A humble start

that's me holding up the line
At 8:45 I am downstairs lining up to get my lunch, my lift pass, and my gear: a backpack, a pair of evil-looking crampons, red plastic snowshoes, a shovel with detachable handle, collapsible ski poles, Ortovox transceiver, and climbing harness with a short rope and carabiner attached.

By later in the week, I realize that just about everywhere we go in Chamonix, this is the basic kit that everyone carries -- and many people carry more. It is not uncommon to go the bar apres-ski and see 3/4 of the clientele still wearing their transceivers with the lights still blinking (you know, just in case the bar gets avalanched). I also learn at some point that locals in Chamonix typically consider themselves rock climbers and mountaineers first. The skiing is something they just do in the winter to keep themselves busy. Deaths are really common here; over 100 a year. There are so many dangers that it is always recommended that you go with a guide when riding even a little bit off-piste. Besides the already mentioned avalanches, there are collapsing seracs, crevasses hidden under thin ice or a crust of snow, falling rocks, and sometimes bad weather. At least we didn't have the worry about the last danger; it was sunny and warm all week.

But I am getting ahead of myself. It's still Day 1. And I have not a clue what I'm doing.

We get a quick lesson in donning the transceivers and making sure they were transmitting. Then we pile into the vans and are off to Le Tour. The rest of the day is all a bit blurry.

Let's see...there was my first button lift ride: where you have to put this plastic disk attached to a long metal pole between your legs and then it drags you up the hill. It took me three tries to get myself moving on the lift; for the third try, the lift operator came out of the booth to help me. Merci beaucoup, cute French liftie!

There was a long mostly uphill walk in snowshoes, when I first remembered thinking "I'm not sure if I'm going to survive this week." It was also the tenth time I remember thinking "I'm not sure if I'm going to survive this week." I've had way too many weeks of no gym membership and being pampered with home-cooked feasts at my sister-in-law's house.