....Le Brevent on the left (usual spot for the Cham extreme comps) and La Flegere on the right:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_026.JPG

Zoom function enabled:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_027.JPG

Looking up the valley towards Le Tour:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_028.JPG

The Argentiere Glacier and Valley....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_029.JPG

and then panned to the right:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_030.JPG

Aiguille Verte....4121 m...we all skied that line....yep, that one ;)

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_031.JPG

Looking at the famous Aiguille De Midi and Mont-Blanc at 4810 m.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_032.JPG

This pic gives you an idea of the vertical here....we skied skier's right of this photo all the way down to the valley below...not too shabby eh? Cue the "you should see this place when its powder comment"....like we didn't here that everywhere we went.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_033.JPG

Horizon slaying the open fields of gnar-firm:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_034.JPG

Str8line and I decide to do a recon mission down this chute off the tram....dirt, stumps, rocks, but then a nice chalky line down to the groomer.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_035.JPG

Str8line wondering if we should do this.....he doesn't want to scratch his edges on his new Rossi's that he sandpapered for 95 minutes this morning:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_036.JPG

Cue Leroy Jenkins.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_037.JPG

Let's do this....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_038.JPG

Later on we catch up with Bad_roo at the MBC....we wish we hadn't:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_039.JPG

Gary Bigham and his patented slide show.....priceless:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_040.JPG

Myself, Daron Rahlves, Mrs. Rahlves, the crew, and Mr. Boring himself....Hayduke on the right:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_041.JPG
02-07-2006, 06:00 PM
skier666

Day 4 - Le Tour - 1462 m to 2270 m of some really varied and fun terrain. You can also ski into Switzerland...so that's an added bonus if you are in the market to purchase a new timepiece.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/skier666/Le_Tour.jpg

Mrs. Rahlves joined us for the day while we toured around every section of this mountain...we found lots of windloaded sections, that however, proved to be very dangerous a couple days earlier, so we played it safe with an eye for caution.

Vistas across the valley:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_042.JPG

Looking towards Switzerland:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_043.JPG

Some of the wind-blown terrain traps:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_044.JPG

Traversing out to hopefully a skiable chute....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_045.JPG

Nice view of Hayduke's behind....er, I mean the mountains.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_046.JPG

Le Tour Glacier, and the hidden chute we skied on the left.....this just proves how well Francis, our guide, knew the terrain....its the only one that has snow all the way through.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_046a.JPG

Idris's shot from across the valley...great perspective.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_047.jpg

Mrs. Rahlves slaying the windpack....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_048.JPG

Shirk making it look like fun....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_049.JPG

The midway angle....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_050.JPG

Hicks carving up the anti-pow.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_051.JPG

Str8line gracing us with his gorgeous physique....er, technique....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_052.JPG

Looking up at the Le Tour Glacier...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_053.JPG

Breaktime in France...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_054.JPG

Idris and his home-made Spatulettes....and yes, he rips on those things...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_055.JPG

Posettes Chutes - 800m (2500ft) of vertical down to Vallorcine area and train back to Le Tour:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_056.JPG

Str8line carving up the best snow of the day:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_057.JPG

All the pitches are consistent without any flat areas....here is Hayduke looking bored:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_058.JPG

Hicks with carving-steeze:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_059.JPG

.....he just loves the camera doesn't he? Thanks for the 50 Euro Hicks!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_060.JPG

Valley pedestrian tunnel steeze:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_061.JPG

....hydration...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_062.JPG

Idris's handsome modelling technique...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_063.JPG
02-07-2006, 06:01 PM
skier666

Day 5 - Aiguille Du Midi - 1035 m to 3842 m -

Most of us skied to the bottom with a grand total of 9,209 feet of vertical in one run! Granted the run wasn't too exciting, but we really didn't have much other choices. Francis was convinced it was some of the worst coverage he's seen up high for this time of the year....you can blame the Chinook style wind that existed the day we arrived. Oh well, at least we could ride top to bottom, in GORGEOUS BLUEBIRD WEATHER!

Since most of us were Aiguille JONGS, we took the scenic route toward the Glacier Du Geant, and down the Mer de Glace....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...guille_map.jpg

666 - Bored already!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_064.JPG

Loading dock...short walk from the Best Western:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_065.JPG

View from the mid-station....only if we had MORE SNOW!!!!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_066.JPG

Another mid-view:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_067.JPG

Ski the lift-line, I dare ya'..... S I C K ! Definition of Gnar.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_068.JPG

About half of these people are without harnesses...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_069.JPG

View from the top...ice-cube steeze...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_070.JPG

Couloir from the top...you've seen this in ski films with people rappelling down into it...but I was told its just as good to ski around.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_071.JPG

View of the run:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_072.JPG

My house....I'm taking roommate applications:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_073.JPG

"Chamonix...over 9,000 vertical feet!"

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_074.JPG

I found a drum and bass club up there....not very crowded:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_075.JPG

....classic Blizzard shot? I think so, but not sure on the names, please help:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_076.JPG

Roo = Samuel L. Jackson!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_077.JPG

Just don't slip.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_078.JPG

As the leader of the roped crew, I thought I should screw around a little....good times.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_079.JPG

Old mate in front of me was having some issues....sweet Jansport backpack though:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_080.JPG

666 contemplating whether he should "ski on the ridge"...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_081.JPG

...I kept yanking everyone to hurry up....I wanted to push Hayduke down to the midstation...I was getting sick of his British accent:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_082.JPG

I was waiting for Plake to due some "back-handsprings over the crevasse"

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_083.JPG

Str8line likes that "YMCA" song too much....please tell him its 2006:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_084.JPG

Another Blizzard shot...Hattrup and Plake have troubles on the chute on looker's left...HOW I WISH THIS WAS SKIABLE!!!!!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_085.JPG

Only open in the summer, this boring lift takes you to Helbronner and thus to Courmayeur, Italy.

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_086.JPG

First one in the crevasse wins...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_087.JPG

Sicko mountain....lots of exposure...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_088.JPG

Even more when you're ice-climbing the damn thing...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_089.JPG

At this point, Hayduke and I were BORED of the scenery...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_090.JPG

..wow...a hole....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_091.JPG

Hicks makes his mark...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_092.JPG

Bad_roo forgets about his knee for a photo-op:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_093.JPG
02-07-2006, 06:03 PM
skier666

Roo again.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_094.JPG

Glacier hopping...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_095.JPG

Mer de Glace...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_096.JPG

Francis getting serious about ice-screws...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_097.JPG

Roo with crampon steeze...that wall was 300 ft tall!!!!!!!!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_098.JPG

Losing light on the Mer de Glace.....grrrrrrrrreeaaatttt!

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_099.JPG

Near the bottom of the glacier...a sweet ice cave:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0100.JPG

...it fell on shirk and killed him...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0101.JPG

...stupid...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...Cham_0101a.JPG

...committed left-hand turn:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0102.JPG

Hicks in the gut.....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0103.JPG

Skiing the road back to Chamonix...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0104.JPG

Str8line profile shot....so serious about his work:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0105.JPG
02-07-2006, 06:03 PM
skier666

Day 6 - Le Brevent & La Flegere - 1032 m to 2525 m

Again....bluebird. Waited for it to soften a bit, and then rallied some piste runs from Brevent to the far side of Flegere. Wicked terrain up high on these hills....just more variable snow conditions since most of the mountain gets a lot of sun. We did some avalanche beacon searches/probing/pits today. Last run from summit to the car. Good times.

The ski fields....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0106.jpg

More off-piste....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0107.JPG

some off-off-piste...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0108.JPG

How cute...the guys playing with their probes...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0109.JPG

Nice vertical back to the carpark....Hayduke had a great time on this run:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0110.JPG

The view of the Aiguille from across the valley...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0111.JPG

The new anti-point...."the hand":

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0112.JPG

Hayduke went down to change...and then he blew past us on skins....go figure:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0113.JPG

Last night in Cham....Roo ran around scaring dogs...

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0114.JPG

Roo was constipated from the weeks activities....

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0115.JPG

This guy played a nice set at La Cantina...and then I went home to pack...when I should have started working on this TR:

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0116.JPG

El fin....
02-07-2006, 06:06 PM
bigtrubs

Wow..... just..... wow.

Nice TR!
02-07-2006, 06:15 PM
Seldom Seen

killer TR! Must..... Go..... To...... Europe!
02-07-2006, 06:16 PM
bbirtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier666

http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_088.JPG

Mmmmm... "The Supercouloir". ED2. Rock at V / A1. Ice Scottish 4-5. 800m. 12-15hrs. Someday...

Nice pics! Would've liked to see more ski pics but hey sometimes you get the snow, sometimes you get the sun ehh?

I didn't know Hayduke did ski touring?
02-07-2006, 06:17 PM
mr_gyptian

Whoa. I couldn't believe how much fun I had when I went to Silverton for two days of sun cups and boilerplate two springs ago.

looks like you just had a trip that transcended snow conditions. Nict TR.
02-07-2006, 06:20 PM
PNWbrit

Wow

This together with Roo's post are inspiring.

Roo's ski pants are ugliest on planet.
02-07-2006, 06:23 PM
Raps

yeah i second that wow, that must have taken like 2 hours to post.......looks absolutely incredible, even without any big powder days.

Sick TR
02-07-2006, 06:24 PM
slim

Le Rad...
02-07-2006, 06:25 PM
miniracer

Excellent TR.

Scenery looked awesome.

And I thought the east coast had ice skiing.
02-07-2006, 06:25 PM
Daywalker

Great TR. Str8line camp looks rad. At least Roo doesn't have the matching top to those pants.

Where are the dates to next years camps?
02-07-2006, 06:33 PM
shirk

Yeah that about sums it up perfect.
We had great fun with the limited conditions.
02-07-2006, 06:34 PM
Buster Highmen

Ah the romance of Yurp, the endless powder, the stunning arretes, the vast glaciers.

But this is the stuff that makes me smile:
http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_015.JPG
02-07-2006, 06:37 PM
lemon boy

Titties, absolute titties.

I was worried that your mix was gonna be too short but....uhhh it is still going...

Caption for this shot:
http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_093.JPG
Jason Levinthal welcomes the newest spancered Line skier: Bad_Roo!

titties.
02-07-2006, 06:42 PM
SquawMan

outstanding bloggage :yourock:
02-07-2006, 06:48 PM
seanyob

Un-fucking-believable TR!! Great pics & captions..... So jealous.....
02-07-2006, 06:59 PM
Superstar Punani

Thanks 666! Looks like a fun crew!!!!

Did you guys hit up the area to lookers left / skiers right of the Grand Montets top tram? That's where a lot of the Blizzard helmet-cam footage was shot.

2 years ago today (sorry, couldn't resist ;) - this will psyche you up for the next trip). (Pic: Splat)

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic18494.jpg
02-07-2006, 07:01 PM
ridefree

So despirately want to get back there. Brings back memories of some runs I took by looking at some of those pics. Damn fine work!
02-07-2006, 07:19 PM
TurxSki

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seldom Seen

killer TR! Must..... Go..... To...... Europe!

Really ? Based on what you're seeing here :confused:

If you're such a big fan of sketchy conditions, come on over to Tahoe soon :redface:

Great wordage 666. Fine pics. Merci.

Are you keeping the brain-bucket, btw ? ;)
02-07-2006, 07:35 PM
bcrider

wow!

looks incredible skier666. :fm:

You only missed rain here.

ps. guest appearance by trackhead? :p
http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0113.JPG
02-07-2006, 07:37 PM
yesIsaidyes

Was Gordy the only one not wearing a helmet? Did they require you guys to wear em? (not like it wasn't a good idea - just wondering)
02-07-2006, 07:52 PM
iskibc

Some very nice pics in there 666. Thanks for taking the time to share the experience with us. Looks like you had some fun even though the weather didn't exactly cooperate. I have to get to Cham some day. Looks like Tom is doing well. Doesn't surprise me that he rigged up his own spatula-esque type of ski:smile: .

Nice work!
02-07-2006, 07:54 PM
Squirrel99

damn, ons - get a sticky on this one!!! some great chit here.

somehow I don't buy it....we all know the devil skier straightlined this sucka!
http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s...6/Cham_015.JPG
02-07-2006, 07:54 PM
shirk

Helmets were not mandatory, just highly recomended. Badass guide didn't wear one and str8 wore his most all days beside the last one.

The euro trackhead dude schooled it on the nasty ice bobsled run / moguls on that gear on the way down the Brevant.
02-07-2006, 08:44 PM
Trackhead

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcrider

ps. guest appearance by trackhead? :p
http://www.royalambassadorapts.com/s.../Cham_0113.JPG

Pffft, I have a pink tutu, not that ugly thing.

Nice TR 666, that place looks amazing. I'd love to go there some time just to see stuff go down.
02-07-2006, 09:19 PM
XtrPickels

Awesome report 666.
Thanks for taking the time. I was gripped on some of the pics and I wasn't even there.
02-07-2006, 09:19 PM
Xover

simply spectacular
looks like a trip that will be remembered for a life time
thanx for taking time to post it all

oh, and they don't call him Top 40 Gordy for nothin' :biggrin:
02-07-2006, 09:22 PM
str8line

Nice edit Casey! Damn that must have been difficult with 3872 photos to choose from.

Between your mega-photo-blog and Roo's sidesplitting TR it has been fun to re-live it.
02-07-2006, 09:27 PM
girlski0912

Nice TR 666...I forgot how amazing the Alps are and I must get back. Way to make an incredible trip out of mediocre conditions. And I sure that you didn't crack a joke the entire time.

And Str8line should be paying each mag for the publicity from each TR that gets posted. I WANNA DO A STR8LINE CAMP TOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
02-07-2006, 09:29 PM
stump832

Good stuff. I mean real good.
02-07-2006, 09:59 PM
Lou

Casey, thanks puting the time into this TR to deliver the euro fix. Looks like quite an adventure.
Tim
02-07-2006, 10:10 PM
str8line

What a hoot. That was a damn fun trip.

Some highlights from my perspective:

-We had a great group of cool maggots(plus one non maggot and our non maggot guide), so it felt like we already knew each other. I loved hanging with these guys.

-The international representation made it cool:

Roo-London
Hayduke-London
Horizon-London, a fairly recent transplant from his native Bucharest, Romania
Hicks-Cologne, Deutchland
Shirk-Toronto but with his new apt. waiting for him in Vancouver
Skier666-San Francisco/Tahoe
Paul-Portland and Hood River
Francis our guide-Chamonix
Myself-S.L.C.

-We skied 8 resorts in 7 days(7 of them from top to bottom). Some skied 7 in 6.

-We saw and did a lot. It was nearly non-stop skiing and seeing action.

-The scenery just wouldn't quit.

-We got to hang with worldly people like Idris, Gary Bigham, Bbirtle, D Rahlves and M Rahlves.

-Our guide Francis ruled and really made himself a part of our group as opposed to just our leader.

-The breakfasts at our hotel were actually good and allowed us to ease into every day with some nice comaraderie.

-We had some excellent dinners(a bit of a rarity when you don't know where to go in Cham) and great mountain lunch experiences.

-I laughed a lot, even when I had no voice to laugh with.

-I slept through my watch alarm and a really loud french phone on our one bluebird powder morning and no-one made me feel too bad about it. I was on serious drugs...

-We got to hang with Daron Rahlves and his wonderful wife Michelle and get a glimpse into the lifestyle of the world's gnarliest downhill racer.

-and nearly got to watch a mens downhill right before the Olympics(at least we got a good deal of the race atmosphere during our 3 hour wait for it to be canceled)

I only wish we could have gotten a bit of snow so that we could have let Skier666 off his leash(not that he complained at all) to tear Cham a new one. As it was we had to be a bit careful to not get into anything too big since the hardpack conditions would have bitch-slapped anyone who made a mistake. Also, I wish Roo wouldn't have hurt himself on day one(boy did that look wierd seeing him laying there with his ski twisted backward and him as calm as could be like it was a regular occurence)

Minus those two drawbacks, it was a stellar time.
02-07-2006, 10:19 PM
PowderPig

Stunning. :fm:

Looked like a good time :)
02-07-2006, 10:47 PM
Free Range Lobster

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbirtle

Mmmmm... "The Supercouloir". ED2. Rock at V / A1. Ice Scottish 4-5. 800m. 12-15hrs. Someday...

Honestly one of the best photos I've seen of Supercouloir.

FKNA GNAR WOOT TR
02-07-2006, 10:49 PM
DownhillRider

Damn, now THAT was a AMAZING TR. Combined with the killer writing of roo, it feels like I was there! hahaha
02-07-2006, 11:02 PM
FollowMe

I'm living the vicarious dream.

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