tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19826229394992637062012-01-24T08:01:25.738-08:00Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.comBlogger651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-72743393879372594652012-01-24T07:59:00.000-08:002012-01-24T08:01:25.744-08:00

Storms hit Switzerland and much of Europe at the beginning of the month. We went over to St Bernard area to explore some of the little know resorts of La Fouly, Vicheres and Champex Lac, and found some interesting stuff, both resorts and snow. Over there the wind had reached speeds of 270km/per hour. Too strong to form any cornices, it left the tops of the mountains scoured back to rock in

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-10032277887231852892012-01-07T04:03:00.000-08:002012-01-07T04:04:44.173-08:00

After all the snow storms, last night was still and clear - perfect for a snowshoe trip by the light of the full moon. We just went up into the forest behind Mottec, and saw fresh snow hare and fox tracks, everything was beautifully quiet and the snow sparkled just like the stars. Coming back into the village everything looked magical and certainly worthy of a picture or two.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-3655609066707435052012-01-01T02:14:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:38:01.677-08:00

After one of the driest autumn in the Alps for (some say) 150 years, the weather finally turned and from the 14th December we've had more snow than we could at times cope with. So much fell on the 16th that they closed the road for 1.5 days as a precaution against avalanche. Things have settled down now and since Christmas we've had more snow but some good skiing too in deep deep powder. Once

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-75497320729026608702011-12-13T02:19:00.000-08:002011-12-13T02:19:05.093-08:00

photo by: Will Herrington It's only 2 weeks since the previous post and how the landscape has changed. The resorts are open at weekends and the international race teams are being relocated from other venues and are flooding in from all over Europe to race in Zinal. Us mortals benifit tremendously from all the hard work the lift company has put in and we've been making turns before most. Now

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-62372004698455290202011-11-27T10:54:00.001-08:002011-11-27T12:31:31.274-08:00

We decided to make the most the beautiful weather, which continues dry and cold. We opted not to ski today and instead walked up to the Lac d'Arpitetta which was frozen solid - the ice about 5" deep. Meanwhile across the valley the team at the Zinal lift company have been working miracles making water into snow up on the hill so that Zinal opened this weekend to the public making it

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-80023815594122973802011-10-10T03:14:00.000-07:002011-10-10T03:14:18.308-07:00

A cold and wet front came through at the end of last week - a good excuse for a fire. But on Sunday we woke to a stunning day - fresh snow and beautiful autumn colours. It was calm and warm down here but up high you could see the strong winds blowing off the powder snow.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-17400428092704912222011-10-02T06:48:00.000-07:002011-10-02T07:08:58.430-07:00

The Indian summer that started about 4 weeks ago continues, if anything the days seem even warmer now. As of last Monday (26th September) the beautiful colours of autumn are starting to appear - the birch and larch are turning golden and the mountain ash red. To add to the autumnal feel the deer are beginning to rut and their belowing calls can be heard every evening.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-19292207372715381432011-09-13T01:54:00.000-07:002011-09-13T01:55:57.766-07:00

Four fantastic days of yomping around the Monte Rosa massif with mad Tom, at speed. It was all his idea - so far he's tackled the tour of Mont Blanc, Corsica's GR20 and Chamonix-Zermatt by the summer haute route, all in a fraction of the normal time, not to mention the Everest marathon, and climbing Mont Blanc with his number 5 ice axe and teeing golf balls off the top. The tour follows some of

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0Monte Rosa, 28876 Alagna Valsesia Vercelli, Italy45.9321187 7.8718810000000345.8127267 7.63842150000003 46.051510699999994 8.10534050000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-26615545868411616652011-08-29T06:48:00.000-07:002011-09-13T00:44:59.356-07:00

Fabulous weather this weekend. The temperature is just perfect and the sky crystal blue. We are still in training for the tour of the Monte Rosa and have just got our new shoes - the eRide by Scott. They are light as feathers and give a terrific spring to your step. We thought we'd put them to the test with a hike up to the Cabane du Grande Mountet. Its a long old way and 1330m of ascent, but

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-17614410274194659732011-08-13T08:48:00.000-07:002011-10-07T01:04:06.730-07:00

It's a bumper year for redcurrants this year. All around the chalet bushes are strewn with strings of ruby's which glow in the sunlight. Although free and abundant, there's still a cost to picking them as the best bushes seem to be buried in fields of nettles. The other day we came back with 7.5 kgs of fruit. Having filled the freezer we started making jelly - can't wait for the next leg of

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-73629588254468181562011-08-09T06:01:00.000-07:002011-08-09T06:01:44.221-07:00

Col des Arpettes Just getting a bit of training in for an early September tour of the Monte Rosa - normally an 8 day hike - which we're doing at a run with mad Tom, hoping to condense it into four 30-odd km stages. But it's the ascent and descent which will cause the trouble: the worst day is 2906m up and 3400m down. Here's a google earth track to the stunning Col des Arpettes above our house

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-64465319023031576202011-07-20T07:49:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:49:32.864-07:00

Despite the mixed weather recently we were able to have a wonderful walk on Monday up the Grand Chavalard with some friends. Despite the cloud swirling around we still got some amazing views down onto the Rhone valley, a vertical drop of about 2400m. It brought back memories of a walk we did in the Langtang in Nepal a couple of years ago (left Switzerland, right Nepal). It's not the first time

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com1Gd Chavalard, Switzerland46.184304326547576 7.1058885781737946.143674326547576 7.05713857817379 46.224934326547576 7.15463857817379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-16008357016723774732011-04-27T00:46:00.000-07:002011-06-07T01:27:31.882-07:00

Finally, nearly four years after arriving here, we've done the classic tour of the valley including an ascent of the 4153m Bishorn. It's probably not the first time this peak has been climbed by people with blisters covering more than fifty per cent of the surface of their feet, but full marks to Anthony and Axel for an impressive display of mental fortitude. Arse-of-the-tour award for skiing the

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0Bishorn, Oberems, Switzerland46.1179474 7.714931646.0292174 7.6648166 46.2066774 7.7650466tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-1666893001858460832011-04-02T04:57:00.000-07:002011-05-05T09:05:05.230-07:00

A quick trip up the Rosenhorn (3689m) and then a ski down the Rosenlaui glacier: amazing views of the Eiger from the east, looking much slimmer than it does from the north. A chilly start to the day, though we might have been trembling for other reasons along the summit ridge. The ski down was in spring conditions and then super-warm slush at the bottom though we easily skied to the door of the

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0Meiringen, Switzerland46.7273913 8.18587730000001646.6696713 8.111972300000016 46.785111300000004 8.259782300000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-24356104068895158442011-02-28T09:28:00.000-08:002011-02-28T09:28:29.122-08:00

A snowy weekend has left the whole Val d'Anniviers in great shape. Lots of powder in the Chamois, top to bottom, putting the pleasure back into our run home.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-36071826583932431232011-02-25T08:20:00.000-08:002011-02-25T08:29:59.649-08:00

Two snow storms, last weekend and yesterday, have put an end to the recent snow drought. In fact the pistes stayed in pretty good condition but it's nice to have plenty of fresh powder off piste again.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-69578536808780060342011-01-27T02:33:00.000-08:002011-01-27T02:40:27.769-08:00

It's been 2 weeks since it last snowed, but the cold temps have kept the north facing slopes in good condition. You now have to skin to find some fresh tracks but if you know where to go it's still there to be skied. It also gave us the perfect opportunity to try out our new ski touring kit. Eric has some Dalbello Virus and I've got some Scarpa Gea touring boots. Both of them are light weight but

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-58969259463452910932011-01-06T16:07:00.000-08:002011-01-27T02:36:50.987-08:00

Another beautiful blue sky day, so we decided to skin up towards the Petit Mountet hut. A lovely walk across the plats and on up towards the Himalayan like views of the imperial crown. Groups were ice climbing on the frozen waterfalls, which are in excellent condition at the moment due to the super cold temps. However, it was warm enough to sit and have a picnic before skiing back down to Zinal.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-60952527428500033092010-12-26T18:01:00.000-08:002010-12-27T13:06:14.118-08:00

 Powder snow, freezing temps, sunshine and no one around...

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-3945879880038316902010-12-22T03:11:00.000-08:002011-01-03T02:09:28.525-08:00

Heavy snow across the UK and Europe didn't stop our first Mountain Tracks group arriving for their Early Winter Skills course. Great snow and excellent guiding and instruction from Olly, Claire and Roddy gave everyone a taste for skiing the deep stuff including a run down to the dam and down the Chamois back to our chalet. A great start to the season... Thanks to Delia for the photos. photo:

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-32694647079410107122010-12-04T16:21:00.000-08:002010-12-30T13:04:44.207-08:00

It was a beautiful day today so we took a walk through Zinal and found that the young calves had been let out to play and get their first taste of snow.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-20489759082983345852010-11-18T03:12:00.000-08:002010-11-22T03:13:55.426-08:00

More snow has fallen this week and in between the storms we've had some beautiful blue sky days. Things are looking good... especially as more is forecast for next week.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-32522111491696524132010-11-15T06:57:00.000-08:002010-11-15T06:57:10.902-08:00

Blue sky and beautiful snow - what a way to start the season. Zinal opened on Saturday with such good conditions it seemed rude not to make a few turns. Not all the runs are open, of course, but there's skiing between 2900m and 2200m. Weekdays from mid-November to 18th December it's for race teams only. Thanks to the hard work of the director of the lift company, Pascal, major international

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-2465613564715752472010-10-10T01:30:00.000-07:002010-10-10T10:48:01.850-07:00

We've had a week of wonderful warm sunny days, the leaves have started to turn and the slopes are a mix of reds, yellows and golds. The weather is perfect for walking and yesterday we went round to the Moiry dam. As we sat having our picnic it was hard to imagine that within a month these slopes will be white and that we will be skiing in Zinal just the other side of the hill...

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-56631064961885801022010-09-02T00:38:00.000-07:002010-11-07T06:41:39.454-08:00

One of our favourite walks is up to the Cabane d'Arpitetta (2786m). The refuge is in a side valley at the bottom of the Weisshorn and is dwarfed by this 4500m peak. It's encircled by glaciers that spill down on every side adding to the scale of things. The refuge makes a great destination in itself and has a wonderful terrace for lunch with a view. Today the weather was really good so we

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-13027840172686670432010-08-21T00:09:00.000-07:002010-10-10T11:07:22.912-07:00

Having spent 6 days ski touring across the upper parts of the Aletsch glacier this spring, it was great to come back in summer and view the whole thing from a different angle. From Brig the Furkastrasse passes through several villages from where cable cars reach the many walks with views over the Aletsch. You can buy a walker's lift pass for the day, but it's a slight mystery that there's not

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-52373400721646811882010-08-14T10:04:00.000-07:002010-08-31T06:20:26.757-07:00

You can tell we're dreaming of winter when we start putting together video clips of last season. At least the music is summery...

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-51747833058149579662010-07-27T10:27:00.000-07:002011-03-29T02:36:25.769-07:00

  Last weekend was the official opening of the Cabane de Moiry extension. The footpath up from the end of the reservoir was packed with walkers of all ages. The route takes just over an hour and climbs 600m, and while some carry on across the glacier to the surrounding peaks, the hut itself makes a wonderful half way point for an easy day out.  It was built in 1924 and after nearly 90 years

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-45591021083535243712010-05-01T15:11:00.000-07:002010-05-04T09:06:56.759-07:00

That's B as in Bernese and O as in Oberland, obviously, though after 6 days sweating up huge peaks and skiing back down to the cosy comforts of a bunk in a hut with no running water, it's also B and O in the olfactory sense. Just to rub it in, the view from your window is of Europe's biggest glacier, the 23km long Aletsch, which is reckoned to contain 27 billion tonnes of ice and is at one point

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-2545869485830205582010-03-25T06:09:00.000-07:002010-05-11T06:11:46.018-07:00

It should come as no surprise that the Haute Maurienne is rather lovely and has some cracking skiing. One valley south of the Tarentaise - Val d'Isere, Tignes and all that - and bordered by the magnificent Vanoise national park, it's bound to be good. Bonneval, at the head of the valley, is the most intact example of an old stone-built village you could hope for. Some of the buildings have been

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-85134387745283050992010-03-21T09:53:00.000-07:002010-11-07T06:43:36.644-08:00

How much great skiing can you have on your doorstep before it gets just plain greedy? Within an hour and a bit by road, there's all of the following, though I don't think it looks like this anymore since temperatures went up by about 20 degrees and the monsoon set in. Still, thanks for the memories. And in case you want to check them out for next season, we skied Belalp, Lauchernalp, Anzère and

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-11121033613133136942010-01-22T07:45:00.000-08:002010-02-12T09:48:48.616-08:00

Had a great week with family and friends. Mega ski photographer Mark Junak came to stay and very kindly took a few pictures (including those below) while we showed him the area. All photos: Mark Junak www.snowimages.co.uk All photos: Mark Junak www.snowimages.co.uk

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-88046217648201537372010-01-20T04:44:00.000-08:002010-02-12T09:48:02.735-08:00

Hot off the press: the beautiful 8 bed Chalet Yayla in Zinal, recently built by friends of ours, is being made available to rent, self-catered. Here are a few pictures, with more to come soon on www.skizinal.comFor now if you're interested in renting it, just contact us: contact@skizinal.com

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-37317049838255446392010-01-01T08:06:00.000-08:002010-01-05T14:25:54.719-08:00

When full moon coincides with new year's eve in Zinal, the place to be is on the 'plat', the flood plain above the village, with the moonlight reflected off the mountains making it bright enough to see colours by. Sledging, hot punch, toasted marshmallows and a roaring fire followed by Chinese lanterns drifting skywards against a backdrop of fireworks over the village. Our lovely Christmas

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-1424517396023875522009-12-30T06:39:00.000-08:002009-12-30T06:39:58.552-08:00

Finally getting a chance to work my way through the new Scott skis in our rack since our Christmas guests are not real freeride material: Crusairs - as light as you could hope for and incredibly helpful in dodgy snow, even breakable crust; they turn for themselves which takes a bit of getting used to. Punishers - match my cold weather outfit really well (an orange theme) and they go very nicely,

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-91043305802833112682009-12-21T05:46:00.000-08:002009-12-21T07:19:32.707-08:00

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-23903465233300193742009-12-21T04:38:00.000-08:002009-12-21T04:38:48.302-08:00

Chilly temperatures (down to -20C) made skiing more of a challenge than usual this week. Boot-fitters always stress how important it is to have feedback from your feet when skiing, and for that it's important you have all your toes a) still attached and b) not frozen solid. On the plus side, the cold preserved the powder, giving our Mountain Tracks ski group and instructor Claire Summers plenty

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-90106233358374971682009-11-30T06:59:00.000-08:002009-11-30T06:59:19.951-08:00

  What a great way to start the week. It's been snowing since some time last night and there's more promised over the next few days. Time to find some fat skis...

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-50200334620795602542009-11-25T11:50:00.000-08:002009-11-25T12:09:46.595-08:00

Christmas came early at Chalet Edelweiss: a car full of Scott goodies rolled up first thing this morning. Not just  Herve, Scott's ski designer, and Steve, Scott UK's general manager but a range of freeride skis as well as brand new ski outfits for us both. Penny's will without doubt convince female clients they should check out Scott's great clothing range. Mine will ensure clients don't lose

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-30848231869106875712009-09-22T14:13:00.000-07:002009-09-22T14:42:02.976-07:00

A year is probably a respectable interval since last posting anything on here. Life just got busy - that's not an excuse, but everyone must know how it is. Anyhow, the chalet is now finished and we're scrabbling around trying to get our website sorted out - a bit late, I know - but bookings for this winter seem to be materialising even without it. For now, a few photos of the chalet...

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-38861267262903147892008-08-10T09:04:00.000-07:002008-08-10T09:28:16.446-07:00

The 35th edition of this 31km, 2200m ascent, 800m descent mountain race has just finished. Archie entered the junior event ('just' 19km, from Chandolin to Zinal) coming 19th in a field of 82 boys with a time of 1 hour 57 minutes. Under two hours with minimal knowledge of the course and only last-minute training was outstanding. He will be back. To win. And it will be our porridge that makes the

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-63564818823300327262008-08-07T08:50:00.000-07:002008-08-10T09:39:33.022-07:00

Friends Archie and Roo spent the week on site with us after the fete. At 17 and 15 years old, destruction was the most popular part of the program for them ("Can we use sledgehammers please?...") but they also found time for last-minute training for the Sierre-Zinal race as well as enthusiastic but ultimately futile attempts to chat up one of the very pretty girls who lives nearby. Bravely

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-75938508005750565112008-08-04T08:39:00.000-07:002008-08-10T09:37:26.338-07:00

For a hamlet where only a handful of people live, Mottec - just down the road from Zinal - seems an unlikely candidate to have not one but two chapels. The one practically in our back garden was restored with funds raised ten years ago; this year it was the turn of the chapel St. Laurent. Our neighbour Georgine masterminded the whole event, putting on an epic two day show. Statistics -

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-84242167083060815872008-07-16T02:11:00.000-07:002008-07-16T02:31:26.990-07:00

It always pays to glance out of the window at sunset, especially when there's a spectacular moonrise. The first shot is from the balcony a couple of nights ago, which inspired us to climb up to Sorebois last night for a chilly picnic while waiting for a repeat performance. It was worth it, particularly for that moment just before the last red glow leaves the peaks. The way down by moonlight

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-87322872451204362712008-06-23T11:54:00.001-07:002008-06-29T06:14:04.707-07:00

At this time of year the field behind the house makes most gardening efforts, wherever in the world, seem rather pointless. About 3 million different flowers per square metre emerge each spring, all on their own, and just keep coming back regardless of how often the meadows are cut for hay. They do pretty well up high too, just as long as you stay clear of the ski pistes which never look good in

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-87486168068173341902008-06-08T22:21:00.000-07:002008-06-11T11:38:15.375-07:00

Still demolishing... after months, but at least we've moved to the first floor, meaning that Jon (Penny's brother) and I could lob massive chimney blocks from the baclony into the skip. And we've finally started construction: here's a picture of my first ever wall - aerated concrete block with a thin bed mortar, since you were wondering - which I built on Saturday (an excuse for quality-time with

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-40960219572289611942008-05-03T20:52:00.000-07:002008-08-13T00:53:30.823-07:00

The Tour de Romandie had a stage finish in Zinal today, won by Italy's Francesco de Bonis. That they were still really racing by the time they passed our house was pretty extraordinary, as was the transformation of the village, with a full-blown media circus, massive lorries with mobile TV studios and enough helicopters filling the air that you might have thought a war had broken out. As a keen

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-39192739142447575462008-04-30T05:26:00.000-07:002008-05-01T11:22:03.873-07:00

...well, on top of the highest mountain in western Europe at least. I had a call from Nick at Mountaintracks late on Saturday afternoon, asking if I wanted to climb Mont Blanc and then ski down it... on Sunday. So that's what I did, with guides Farmer & Stuart, plus Rick, Tom and James.The helicopter from Courmayeur got us to about 3800m - roughly the same height as the top of the Aiguille du

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-1809648738887353992008-04-30T03:53:00.000-07:002008-04-30T07:08:00.920-07:00

Those words preceeded a series of ascents in bad weather, all in the cause of a bit of ski touring at the end of a wonderful winter.We were lucky to be in the able hands of Klemen, our local Slovenian guide for some interesting routes to the top of Triglav and elsewhere. He's not a man to let a storm stop play but be warned that once you have to remove skis and climb on foot, anyone under 2

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-66834624255307419962008-03-30T13:37:00.000-07:002008-03-31T11:59:24.403-07:00

Two great days out with Nick, Archie and Tara (on telemark) after a week of wind, snow and storm. Day one: lots of powder in Zinal's freeride area, followed by a good run down to the Moiry dam. Day two: the gullies at the top of the Chamois and the north side of Orzival in Grimentz, ending with a picnic and a grassy descent into St Jean, through meadows of crocus and primrose. Not that spring is

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-65305223463115901382008-03-22T08:12:00.000-07:002008-03-22T08:37:04.624-07:00

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-62141545269805959462008-03-19T03:55:00.000-07:002008-03-19T11:46:24.202-07:00

It's an easy hour by car to Crans Montana, but yesterday was the first time we managed to visit this season. After the weekend snow there was plenty of powder, much of it easily accessible between pistes. The resort's trademark sunshine warmed things up by lunchtime, but it was still very skiable in the afternoon. And the advantage of a resort where just 30% of visitors ski or board - and many of

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-21438907356975631472008-03-16T10:29:00.000-07:002008-08-13T00:54:27.580-07:00

This weekend has been the free-ride competition in Zinal. Recent snow and blue sky for some of the weekend gave great conditions for riders to show their stuff in some of Zinal's top off-piste terrain.

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-21123153660296458042008-03-02T09:21:00.000-08:002008-03-03T23:39:05.745-08:00

We've had the builders in to install the RSJs - at over 150kgs a piece it takes a certain 'type' to get them into place.More walls have been demolished and another skip filled - we thought that this would be the last one for this stage but it just keeps on coming...

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-57746116305251426192008-01-31T02:00:00.000-08:002008-02-01T10:24:19.236-08:00

With a little help from my brother and a sledge hammer we've knocked 4 rooms into 1 to make our new hall. I think we'll wait until the weather warms up to knock through to the outside for our front door (or at least until we've got a door to put in the hole). We've filled 2 skips so far (the first time I've put stuff in rather than taking rare finds out). One more next week should see most of the

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-28633300786898608982008-01-05T08:56:00.000-08:002008-08-13T00:54:11.156-07:00

Christmas and New Year have been and gone, and all evidence has been covered by the recent snow fall. The Val d'Anniviers' population exploded during the festive weeks as people rolled in to ski and take part in the events. A Christmas market wound its way through Grimentz old village while young circus stars twirled on wires above the street or juggled their way between the stalls. Santa,

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-60175645366042064812007-12-12T08:54:00.001-08:002008-01-31T01:57:17.166-08:00

Even on a Wednesday, when you're supposed to be working, you can't miss out on conditions like these. Though to judge by the numbers on the hill (not many) most of the rest of the world was more conscientious. Which is just how we like it – after all, there's tomorrow for skiing too, and we wouldn't want all the powder to be tracked by the masses. Come to think of it, we might have to push the

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-7914970163926695682007-11-23T00:41:00.001-08:002008-01-31T02:00:25.626-08:00

Okay, okay, that's not really a picture from last weekend's ski-fest (over 1100 people bought tickets on Saturday at Zinal - better than the lift company expected) but we did have a couple of runs in great condition from the Corne de Sorebois at the top to below mid-station (nearly 800m of vertical) and if you were feeling brave there was a bit of powder between pistes. Without any base it was a

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-50517985235391999972007-11-13T03:25:00.000-08:002007-11-13T03:50:06.047-08:00

One cold front doesn't make a winter, but it's a start. A couple of days of snow has left the chapel behind the Auberge looking pretty and there's more to come tonight. It's also quite cold (minus 8C last night) so they'll be busy making snow for the delayed start of Zinal's ski season this Saturday (should have been last weekend, but a warm start to the week put paid to that).'Very excited'

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-21884769362225545482007-11-06T07:15:00.000-08:002008-01-31T01:58:42.626-08:00

Despite being nuts about skiing, the snow-free months out here are wonderful too, especially when we get what counts for a heatwave in these parts, in November. Last weekend we were able to walk above 2500m, stopping for a long picnic and a doze in the sun. A couple of north-facing shady sections had tricky ice to contend with where a stream had diverted itself down the path and frozen solid, but

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-73997722891631857642007-10-11T09:43:00.001-07:002008-01-31T01:59:29.128-08:00

When the vendors simply wouldn't drop the price further when we were haggling over the Auberge, they started bunging in any other inducements they could think of, including shares in the local lift company (ski, not tower block). So last weekend we went to the AGM - a thinly disguised excuse for a drink (actually, many drinks) and a knees-up. The presentations stretched my powers of concentration

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-46891222995886827342007-10-11T09:39:00.000-07:002007-10-11T09:47:42.862-07:00

We finally got our stuff - all the clobber from the UK that we seriously wondered about paying good money to haul across the continent, but in the end just couldn't bear to throw away.A very nice man arrived - at 7.30am (thank goodness he'd called the day before to warn us as he might otherwise have caught me with my curlers in) - with ten palettes on a big truck, dumped them in the car park and

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-44867351615850770022007-10-08T05:56:00.000-07:002008-01-31T02:12:22.604-08:00

It's a good feeling to walk outside every day - in fact, just to look out of the window - and realise once more what a beautiful place you're now living in. That's been the case 9 times out of 10 so far. The 1 out of 10, in mid-August, was equally spectacular (at 1500m you tend to be in the storm rather than under it, surrounded by thunder and lightning), with snow reaching well below 2000m

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-61399848843289401402007-10-01T00:50:00.001-07:002007-10-01T00:57:02.426-07:00

OK, so here's what the new place looks like, along with before and after shots of the bar. We didn't have long to get going with our demolitions before having to head back to the UK for a bit, but at least we've made an impression on the locals who peer in to see what we're doing when they don't think we're looking. The electric-meter man's auntie used to run the place as a restaurant before the

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1982622939499263706.post-89728194242846452402007-07-02T14:31:00.000-07:002007-07-03T11:42:28.687-07:00

We're nearly there, finally packing our bags - just a car-load to start with - and heading from London to Switzerland to sign for our house before knocking part of it down and doing major renovations. Downstairs is currently a bar/40 seat restaurant, complete with waggon wheel chandeliers. I'm told they'll have to go, as will the bar, which even the keenest drinker would find hard to love in

Eric Kendallnoreply@blogger.com1