Deep fresh in Courmayeur today!

Hi All, hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year!

I've just finished my first 3 day Tech Clinic of the season. The weather hasn't been great, bad visibility, snow and then rain right up to 2000m which wasn't so good but the hard core Brits rode through the hard times and then scored it big time today in Courmayeur where it snowed a good 30 to 40cm and of course we had to ride in it all day long!

The guys came on well, we worked on using the control points of the board effectively, looked at the bio-mechanics of movement to apply pressure to the board in order to make it turn by design rather than force and looked at controlling speed by the line you take and by re-thinking how you look at, read and ride the terrain that the mountain presents (even on the piste!).

It was the first of the three day sessions that I've run and we managed to get a lot done and made some great changes. All the guys said that it was a shame the course wasn't longer as they were just starting to click with certain things but they now know what they need to work on and have goals to work towards. They are on the progression now and so everyday will just get better and better!

Towards the end of the day the temperature rose again and we heard some massive avalanches roaring down the Brenva face of Mont Blanc which was hidden in the cloud. It rained again in Chamonix for most of the day so its good to have the Courmayeur option for these kind of conditions when the warm air is coming up from the South. The 2 sides of Mont Blanc are often opposites when it comes to conditions and weather patterns.

Anyway, it was nice to dive in to some deep fresh again and I had a great three days with the team.

I now have a few days off before I start the big run through until April! I finally put the bike away and set it up on the turbo trainer in the garage, I'm determined to not loose the fitness that I worked so hard to get this Autumn, I might even get out down the valley in the next few days if the weather stays as it is as the roads are now clear again. It would be strange to be out on the bike for the start of the year, then riding freshies up the hill the next day!

As I write this it has started snowing again outside so things are looking better for next week, snow down here means dumping up top!

Quite a lot of interest in courses coming in but most are now full so check out the courses page on the site for availability or contact Ruth in the office.

All is good in Chamonix!

Neil.

Perfect waves at the Grands Montets!

Liam riding the Evola Glacier on a BC freeride week 2005!

Today I headed up the Grands Montets to ride with our 2005 brochure cover star Liam Keeley (pictured above). With a strong foehn wind blowing in the valley it didn't look to nice up the hill and the Grands Montets looked like the logical choice it being slightly more sheltered from these strong South Westerly winds.

It's been snowing quite a bit these last few days but with strong winds so I was pretty interested to see how the conditions were going to be up the hill.

The weather wasn't so bad once we got up and we started out with a few runs on the Bochards piste which was in pretty good condition.
We worked on some technique to begin with and Liam made a few quick adjustments to his riding, changing a couple of technical elements and also concentrating more on his line and the way he looked at and worked with the mountain.

It's pretty important to look at the big picture whilst making slight changes to technical details. There's no point making technical changes to your riding if you don't also look at the effects these changes are going to have or need in terms of changes in your control of line/speed and how you use the mountain (and vice versa!)

We spent a few hours on riding technique before the weather started to come good and we ventured up and off the Hearse lift to check out the Off piste conditions over towards the Italian Bowl. There's still plenty of rocks around but over on the sheltered aspects and in the gullies and bowls the snow was deep and un-tracked.

We found a couple of perfect windlips running down the mountain, looking like perfect curling waves just waiting to be torn apart. I love slashing, carving and sliding the top of windlips and these ones were perfect for airing out of to boardslide on the top to re-entry over and over again, beautiful!

The snow was a bit wind effected but great fun to ride and we had a fantastic days riding!

The Foehn has brought a rapid rise in temperature, -17c yesterday to 0c today! Temperature rises like this really effect the snow pack and can be the cause of some big slab avalanches where the wind has been piling in the snow. The cold temps last week and thin snow cover creates a big temperature gradient in the snow pack and depth and surface hoar crystals grow creating weak layers in the snowpack.

The strong winds then load the snow into the sheltered slopes causing wind slab. If the wind slab sits on top of a weak layer it is highly prone to releasing on mass. At this time of the year lots of these loaded slopes haven't had any traffic and and are still highly unstable so be careful out there!

Having said this, I have just learned of an avalanche at Le Tour yesterday involving a 2 meter slab release in the back bowls just off the Tete du Balme! Check out www.chamonet.com for the full story!

Be careful out there! Give it a couple of days to settle down before venturing too far out there, check the snow pack and watch where you ride!

There is more snow forecast this week so the conditions should be good for the early season courses and if today is anything to go by then its going to be amazing!

All is good, get your fill!

Neil.

Powder turns at Flegere!

Blue skies and fresh snow!

I've spent the past 2 days doing laps at Flegere with my friend UK Freerider extraordinaire James Stentiford and posse. Its been surprisingly good considering how little fresh snow we've had recently. Fleger is one of the least rocky areas for this time of the year and there's some surprisingly good Off Piste to be had up there at the moment. However, after our 2 sessions up there yesterday and today its looking a little tracked out and we could do with some more snow to fill it back in.

Had some nice powder turns today though, real nice, you have to be very wary of what's under foot so a little caution isn't a bad thing. A lot of the rock bands haven't filled in so you have to weave your way around quite a few big drops but all in all it was pretty good fun.

There are touring and hiking tracks leading off to all the usual spots already, some keen teams out there that must be hiking both in and out for a few turns. I think that I'll wait a little before heading out too far. Its only going to get better with more snow and there's no rush.

Quite cold this morning, -17C here in Les Houches and pretty cold up the hill. For the avalanche aware this shallow snowpack and cold temps (= big temerature gradients) will be ringing the warning bells for growing depth hoar and surface hoar that will possibly now plague the Northern slopes in weeks and months to come. Something to think about when dropping into big descents later in the season. Might be worth digging a snowpit or two to check things out.

Christmas is nearly upon us and my courses start very soon now, kicking off with a 3 day tech clinic between Christmas and New Year and then into the thick of it with the regular calendar of courses through until April and into May.

There are a few spaces left here and there so if you're looking to join a course get in touch and we'll see what we can do.

Ruth has been away and so if you're waiting for a response from the office you can expect her to be in touch early this week.

Snow is forecast this week both sides of Mont Blanc to things should be good for the early season courses. If today is anything to go by and you know where to look you'll be in for a good one!

All good in Chamonix!

Neil.

My God, its nearly Christmas already!

The winter is upon us!

Wow, time is flying by and next week its Christmas and the winter is fully under way!

There's a few new faces popping up around Chamonix as the seasonaires start to move in for the winter, the Christmas lights are up and on and its due to snow some more this week (30cm at 2000m and 10cm down here in the valley apparently) so that's all good!

It's been cold, -20 up the midi today, -10 here in Les Houches, where we now don't get the sun until sometime in febuary!

I've managed to get out on my bike a couple more times to power up the legs a bit more. It's cold going down hill but not so bad on the way up especially in the sun. Great to still be out riding at this time of year.

I headed over to Courmayeur yesterday (for a ski with my daughter Manon) and had a quick look around. Like here, they're making a lot of snow cannon snow over there and the pistes have good cover but the artificial snow is quite hard pack and Off piste the base is pretty thin. The new snow coming in this week should change things and top us up for Christmas so we'll wait and see and I'll keep you up to date on how things progress.

Anyone that has been trying to get in touch this week, I'm sorry if we've not been in touch but Ruth had to go back to the UK for a few days and so I've in charge of the office and our girls, hence nothing has been done in the office! Ruth will be in touch early next week so don't worry we'll be back to normal soon enough!

On the course front, they're looking pretty full (from where I'm sitting looking up at the calendar) now up into April but if you see a gap go for it and get in touch with Ruth next week.

I start with courses after Christmas and then its pretty full on through the winter. I'm really looking forward to it, I'm just loving snowboarding more than ever!

I've a couple of new posts on my Q&A blog so check them out and I'm picking up the new McNab Snowboarding long sleeve T's tomorrow so they'll be available soon. They look nice with 'The fine art of riding mountains' across the chest. Look out for them on the goodies page on the McNab snowboarding web site.

Nipped into Zero G (the Chamonix Snowboard shop) this morning to pick up my new board 'Salomon special 2 magnum 166' which was getting a tune up. The shop has just had a full new fit up and looks good, my board looks awesome!

All is good,

be riding with you soon!

Take it easy,

Neil.

Another big day! A great start to the season!

The winter season has started!

Yesterday the sun came out down the valley so I figured dry roads and headed out for a beasting on the bike. I figured it might be the last ride for a while and had nothing else planned for the day and so hit a few big climbs and really powered out the legs. Just got back to the car around midday when the mobile rang, Jes and Chris (from the TSA) were on the way to Cham for an afternoons riding and asked me if I'd come up for a charge about. The legs were feeling beat but I'm not one to shy away from some more exercise and so headed straight up the Grands Montets for a great afternoons riding. Nice!

Mr Jones, who I was riding with the other day (see previous news) movie premiered some of his latest footage at the MBC in Chamonix the other night. I unfortunately missed the event but heard it was pretty impressive and I'm sure will get to see it sooner or later. An inspirational rider and character who I hope to hook up with in the future for some interesting projects.

Looks like we have some more snow coming in later in the week, a bit of sun in the meantime though so might even get the bike out for another session before the winter hits for good.

Really looking forward to getting stuck into this seasons courses now, I'm enjoying snowboarding more than ever, it already feels amazing and I feel inspired to pass on and share my passion for the mountains and the pleasure I get from being in them and riding down them.

If you are booked on a course with me this coming winter I hope you're already getting excited about it. Start getting some leg and aerobic fitness together so that you can get the most out of your time on the mountain, Cycling and Yoga is my tip for the top!

If you haven't booked a course yet but want to get out and join me we have only a few limited places left so you need to get in touch with Ruth here in the office for availability or possible cancellation updates (which I will also post on the courses page on the web site).

If you have any snowboard or equipment related questions don't hesitate to contact me, I have started a Q&A blog and just posted some more questions and answers on there so check it out through the link on the home page at mcnabsnowboarding.com

All is good, hope you're looking forward to the winter as much as me and of course Christmas too!

2010 is going to be amazing!

Can you feel it?

Neil.

Jeremy who, Jeremy Jones?

Jeremy Jones and his new prototype Jones Snowboard!

So last night I got a call from TSA head honcho Jeremy Sladen, it went something like this, "Jeremy Jones is coming over to Chamonix tomorrow will you go up and ride with him, show him around?" after some consideration, I reluctantly agreed to get my ass out of the office and go meet up with this 'Mr Jones' at the Grands Montets and spend the day riding with him. Well better than sitting in the office all day?

Ok, so I wasn't that reluctant, in fact, I have to admit I was quite excited by the prospect of riding with one of the Worlds 'all time' greatest Freeriders, to see what he could do, check out his riding and catch up on his gossip.

Of course Jeremy has been around Chamonix plenty and with only really the Bochards piste open there was never going to be much showing him around going on and we basically just ripped lap after lap on the Bochards top to bottom, cranking and playing with all the features on route.

Jeremy as many of you may know is branching out with his own Snowboard company, 'Jones Snowboards' that comes with a Freeride flavoured approach and design and he had just picked up a couple of new boards hot off the press, designed to his very own specifications and for the big mountains style of riding that he is famous for.

The boards looked nice! A rocker design in the nose but with normal camber to just short of the widest point of turning edge contact, so normal camber to well in front of the front foot for turning pressure and then rocker to the nose for extra float. Best of both worlds, nice idea!

The board runs with normal camber to just behind the rear foot then there's a small amount of rocker (2cm) running from a little way behind the foot to the tail. Now I'm not convinced with tail rockers as I love the tail pressure in the rear of the board and mentioned this to Jeremy who replied that he too regards the tail of the board as the most important point with regards pressure at the end of the turn and although there is a slight rocker in the tail of this board, the tail has been designed to be very strong and is still super stiff.

The idea behind the small amount rocker is that the turn radius of the board can easily be made smaller for steep narrow couloirs. You can carve right to the end of the edge on hard pack or in softer snow you can bring the pressure point in closer to your rear foot and use the rocker to finish the turn.

The edge of the board had a very slight magna traction type of thing going on so all in all this should give a super nice all mountain charging type of ride!

It was his first day out on it, they were literally hot off the press and so I was keen to see how it worked and what he thought of it.

We headed up the Bochards and had a warm up run at about mach 10 and then quickly built up speed run by run. The board seemed to perform real nice and Jeremy was super stoked on its performance. These were the first proto types and so it'll be interesting to see how things progress from here and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result production models come onto the market.

We also talked about split boards, I've always been very disappointed with splits in the past, finding them great for going up hill but too soft for riding down. The bindings have also always been raised up on a plate with lots of flex and loss of feeling. I love the idea of skinning up and riding down with out having to carry a board but until a good split hits the market I'll stick to my snow shoes. Jeremy is keen to bring out a riding biased split to his quiver of boards and there are now new split bindings that eliminate the riser and flex problem so maybe the future of Backcountry riding could be about to change with the introduction of the Jones splitboard?

lets hope he doesn't take too long!

Its a big move to start up your own Snowboard company, especially these days, but this guy has a passion for what he does and is designing kit with lots of thought and experience to back it up. Its a refreshing change to see someone designing boards not just for fashion or to introduce a new sales point but for pure all mountain function so good luck to him!

Anyway we had a great day riding and talked about hooking up for some future projects which could be fun!

I was riding my Burner 166 today which never fails to perform and this years Malamutes are even better than last years, after 2 days riding in them they feel totally dialed in, perfect!

I felt strong again today, riding nice and fluid and with one of the greatest riding partners on the planet! So not a bad day at all.

Not many spaces left on this seasons courses! If you want to get out on a course this season you'd better get in touch with Ruth in the office asap.

Good weather again tomorrow and then Snow to 700m!!! What are we going to do?

Here we go!

Neil.

Awesome day at the Grands Montets today!

Some of this today!

I'm just down from an amazing day up at the Grands Montets!

Blue skies, sunshine and soft powder. Ok so you don't want to stray too far from the piste because the snow base isn't complete yet but the Bochard piste was un-pisted and covered in about 2 foot of fresh which was pretty nice!

This was my first real day of playing about on my board and having a good rip around. It felt amazing, my legs were good and strong after all the cycling and it felt like I'd not been off it. Felt like I was riding really strong (if I do say so myself) upper body and arms super relaxed, feet with good feeling and good strong legs.
It got pretty bumpy after a while but they were pretty soft still and it was great fun pounding through them and there was even a drop off or two to hit.

Great day, this is why we do it!

Courmayeur is also looking good and the Helbronner will be worth a look so more of the same to come.

Man, I just love days like this!

Neil.

Grandes Montets yesterday and more snow today!

These days just arrived!

I headed up the Grandes Montets yesterday for a bit of a slide. Being the weekend it was a wee bit busy with only the Bochard open, the Marmottons 2 man chair and the dream Forrest chair. It was a bit windy high up but the snow was pretty good and once you got going it was pretty nice on the piste and great to be out sliding again.

Its pretty rocky underfoot on the Grandes Montets and whilst a lot of people were venturing off piste I think it pretty wise to hold back a little in the early days until the snow pack starts to build up a little more and you don't have to be quite as cautious!

There'll be time for powder before too long don't you worry!

Most courses are now full but here's an update on availability!

We have just had a cancellation today and one space is now available on the 3 day Off piste clinic 28th March to 1st April (riding days 29th, 30th, 31st).

1 place remains on the post season 3 day tech clinic 27th to 31st Dec (riding days 28th, 29th and 30th).

A couple of places remain on the 21st to 28th Feb Tech clinic.

1 place remains on the Advanced BC course 7th to 14th March.

1 place remains on the BC Intro 14th to 21st March

Places are available on the 3 day Off piste and 3 day BC Intro the week of the 18th to 25th April.

The Mont Blanc summit week has one place remaining (but if there is demand I will open another group of 2 for this week).

I'm still toying with the idea of running a snowboard touring week in the Ortler Alps 11th to the 18th April. If you're interested in this tour let me know (a couple of people are already up for it!)

Also if anyone is interested in pre Christmas coaching or guiding I will be available weekends throughout December (half days £280 full day £450 for up to 6 people).

Its been raining in the valley today but snowing above 1800m so it should be getting good up the hill. I'll probably nip up there for another look and slide in the next couple of days and will let you know.

Final news, I just signed a sponsorship deal with 'Giro' for helmets and eyewear and so will sporting Giro helmets this coming winter. I've never really ridden in a helmet before, I started out in the pre helmet era and never converted but figured it was finally time to get smart. The Giro goggles also look very good and I'm looking forward to trying them out.

I'll be riding the Salomon Special 11 magnum 166 for most things this winter, the relay bindings as usual and the new Salomon Malamute boots, very good kit!

If anyone has any questions on snowboard kit, stances, technique or BC advice just let me know and check out my new blog site 'Ask McNab snowboarding!'

You can find the link through the web site.

Enough ramblings, got to get on the Turbo soon for a bike session.

Neil.

Fresh tracks in winter powder today!

These days are here!

I Skinned up Le Tour this morning to the top of the Tete du Balm with the Dog, bit of an excuse to take the dog out for a good walk and get in some early season fresh.

It was a beautiful day, quite a lot of teams out ski touring but once you got up the home piste it was pretty quiet and near enough perfect.

The dog broke trail up towards the Tete du Balm, until he got a bit tired and then he decided to walk on the tails of my skis for a bit. I was to slow though and so he was back out in front before to long. I made it to the top in about an hour from the car park which I think is pretty quick even if the dog wasn't impressed.

It was beautiful up on top with magnificent views of which you'll just have to take my word for as I took no photos. The dog gets a little excited when he knows we're about to go downhill and so I had to make my change over pretty quick as he was ruining the ambiance for everyone, very impatient!

I've not skied since last year so of course headed straight for the steepest and deepest looking fresh snow and set about making some fresh lines. Surprisingly it felt like I'd not really been off them and I managed to score some really nice powder turns for about 400m before rejoining the piste. The dog, who was all ballsy, challenging and over confident at the top was by now wallowing neck deep in it and digging his own fresh line but no contest as to who won there, oposable thumbs do it for us yet again!

The piste was in pretty good condition until the home run and then you hit the man made snow and the snow cannons were on. There's good snow cover to the car park, it just needs pisting to give it some consistancy but all is good.

The Grands Montets opens at the weekend, just the Bochard cabin and the Marmottons chair but once the rush is over I'll head up for a ride on my new Salomon special magnum 166 which looks and feels awesome and it'll be great to get out on the board for a session.

So things seem to have suddenly sped up since the last snow fall, one day I'm out on the bike getting in some decent mileage and not really thinking too much about the winter, the next day it has arrived and its time to slide.

I'm available for private guiding/tuition days in December if anyone fancies hitting the slopes early but I'm not planning on running any scheduled courses so if you fancy an early season technique refresher or a day or two's Off piste/Backcountry warm up give us a shout.

Fantastic, might go back up tomorrow, well, the dog will obviously need to go out!

Neil.

Winter is here, its official!

These days are here!

Well we sledded the girls to school this morning, the van is stuck/parked at the bottom of the hill and winter chaos reigns!

It always takes a couple of days for us to make the full transition from Autumn to Winter. All those little winter preparation jobs you've been putting off suddenly need doing all at once and with all the snow lying around become twice as difficult. Anything left out in the garden is now gone until the spring, out of sight out of mind, well at least everything looks tidy again out there with its new blanket of winter whiteness and you need to search out all those snow shovels, car scrapers and essential winter items that you'd forgotten all about. Thankfully it snowed a couple of weeks ago so we had a warning shot and most things were pretty much ready to go.

Jeff, our brochure cover star the last couple of years, called yesterday (as he's out here in Chamonix for early December) to see if he should pack his mountain bike. Yesterday I said, maybe get it ready and see nearer the time, this morning I had to tell him to put it away, the snow is here and it dumping down. I'm setting my bike up on the indoor trainer today and it'll possibly stay on there now until spring. I might however nip over to Annecy for a quick ride this week if it clears up over that way, I'll probably get out for a tour on my skis though so we'll see.

Anyway the general vibe is that winter is here, there's a load of snow dumping down and things are looking good. I'm going to maybe head up for a wee slide up at Le Tour when it clears, but at the moment the roads are deep in it and getting covered as fast as they can clear them.

I read this week in a French paper that Mont Blanc had shifted some 26meters to the East! I guess this is over quite some time, but the French were quick to point out that the summit is still in France? It has also lost half a meter in altitude but is still a tad over 4810m (the actual rock summit is some 18m under the summit ice cap) the summit is also said to rise by 1cm a year! I was up there loads this summer and never even noticed!

Course news: I'm thinking about running a Snowboard touring week over in the Ortler Alps mid April. It looks prety good for snowboard touring as its mostly hike up and ride down rather than traversing a lot like the Haut Route. I'll keep you posted but if anyone is interested in something like this maybe get in touch and I'll see how the interest looks before I plan it out. Otherwise I'll maybe just go and have a play over there myself?

Anyway it looks like we're going to have a great winter and I'm really looking forward to it. There are a few places left here and there, but things are filling quickly now so if you're inspired to get out and ride with us get in touch sooner rather than later.

All is good and you can get excited now!

Neil.

The peaks look amazing!

These days are coming, oh yeah!

The skies cleared today after a few days of bad weather to reveal the jagged peaks above the Chamonix valley coated once again in a fresh coat of white icing against a perfect blue clear sky backdrop, Amazing!

Its gotten a bit colder again and the snow line dropped down to about 1400m. It was a bit milder with the sun out today and so its gone back up a bit but the mountains are looking pretty white again and there's more bad weather coming so it looks like this is the start of it.

i keep thinking I've been out on my bike for the last time each time I go out but I managed to get out for a pretty big ride today with a couple of friends and felt good and strong as we headed down the valley to Passy and then up to Plan Joux for a bit of a work out. As long as there's no snow on the roads down there I'll keep getting out, loving it!

On the courses front things are getting pretty full through Jan and Feb, a few places are available on the Feb Tech clinic 21st to 28th (come on I can't believe you're all riding perfectly already, this is the course everyone needs to do!) Things are then pretty full up until the end of April when I have a free week available for either a group booking or I'm looking ast maybe putting on a new Snowboard touring type course. I was looking at offering the Haute route as a course but its a bit of a high level traverse so its not ideal for snowboarding so now I'm looking at a few alternatives. I quite fancy doing a couple of tours around the Grand Paradiso in Italy and a friend told me about another spot that sounds interesting in Italy too so keep checking back for more news on this venture.

I also put on a couple of new 3 day courses with a Backcountry Intro and another Off Piste clinic just before the Mont Blanc summits week which finishes off the season.

For those wondering what the conditions are like towards the end of April, I think this is one of the best riding times with long days, a good snow base and beautiful sunny weather.
April showers means there is frequent fresh snow up high and the North faces can still hold good cold winter snow. I've always had some good turns at the end of the season, it one of those things, just when you think the season is done it goes and snows its ass off.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty excited now about getting out for a slide so next time it snows I'm out there.

Until then I'll pound the pedals some more..

Take it easy,

Neil.

More news from Chamonix!

These days are coming!

Its got a little milder out here since my last news piece, this is good in a couple of ways as it'll settle the base of the winter snow pack quite well and also its warm enough to get out training on the bike and I've been getting in some good long sessions in over the past week or so. The legs are feeling well strong now and I'm quite excited about getting out on my board to see how it feels once the big snow falls start to drop, I'm not sure my legs have ever felt this strong before!

I feel that this is the last big mild spell before the winter snows set in so this is it. The next time it dumps I'm all about the board!

There's one piste openned over at Verbier last weekend which is quite impressive for this time of year, quite a few people hiked up Le Tour last week after the fresh snowfalls and had a quick slide about. When it next snows I think I'll head up there and see how it looks, maybe take the dog out and give him some ski biting exercise.

Things are looking pretty busy for next winter, I have put on a couple of new 3 day courses towards the end of the season with a '3 day Off piste clinic' followed by a 'New' '3 day Backcountry Intro' course which should be pretty good. These 2 courses could either be taken individually or one following the other which might be quite a nice way of doing it with 3 days Off piste technique followed buy 3 days Backcountry riding!

I also have a free week of the 11th April which would suit a group booking so if anyone is interested in getting a group of friends together for this week let us know and I'll design the week to suit your needs.

Lots of the Jan, Feb and March courses are filling up now and Ruth is busy filling in gaps so if you're still looking to get out and join us give her a shout. I think there are still spaces on a couple of Tech Clinics and then the new 3 day courses I mentioned earlier. There's a couple of spaces still available here and there on other courses but lots of interest so get in touch if you spy something that says it still has space and you want to join us.

If anyone has tried to contact us but has had trouble with e-mails being returned please give us a call or try us on info@mcnabsnowboarding.com. I think this should all have been rectified now but we did have a bit of a technical problem last week with the older mcnabsnow'sports' e-mail address's.

info@mcnabsnowboarding.com should be working fine now!

Hope you're all getting excited about the winter,

laters,

Neil.

New Snow, New courses and New Q&A blog!

These days are definitely coming!

It's been snowing most of the last week above 2000m so the mountains are looking pretty white up there and it definitely a good start for the winter season.

I managed to get out on my bike a couple of times riding down in the lower valley and making a good circuit up towards Megeve and Plateau d'Assy. the sun came out the other day as I rode with fellow guide Jonny Baird and headed up to St Nicholas an beyond until we hit the snow line. It was great to be out and my legs felt super strong so this bodes well for the start of the winter.

I've been answering a lot of questions on technique, equipment and mountain awareness lately and so thought it would be a good idea to start a kind of blog/forum sort of thing so that you can ask questions, I answer them and then others can read them and post comments if they feel it relevant. Saves me answering the same questions over and over and you can join in, post your comments and add to the discussions. This will be a regular feature linked to the web site but for now you can find it here - Q&A Blog

I've also added a couple of NEW courses towards the end of April as I moved Kamchatka to 2011.

In its place I've added a NEW 3 Day BC Intro course , this will be the first 3 Day BC course I've ran and is designed for the experienced Off Piste rider that would like to take the first steps into the world of the Backcountry but doesn't have enough time for the full 6 day experience.

I've then completed that week with a 3 day Off piste clinic as these are filling up fast. With this course being at the end of the week it would either suit someone looking to do a few days warm up on their own before joining the course for the end of the week or someone looking to start a long weekend.

Last but not least I've got some Ortovox F1 transceivers to sell off so check out the goodies page on the McNab Snowboarding site.

For more info on these courses contact Ruth in the office.

Things are looking good!

Neil.

Winter hits Chamonix!

These days are coming!

So it seems that winter has arrived here in Chamonix!

The Snow line is rapidly dropping down the side of the mountains here in the valley, now down within the tree line at around 1500m. We had 20cm at 2000m yesterday, another 20 to 30cm today and again tonight a similar amount is forecast for up in the mountains. It looks like its going to continue through the weekend and so I guess the winter has just sneaked in and taken over.

This is good for the mountains which were exceptionally dry this summer, the strong winds up high at the moment will help bridge over the crevasses, hiding them under a thin layer for now but starting the base that will allow us to ride up high in all the great spots once the snow base is good and deep.

I've been busy training on my bike since getting back from London, my legs are feeling strong and this bodes well for the coming season. It's still an ok temperature for riding in the lower valley so I'll not be putting it away just yet although I'm now starting to think about searching out my winter kit and if this continues I'll be heading out for a slide before too long.

We've been experiencing a small problem with our e-mail server this last week, I think it has been cleared up now but if anyone has not received a reply to an inquiry then please check your junk mail folders as someone recently found their reply had gone into their spam folder? If still nothing e-mail us again or give us a call on the office number between 9am and 12 noon.

Ok, all good over here, hope you're all looking forward to the coming winter.

Start getting excited!

Neil.

Back in Chamonix after the London Ski show!

These days are coming!

Back to the Mountains!

I'm back in Chamonix were the weather is clear, crisp and cold. Perfect Autumn days are forecast so perfect cycling weather before the busy winter sets in.

I'm back in the office with Ruth who seems to have everything in order so if you need any info drop her a line.

The London Ski show was pretty good, very busy and lots of interest in courses etc. I had about 3000 brochures at the show and we only have about 20 or so places left available on courses this season so a bit of overkill there! I spoke to a lot of people and interest was high and it was great to see such a strong vibe going on for the coming winter.

I've just made my final free week available from the 11th to the 18th April. I was saving this for some me time but as interest was high I have opened this week up for 'group bookings only'!

So if you're a group of riders that want to do something specific and design a week to suit your needs get in touch with us here in the office and we'll see what we can do about designing your dream week.

The week after this from the 18th to 25th I have put on a new BC Freeride week as the other one is now full.

Quite a few courses are now full or filling up so if you're looking to join me this winter out on the hill get in touch with Ruth in the office!

All is good,

Neil.

London Ski Show!

These days are coming!

I'm over in the UK for the London Ski Show!

If you're in the area come on in and pay a visit, I'll be hanging out on the TSA stand near the big air jump.

I have now moved both Kamchatka and Norway to 2011 due to the 2010 schedule getting busier and busier. This years big trip to Gulmarg in the Kashmir Himalaya in January is definitely going ahead and there is lots of interest in this trip so if you's like to join it get in touch with Ruth in the office asap.

I have a new Private (Bespoke) BC week booked 4th t0 10th April and now only one week left for Private courses the 11th to 18th April.

We are now taking deposits for Norway and Kamchatka 2011, contact the office for more details.

London is good but I can't wait to get back to the mountains of Chamonix and get out on the bike for some more Autumn training.

Winter is definitely on its way!

Neil.

Course updates!

These days are coming!

A quick news piece to notify you all of a couple of late season changes to the McNab snowboarding calendar.

Due to availability problems I have pushed the Norway (Lyngen trip) to next year 2011.

In its place you will now find a 2nd BC Freeride course which I have put on as the first one has filled very quickly and now has only one place available.

At the moment I am toying with the idea of a Greenland trip in place of Kamchatka so if any of you have any interest in either of these destinations let me know asap and I'll weigh up your opinions before making a decision.

Mel has been out for the official hand over of office responsibility! She has headed back to Scotland this morning without her shackles to start her new life of fish supers and deep fried mars bars. If anyone has any messages for her they can send them to me and I'll pass them on.

Just got some of the new TNF kit, if you're looking for a BC pack this season check out the new N.F.Z and Liftie packs. Nice!

Hope you're liking the new site!

Neil.

The new Web site is on line!

These days are coming!

Ok, so we're up and at em!

The new web site is now on line at www.mcnabsnowboarding.com so check it out!

There's a few little things still to update but its pretty much rockin with all the latest courses, news and a few new bits.

Me and Ruth have been pretty busy in the office getting on top of things since Mel has stepped down but things are going well and the courses are getting pretty booked up already!

Mel has just come out for a visit and a gloat, a non work holiday in Cham, Nice!

It's a beautiful Autumn here in Chamonix, clear crisp days and this morning our first real frost! The peaks are white after a couple of stormy days which adds to the beautiful colour scheme, the Autumn leaves against the red granite and white peaks. Beautiful!

Wow! bit sentimental there but you get the idea.

Got my bike back a couple of days ago and had a couple of great rides out on it. Quite cold today but perfect in the sun and feeling quite strong.

All is good, hope you like the new site!

Neil.

Gulmarg trip details are now on line.

these days are coming soon!

I've just posted the details for the BC Voyager trip to Gulmarg (Kashmir Himalaya) so check them out at www.mcnabsnowboarding.com

There's a lot of interest in this trip and limited places so get in touch if you want to go.

Wow, things are progressing fast!

Ruth is manning the office now so if you have any questions contact her at info@mcnabsnowboarding.com or direct at ruth@mcnabsnowboarding.com

Looks like a busy winter ahead!

Bike still not fixed boo!

All good though and snow down to 2200m

Neil.

New 3 day Tech clinic 28th - 30th Dec.

These days are coming!

Just a quick one to inform you of a new 3 day technical clinic that I'm putting on for the 3 days of the 28th to 30th Dec (these are the riding days!)

This has come about through demand for Private sessions during this period has increased and so it makes sense to open these 3 days up into a course.

I'm going to keep this course down to 4 riders so there are 2 places available as of now at £465

For more info drop us a line or mail Ruth at info@mcnabsnowboarding.com

Neil.

More news and updates for 2010!

These days are coming!

Things are pretty hectic in the office here at times at the moment, I'm more of an outdoors sort of person and after 10 years with the business admin, Mel has finally decided its time for her to move on and take a new direction in life, so kind of like a bull in a china shop I've been thrust into the office side of things.

If you've been trying to make an enquiry or booking and have got no were I apologize, but fortunately things are starting to look a bit more organized this week. I've drafted Ruth (my wife) in to sort things out and from now on Ruth will be running the admin side of things and is contactable at the normal e-mail address: info@mcnabsnowboarding.com

Mel is still following up on some of the bookings or enquiries that she had instigated prior to making her decision to step down but for all new enquiries please contact Ruth by e-mail or by phone.

I'd like to say a massive thankyou to Mel for all her hard work over these past years. Her and Arren are obviously taking on some massive life style changes at the moment and I know I speak for everyone who knows her when I say that we all wish her all the best for the future and offer her all the support we can give.

On the bookings front, we have a lot of bookings already for next winter, the brochures haven't even gone out yet and things are getting pretty busy! If you have your name down for a course and haven't made a deposit yet you'll need to do that with out delay as demand is on the increase and we can only hold these spots for a short time before we'll have to give them up.

I have a new McNab snowboarding web site coming on line hopefully at the end of next week!

I'm working on it non stop (unless of course I'm trying to make sense of the booking system or preferably getting out on my bike).

The weather here is amazing at the moment and I did a big bike ride the other day and felt the fittest I've ever been. Unfortunately on the way home my front gear shifter broke and my bike is now out of action until the end of this week! So I may well get the web site finished for the deadline.

I have to say the new site looks wicked!

I posted news on how this years courses and accommodation are going to work on the last news piece so if you've not read that check it out and if you have any questions just send them in.

We should be answering the phones Mon to Friday from 9am until 1pm and picking up and answering e-mails everyday.

More news soon!

Neil.

Important news update for this seasons McNab Snowboarding courses!

The winter is on its way and with lots of this!

I'm back in and out of the office now over the inter season and on the run up to the coming winter. There's lots of changes on the go here at 'McNab Snowboarding' at the moment one of which is the creation of a new web site and as such the current one is a little out of sync with what's going on for next year, so I thought I'd quickly explain a few key points and changes.

Firstly, I am scaling things down to provide a more 'personal service' and so that I can focus on the details of providing you with the best on snow coaching and guiding that I can offer. This is the part of the job that inspires me and that means the most to me and as such next seasons calendar is a reduced to only 1 course a week and spaces are limited to 6 per course unless other wise stated (Advanced BC courses at 1 to 3 etc). Quality over quantity and all that!

(I'll personally be guiding and coaching all of the scheduled courses although custom courses are still available for groups and individuals along side the regular program by request.

A preliminary Calendar of this seasons courses can be found on the home page of the web site (www.mcnabsnowboarding.com) scroll down the McNab snowboarding home page to find it!

The big changes for next winter are mainly with regards Accommodation and Lift passes which will no longer be part of the McNab Snowboarding package. With regards Accommodation we are recommending 2 partners that we are working with offering packages at 2 different budget levels. This gives you the choice of how much you want to spend in this area depending on what level of accommodation you're after.

Lift passes will be organized through your Accommodation package.

The posted course price includes 6 days of Guiding or Tuition, Transport to and from the mountain and BC safety equipment where needed.

For the first evening, I will organize a time and a place to meet up for a drink and a chat and will do a pick up for those that need one en route. I'll then do pick ups in the morning, after riding we'll stop off for a bit of 'Apres' somewhere and then I'll drop you off when we're done.

We'll all go out for a curry together in Chamonix on the Thursday night as usual!

When the new site is on line you'll be able to go straight to both accommodation partners and organize your package through them and click a link to organize your transfer to and from the airport so all of this should be pretty straight forwards and idiot proof. In the mean time give us a call or drop me an e-mail - info@mcnabsnowboarding.com and I'll give you more info as needed.

So that's pretty much the score for the Chamonix courses.

For the trips away, things will work pretty much as normal and I'll have more info for those bookings very soon.

This seasons trips are to firstly Gulmarg in the Kashmir region of the Himalaya, (the online price is over estimated and will change as soon as I have the costs confirmed but you can expect it to be lower than stated). I'm very excited about this trip, its an area I've wanted to visit for a while and it has a strong reputation for fine powder!

This trip is in January when the region is meant to get its best snowfall.

Very excited!!

The next trip is the annual classic adventure to Heli Board in Kamchatka, Russia.

Smoking summits and big descents in Kamchatka!

Not a lot needs to be said about this trip, its got to be the best snowboarding terrain on the planet and we can fly and land where we like! This is an amazing trip and an amazing experience and offers the best riding I've ever experienced!

The final trip away come right after Kamchatka and is in the far North of Norway in the lyngem Alps again.

Hiking to get the goods in Lyngen, Norway!

Last years trip was so good that I simply wanted to go back up there but a little earlier in the season so as to get some of the great snow that the region is well known for. this is a big Backcountry experience, all boat and boot access. Lots of hiking and riding in amazing surroundings with a bit of high seas adventure thrown in. oh and all from the comfort of a really plush lodge! Very nice and a great way to finish out the season.

Another day, another summit! This time on the Dome du Miage!

Or it would be except for one final course, the Mont Blanc summits week the first of week of May which makes an even better end to the winter!

Right anyway that should explain things a little better until the new web site is on line so I'd better get working on that. In the mean time for further info drop me an e-mail at: neil@mcnabsnowboatrding.com

More news soon,

Neil.

The Chamonix to Nice bike ride!

Take no prisoners, there can be only 1!

I'm just back from my biking 'holiday' with GPM10.com Chamonix to Nice!

I came straight down off Mont Blanc last week for the last trip up of the summer, that makes it 8 summits out of 10 attempts, 1 blown off due to bad weather and 1 with a client who was suffering from altitude and so we did 2 climbing days instead. Anyway, all done but during the last 2 weeks I did 3 summit trips, 2 via the Cosmiques and then a final real cold one via the Tete Rousse. The last 2 weeks my knees started to ache a little on the descents but after such a long busy summer I guess this is normal.

So I came down on the Tuesday, rested for a couple of days and set off for Nice on the bike on the Friday morning with Andy Cook and a group of 12 other riders.

GPM10 is a small Alpine road cycling training company set up and run by my friend Mark Neep. Over the past few years as cycling has gained in popularity so have his courses and today you're lucky if you can get on one of his big trips sometimes a year in advance. GPM10 clients range in size and age but the one thing they all have in common is their dedication and their passion for cycling.

Me and Andy turned up to meet the rest of the team keen and eager on Friday morning at the hotel Eden over in Les Praz. At around 10ish we're off and hyper keen, its a smooth roll down towards Sallanches first via a small climb up the Vaudagne, this is all familliar territory so far and so I'm feeling confident and can't help blasting off, it being down hill also helps! Mark keeps me in check and his 2 other Cycling superstars (Gareth and Rusty our guides) look at me as if I'm nuts and don't know there's still 600km to go!

From the bottom of the valley we head up to Megeve and then on to the first big climb of the day the col du Saisies 1633m, I feel good but probably go a little hard as its the first day and I'm unaware of the grandness of the next col that follows, the Cornet du Roseland at 1968m and stretched out over 19km of up hill climbing. An amazing descent takes us down to Bourg St Maurice where we regroup and climb up to St Foy.

The end of the first big day and is been a real shock to the system! legs are sore and boddies are in shock. Everyone is giving the Tour de France guys that race this kind of distance everyday, big respect and wondering how we'll do it all again tomorrow.

Day 2 we ride the 40km of uphill from St Foy to the col d' Iseran at a staggering 2770m.

Val d'Isere in the background below the col d'Iseran.

I pace myself better on this one and feel strangely good at the top riding along side Andy who is keeping me in check. We descend together hitting speeds of 75kmh and nearly hitting 2 sheep a herd of goats and 2 Marmotts.
Another climb follows up to the col du Mont Cenis 2083m where its a bit cold and windy but then follows one of the best descents in the Alps down to the Italian town of Susa. We have pretty much traversed over the Alps today and will head back over tomorrow. Today hasn't felt so bad and the riding has been great. Tomorrow is the big one so its time to stuff as much food into the system as possible and sleep.

Day 3 sees us heading up what Mark refers to as a small incline up to to the rolling valley that leads to our first climb up to Montgenevre. The rolling incline sees many riders fading and wondering how they'll make it through the day but soon its over and back together we fly along the rolling roads of the elevated valley some finding welcome shelter in the rear of the fast paced group.

The climb up to Montgenevre doesn't seem to bad and I take the front with Mark, who I think finds it funny to ask questions when he can see that to answer would bring on a certain coronary as you try to take in oxygen through every pore. He quickly names a sprint finish and bolts off as I make a spirited attempt to follow but I'm stuck in the small chain ring and flounder in his wake swareing I'll get him next time!

Arriving at the Col d'Izoard.

A great descent to Briancon and lunch before the 2nd climb of the day up to the Tour de France famed 20km col d' Izoard. The first half of this climb is slightly easier angled and suits my style of riding (which, like most, is great as long as its flat or down hill) and so I power off with the 2 leaders and put in some miles at a strong pace. The top half unfortunately but inevitably kicks up and my pace slows until the 2 infront are long gone and I climb slowly up to the col alone but feeling strangely good.

Another big descent follows down to Guillestre and the final climb up to the col du Vars passing the ski resort of Vars where I did my very first winter season working as a ski intructor in a small french ski school way back in 1987.

Unfortunately as we finish the descent and power along through the gorge towards Guillestre I start to get a pain in the inside of my right knee and as I start the climb it quickly gets worse and I slowly grind to a halt.

The support van gives me a tow up to where the angle eases a little to see if I can carry on but after a couple of further Kilometers of trying everything including riding with one leg I have to call it quits and jump in the van hoping that if I stop now I'll be able to ride tomorrow. By early evening everyone is in the Gite at the top of the col du Vars. Some are more tired than others and some are suffering but all are phsyched for the day ahead that should see us riding all the way 195km to Nice.

The final big day, stormy skies is the norm now as we set off and ride quickly over the col du Vars and down towards the climb up to the col du Cayolle. The road is blocked to traffic but passable on a bike, my knee has felt ok on the flats and easy climbs but flares up quickly as soon as I have to oush on it on steeper climbs so I take a map and the van and head off looking for a route around to meet the guys on the other side. I'm surprised at how many ski resorts there are in the surrounding mountains, the peaks here are at around 2700m and the winters must suffer from the effects of climate change although the lifts look strangely new.

I hook up with the group at the other side of the col where we stop for lunch, this is climbing country and I can't help looking for lines in the limestone cliffs all around us.

After Lunch we begin the final 100km to Nice that is reputed to be all down hill. Feeling good after my rest I jump on the front and help lead the group through the amazing red rocked gorge that follows and onwards through rolling hills towards the sun.

speeding towards the beach on the last day!

The skyline drops and the heat rises as we power onwards at a constant 40+kmh covering the distance in quick time until the final climb up and over to look down on the city of Nice. The final climb is only 6km but it ruins my knee and I finally make it up pushing with one leg and one arm on the other knee.

We roll down to Nice and the sea where Mark is waiting in his summer gear and the evening beckons. Some of the guys are flying out straight away and have to begin packing away their bikes as soon as we arrive. the rest of us relax and prepare for the evening ahead but know we'll be back to the hotel and passed out in bed before most Niceards are even ready to begin their evening entertainments.

Its been an amazing trip, I learned a lot about riding my bike, spinning easier gears, riding as a group and pacing myself up big climbs. I'm now physched to get out on my bike over the next couple of months on the run up to the winter but first need to make sure that my knee is on the medn and so will take a few days of rest and recovery before I start working on my sprinting power. I've a sprint show down booked with Mark at the end of the month and I can almost hear him shaking in fear!

Practice, practice, practice. Practice and dedication that's what I need but family life is calling or more to the point, crawling all over me so I've got to go play with my girls on their new trampoline, Manon was 5 whilst I was away and we've loads to catch up on but I'll sneak out there and run a few laps whilst they're at school. Ruth is keen to get a bike now too so hopefully I'll soon have a new training partner, I'll just have to keep tightening her brakes so that she doesn't get too far ahead.

Winter is coming and there's many changes afoot in McNab Snowboarding, a constant whirlwind rollercoaster ride that takes me up and down some of the greatest rideable mountains in the world and keeps me busy from morning until night. A new web site is on the way and I've loads to get on with so I'm off for a play and then back to work but playing will definitely take priority as its got to be one of the finest things in life and I just happen to have made it my job!

Life is good, hope to see you out here soon,

all the best,

Neil.

Changing Seasons, Autmn is on its way!

Evening light on Aiguille du Tour

There's a definite change in the air this week, colder mornings and the leaves are starting to turn.

I finished my last Mont Blanc of the summer yesterday, a hard one from the Tete Rousse hut to the top and back in 13.5 hours!! Pretty slow going and very cold, -25C with the wind chill from the Vallot to the top. I was well wrapped up, my TNF Catalyst jacket finally came into its own after carrying it in my bag all summer.

I start my bike ride from Chamonix to Nice tomorrow, looking forward to it although I'm pretty tired physically from the summer Guiding. A change is as good as a rest though so hopefully I'll be ok. My VO2 count should be pretty good after all that altitude but I've not been out on my bike for about a week or more!

It's started snowing again up in the peaks and its cold enough that its staying around now. There's snow down to nearly the mid station of the Midi this morning and there's a definite chill in the air. This colder weather is good for the mountains and the Glaciers which have taken a real hammering this summer.

Moody skies over the Aiguille Rouge

I'll leave you with a few shots from the other day and now will start to think about the winter ahead. We have some great courses on the calendar and spaces are limited so I'll get to personally ride with everyone which I'm quite stoked about, I feel inspired about snowboarding this coming winter and am really looking forward to it.

I've never seen the Glaciers this dry before, Glacier de Tour.

Glacier de Tour from the Albert premier refuge.

In the mean time enjoy the photos (all taken on my Iphone) and take it easy!

Neil.

Nice climbing this morning!

I Guided our regular tour of the Petite Fourche from the Albert premier refuge over to Trient. The Glaciers are even drier than last week, I've never seen them like this in 20 years of being up in the mountains.

The Trient plateau is down to bare Ice which I've never seen before, its kind og interesting to see all the huge crevasses that we normally walk over on a thin layer of snow!

The Glacier run down from the Col du Passon is also totally down to the ice and once again the crevasses there are pretty impressive to see. There's some big holes up there, you could drive a double decker bus into some and it wouldn't hit the sides and you wouldn't see it hit the bottom either!!

Some very narrow and delicate snow bridges remain as the only way across some of these yawning voids, it pretty interesting up there at the moment!

On the way back from Trient instead of doing the regular Aiguille du Tour route which isn't looking too hot at the moment, very dry and not very appealing looking with lots of rock fall potential, I took on a new venture climbing the excellent ridge from the col du Tour up to the Tete Blanche, my team were quite strong and so we took the final steep headwall which offered some excellent easy rock climbing in a very atmospheric setting. Great fun!

Tomorrow I head up to the Tete Rousse, for the last time this season, for my last Mont Blanc of the summer (although I had too e-mails today on my way down, for two more ascents before the end of the month). Of course I'll be busy out on the bike next week and then it time to catch up with planning the winter activities.

A few people have been asking about a Greenland trip, I've not planned anything for this year but 2011 will be a definite for Greenland so if you're interested let us know.

Tech clinics and Off piste clinics are looking very popular this winter, its great to see riders taking interest in their personal improvement and I'm looking forwards to these weeks myself. Its always good to get stuck in and see people improve, very inspiring!

I'm going to take Christmas off but am getting bookings for Private instruction/guiding around New Year and early Jan. If you need dates for availability for Private sessions get in touch with Mel as she's in charge of my calendar, I just do what I'm told!

Jeff or (Jazzy) as he likes to be known has put together a video (as he has far too much time on his hands these days) from one of the BC courses a couple of years ago. Check it out!

McNab BCI & BCF March 2006 from Jeff Swindles on Vimeo.

Right, might sneak out on the bike for a quick spin.

Hope all is well back in the real world.

Neil.

And another!

Down this morning after a real fast trip up Mont Blanc via the Cosmiques three summits route which we did in 4 hours 20 mins from the early lift on the Aiguille du midi.

Perfect conditions once again and a fine finish to another great week in the mountains.

No rest for the wicked as they say so I must be well wicked as I'm off to meet new clients this evening and then back up amongst the peaks in the morning.

It's mine and Ruth's wedding anniversary today so we're taking a rare evening out, I didn't sleep so much up at the Gouter where it sounded like everyone was eating crisps all night or at least playing with crisp packets so hope i don't fall asleepin my dinner!

Made it down from the Gouter to the Nid Aigle train in 2 and a half hours which is also pretty quick

Mel is away on holiday in Florida and from her text messages is having a good time. She's checking mail and answer messages so you should get news from her if you send her an e-mail. She has a new I-phone which she keeps raving on about. I got one too but of course being a techno phobe I probably only use about 1% of its capacity.

One more week to go and then the big bike ride! Not getting out training much because of work but my red blood cell count and VO2 should be pretty good!

The mountains are pretty dry still although it snowed a bit last week and its cold up there so its staying around. My fellow Guide Andreas who was working with me and did Mont Blanc this morning by the regular Gouter route says it was so cold his glasses frame cracked this morning!

I'm packing big gloves and a duvet!

More news soon,

Neil.

Another succesful Mont Blanc assault!

Just down this morning from another successful Mont Blanc assault!

After a great warm up and acclimatization period at the La Tour/Trient end of the valley we took on Mont Blanc by the three summits or Cosmiques route from the first lift up the midi on Tuesday morning.

After a week away in Scotland, I was surprised to see how much the snow has melted back off the glaciers whilst I've been away.

Up at La Tour the glacier there is drier than I've ever seen it, normally the upper half of the glacier is still covered in snow, in fact I've never seen it not covered so it was pretty amazing to see it predominantly dry (down to the ice layer) for the most part. The usual route up and through the col superior du tour, which access's the Trient Glacier is almost impassable now, the steep snow slope is now pretty much all ice.

We headed over to Trient via the peak of the Petite Fourche and the usual abseil down into Switzerland. The Trient Glacier was also amazingly low on snow and some of the biggest deepest crevasses where lurking under the weakest of snow bridges just waiting for the unaware.

Coming back over to France via the Aiguille du Tour we headed around and through the Col du Tour instead of the usual col superior du Tour. the col du Tour was the original route through but over recent years the receding Glacier made it almost impassable. At the moment however, this has once again become the way to go so as to avoid the icy slopes on the Col superior. The Col du Tour needs some careful route negotiation and some interesting rock scrambling to reach the glacier over the other side. It's amazing to think that not so long ago you could simply walk of the glacier onto the rocky col and similarly walk off the other side!

The Alps have suffered greatly this summer with the hot weather and unfortunately the affects are irreversible. Some of the routes that used to be classic snow and ice lines are simply becoming history before our very eyes!

Global warming has never been so evident over here with one extreme after another! Today we put on crampons to climb down from the Gouter refuge after a major snowstorm that raged through out the night covered the normally dry and rocky descent between the Gouter refuge and the Tete rousse.

After a perfect warm up part of the week the forecast for storms yesterday afternoon, gave us only one option to get to the summit, that being a quick push up and over from the first lift up the midi. We made the top in about 6 hours just as the weather was beginning to turn. I stood on the summit watching high speed wind clouds race over my head as the storm built up strength over on the South side. It was pretty atmospheric and, perhaps unsurprisingly, we had the mountain to our selves. All three of our guided teams made it over and down to the Gouter before the storm so a successful trip.

Both the Cosmiques and Gouter routes up Mont Blanc were in surprisingly good condition. I have another 6 day Mont Blanc course starting tomorrow evening, no rest for the wicked but I guess it keeps me fit and in terms of an office job its not so bad!

Plus Sir Chris Bonnington (who awarded me my medal of Bravery at the Kendal film festival) was on the hill with fellow Guide Dave Cumming, who some of you will have met on winter McNab courses. We were in the presence of Royalty and it was great to see him out on the mountain, a great ambassador for British mountaineering.

All is good out here, lots of interest in the winter courses, I hope we can fit you all in.

Neil.

More biking, more Mont Blanc, more loving the summer!

All alone in the valley Blanche (Adv BC - winter 09)

Wow, just back from a week in Scotland with the family where it pretty much rained everyday! We had a couple of dry days or maybe half days but apart from that it rained pretty much non stop!

Back in Chamonix now where its blue skies and sunshine again, Phew!

I've 3 weeks of work Guiding up in the mountains now, so will be pretty busy and not in the office so much. Mel is taking bookings for next winter, which is already looking pretty busy, so if you need any info just drop her and e-mail or give her a call. I'll also be checking e-mails on my new iphone, so if there's any info needed from me she'll pass your questions on to me and I'll get back to you.

I'll have a few nights down in the valley and will be getting out on my bike as much as poss as straight after my 3rd week I leave for the GPM10 Chamonix - Nice bike ride (after which I think I might now have another Mont Blanc to guide).

Nearing the top of the Dome du Miage (BC Custom winter 09)

There's quite a few interested in the late season Summits week which is great. I'm thinking of starting the week over touring around the Grand Paradiso region in Italy with perhaps a quick ascent of the Grand Paradiso itself. If the weather allows this should be a big week and I'm looking forwards to it already.

Summits team on the top of Mont Blanc after climbing the 3 summits cosmiques route (BC summits).

Right got to go pack for the hills and then get out on the bike.

Neil.