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About a week or so ago I went for my 6 week X-ray to check to see if the bone had knitted together properly.  The news was good and the doctor allowed me to start fully weight bearing as I felt comfortable.  I was off the crutches that afternoon and working hard on the physio.  Thing have continued to progress well and I have had three physio sessions in the past week (thank you NHS!!).   Lots of standing on one leg, squats and walking up and down stairs. I’ll progress onto the one-legged-swissball-squats in due time but for the moment I’m just happy to have my freedom back.  It’s been great to be able to take the dog for a walk on the beach again and carry hot food around safely.

I’m hoping to be back in Chamonix in the next week or so but skiing and climbing are still quite  a way of.  My physio has been very impressed with my progress even in the last week so she thought that if I worked hard I should be able to get back on the Ski’s again in late March or early April which is of course great news.  I however am  just looking forward to being back in the mountains again.

My pace of life has slowed down quite a bit in the last month.  At this time of the year I would normally be working long days for the airport transfer company I drive for (Mountain Dropoffs) and on days off I would be enjoying some of the awesome tree skiing that Chamonix has to offer or having some sort of adventure in the mountains. Skiing deep, soft snow with friends has given me some amazing memories from past few years and It sounds like Chamonix is getting the Ski season it deserves this year.

For me though it was not meant to be.   Instead fun (and hard work) has given way to boredom and a state of lethargy that is difficult to shake.  Not being able to get out of the house easily by myself has forced me to concentrate on other things.  It would be easy to kick back and relax into some good old day time TV.  The problem is I gave up on the easy life a few years ago and I am not about to forget this because of a broken leg.

Getting about on the old crutches is hard…..but so was climbing when I started.  I try to go for a hobble every few days and each time I go as far as the palms of my hands will let me then suffer my way back home.  I have been on the pull-ups too which I hope will keep my climbing fitness going.  My main focus, however, has been developing a new website.

The idea was simple.  Bring information together for the most popular routes in the Mont Blanc Massif.  I have started to compile blog posts, videos and topos for some routes and I currently have information for about 60 now.  Some have just a link to a blog post or a video and some have both.

http://www.chamonixtopo.com/

I have also made three minitopo’s so far which you can look at on the site and download for free if you want.  I am looking to create more over the next few weeks and keep at it as time goes by.  Rome wasn’t build in a day as they say.  If you have any thoughts or feedback then let me know in the comments section below of if you want to contribute in anyway then send an email to; chamonixtopo@homtail.co.uk

Apart from this my leg is doing well.  I can bend my knee all the way now and I have been keeping my quads going with basic physio exercises which I do every few hours.  Not quite the same as climbing a 1000m face or Skiing 2700m of vertical but I do what I can.

I have an Xray scheduled in a few days which should tell me that I can start weight-bear and will hopefully mark the start of me learning to walk again.  I have a goal of skiing again before the end of this ski season in Chamonix which my physio thought should be achievable if I work hard.  Which I will…..