Winter Training - Hitting the Slopes & Ice Climbing

If I'm honest, winter training is overstating it a little. I have been limited to commuting in on the Pashley and a couple of rides in small weather windows for early morning laps of either Regent's or Richmond Parks. Then they were culling deer in Richmond and the weather has been hideous, so I've taken to upgrading various bits of the bike including new cleats and a compact chain set. There was also an impromptu 'upgrade' or rather 're-grade' when I left work one evening to find that someone had stolen my Brooks leather saddle off my Pashley, seat post and all. £120 later I was back in the game but had forgotten how uncomfortable a new Brooks saddle is: how I longed for 8 years of moulded leather for my poor behind! We'll get there but I hope whoever buys my second-hand saddle gets blisters.

The main focus for me of winter is always skiing and we had a superb week in Champagny en Vanoise. We arrived in some of the most glorious conditions: a fresh powder day. So, skis on, half day pass purchased, off we went to warm up the legs...

The 'decouvert' pass gave us 4 hours with Vincent 'le Grand', a rather gorgeous ESF instructor. Because we already knew the Paradiski area we asked, given the snow conditions, whether we could do some off piste. He obliged and, after handing out avalanche bleepers, off we went to, firstly, the most hideous bit of bumpy off piste at an alarming speed. I think most of us wiped out at some point but he seemed satisfied that we could ski so the next run involved clambering under some avalanche barriers with the immortal words from Vincent: "it's a little bit steep". In ESF ski-instructor speak that means it's as close to vertical as it's going to get. A few piccies to get your juices flowing...

Heading off the back of Roche de Mio and round to the bottom of the Inversen chair lift

On the Champagny Glacier. Looking over the edge!

Heading back towards Champagny from Roche de Mio - a long walk along the ridge and over in to the next valley along from the 3 lovely blues coming down under the Rossa chair lift.

A long, sweaty walk.

Gnarly jumping in some of the white-out conditions.

Another blue sky powder day later in the week, albeit minus 26 C was less pleasant!

Skiing down the bottom of one of our favourite runs the Mont de la Guerre, looking across the valley to Pralognon, just round the corner from Courchevel. 

Some all round strength (and nerve) training: ready to go ice-climbing up this in the dark:

Team ski - all bullish before we got off the ground and the vertigo kicked in (for me at least). Some coped better than others!

The first one off the ground and probably the lamest attempt of the evening! I eventually got about 5m from the top at which point I looked out across the tree tops and realised how stupidly high I was.

Fresh early morning tracks on piste - bliss! Needless to say the legs were cooked after about 3 days, despite the excessive lunging we'd been indulging in during the preceding weeks. All in all a superb week had by all although another reminder to me of how fit I need to be to really enjoy the skiing.