Back home to snowy Scotland after 10 days away in the French Alps. The first week was taken up with the winter training course for the International Mountain Leader (IML) award, delivered by IML and IFMGA guide staff from Plas y Brenin. We covered lots including client care in winter, snowpack assessment, avalanche rescue, terrain choice as well as the winter environment. Really useful course, and I am looking forward to taking the winter assessment next year, which is the last step in the training scheme. After the course we stayed on for several days and enjoyed some great snowshoeing in the wider Aravis mountains, and researched local culture (food and wine!). One particularly interesting day was spent doing a circuit of and above the Plateau des Glieres......this is a fascinating area historically as it was here that the local Resistance (Maquis de Glieres) hid from the combined might of the German army and Vichy France. It was even chosen as a site for air dropping supplies by the RAF. Quite rightly it is an important site for France, and there is a definite atmosphere about the place. A fabulous restaurant there too! Lots of new snow in the Alps---a winter wonderland, and cold at -10 deg C at times........no different from Scotland at the moment then!
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| Hard work in deep powder |
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| As cold as it looks..... |
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| IML Journey |
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| The soft light of early evening |
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| My turn out front |
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| Practising a multiple burial avalanche scenario |
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| Above the Plateau des Glieres |
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| Narnia? |
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| Winter wonderland |
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| Working our way through the trees |
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| Local Savoie culture! |
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