** If your not so much of a reader then there is an image gallery of the whole trip at the bottom of the post. Please email if you want more details or to repost this article: davesearleguiding@gmail.com **
What a trip.
I’ve never really had (or made?) the chance to ski outside of the Alps. Having the privilege to have lived in Chamonix for the past 11 years has meant that 99% of my skiing has been around the area, apart from a few days in Scotland. Skiing close to home has its pros and cons. Pro: It’s quicker and easier to get to the ski hill so I can try to have a smaller carbon footprint. Con: I often end up skiing the same runs, meaning some of the classics have lost their magic and appeal. Pro: It’s very easy to get a lot of exposure in order to improve your skills in ski mountaineering/steep skiing/freeride skiing/backcountry skiing or whatever you want to call it. Quite simply, the terrain and access we have around Chamonix is some of the best in the world. Con: Because it’s one of the best, it’s busy and almost everything has already been skied at some point, which means there is little to no true adventure left to be had.
When Ross Hewitt casually mentioned to me in the bar one evening that he was booking a trip to ski in New Zealand in the late Autumn (or spring if you live down there) my interest was piqued. I’d wanted to take a trip back there for a while ever since I went for a family trip when I was 17 where we did the typical tourist itinerary: driving around in a campervan, sight-seeing, and bungee jumping. I remember being enchanted by the rugged landscapes and open spaces, vowing I’d come back at some point. I had no idea it would be skiing that brought me back. At that age though I had only done about three days of skiing in my life so it wasn’t yet on my radar.
Fast forward 14 years to late September 2019 and I’m sat at my computer in rainy Chamonix after what was one of the most emotionally and physically exhausting summer seasons I’ve ever had. I’m about to pull the trigger on a £1200 flight that I can barely afford. Completing the IFMGA guides course this summer took its toll on me not only physically and psychologically but also on my bank balance. ‘What the hell’ I thought. Click, game on!
Looking back on the last 10 years of climbing and skiing I realise how much I’ve learnt and how much I’ve grown in that time. Sometimes mentors are hard to come by and although I don’t claim to have all the answers I have made my fair share of mistakes for better or worse. Here are 10 things I would’ve told my younger self 10 years ago, which I hope might help some younger wannabe mountain dudes and dudettes on the their mountain quests. Hopefully to do even better than I have with their mountain careers!
The one you’ve all been waiting for. Perhaps not but here it is anyway…
There is no denying that a Bicycle is probably the most efficient human powered mode of transport (for when the ground is clear of snow!). I’ve always been a massive fan of riding bikes Continue reading
When I arrived back from Scotland this spring initially I was wiped out and the idea of running anywhere wasn’t even the slightest of considerations. After a few weeks of beers, Continue reading
Its certainly been a while since I posted anything on here. Where to start I would keep asking myself. A lot has happened since the start of 2017 and I’ve either been too busy or too lazy to write about it. So here goes… Part one of three blogs about what Ive been up to so far this year covering Climbing, Running and Mountain Biking. Yes Mountain Biking!
At the start of January I headed out to Scotland for the 2nd part of my journey to become a IFMGA British Mountain Guide. After a few weeks of warming up on some classic Continue reading
We do love a bit of Spring here in chamonix. Skiing, Biking and Climbing are all possible depending on what the weather dishes out. I’ve done a bit of everything in the past week which is awesome. We’ve had a lot of snow this spring but it’s not necessarily been “useful” for skiing. The last storm brought a lot of precipitation and with it immediate warm temperatures and wind. I skied the Vallee Blanche at the beginning of last week and felt that it was too dangerous to ski anything steeper for a few days after that.
First off… Happy New Year and thank you for following this blog or even reading it from time to time. It means a lot to me that anyone at all cares what I have to say and this gives me reason to keep going!
2015 was a bumpy year with a rough start. With the loss of friends from skiing accidents and also my dearly beloved Grandfather who was a great inspiration to me, motivation for skiing and general mountain activities was low. Ordinarily I’d expect to ski off a mountain or two and have at least a handful of long days in the mountains with friends. Looking back I realise that I hardly had any stand out days last winter due to work commitments, lack of snow and lack of psyche. Continue reading
I’m really digging having an extra day off a week. This weekend was a good mix between sublime autumnal adventures and purgatory suffering, topped off with great weather and alright company. I guess.
Friday
Psyche was high and the weather was good. The plan was to meet up with fellow Salomon athlete (ahem) Philipp Brugger for some easy mixed cragging on the Triangle du Tacul. I haven’t swung tools in what feels like a year so I was glad for an easy re-introduction into mixed climbing. We climbed most of the German gully then finished up the Cosmiques Arete.
Conclusions: Mixed climbing is in fact like riding a bike. Even if you never do it, you still remember how its done. Got cold toes and fingers but I remembered how to suffer. Drank 6 pints to try and forget the pain.
Saturday
Woke up with inevitable hangover as Midnight Express was shut and we couldn’t buy cheep burgers to absorb the beer. Drove to Italy (where the weather is always nicer) with Ally, Ross and Tom (who seemed less hungover than me (perhaps not Tom)). Flailed about on some rock climbs that I shouldn’t have been flailing on. Enjoyed the sunshine and amazing scenery of the Valgrisenche. Ate pizza, drove home.
Conclusions: Beer is bad, especially for my guts. 6b+ is hard. Italy is beautiful.
Sunday
When the alarm went off at 6.45 I thought it was a bad joke. Driving to the Midi my psyche was low but the can of red bull helped a lot. The plan was to climb the Eugster Direct on the North Face, again with Phillip. Stumbled over the moraine to the bottom and got to the Bergshrund in good time. Spin-drift hell was pouring down the gully and we decided it wasn’t for us. We ummed and arrred about what to do and took a look at another entry to the face to the right (about 150m to the right). It went and we were soon (but not that soon) in the gully. The crux pitches looked kinda dry and we didn’t want to sleep in the toilets (we have jobs don’t you know) so we bailed up the Diagonal instead. I was feeling the burn in the top half but we made alright time. Cheese burgers at Macky D’s afterwards.. Cus we are true athletes.
Conclusions: 4h 30m on the stair-master-3842 is tiring. Weekends are great. Water is overrated.
Although I’ve not blogged in a while, I’ve still been ticking over here in cham and I’ve really enjoying getting out on the rock and getting up high for the odd alpine mission. It’s been pretty hectic with work and a quick trip back to the UK to MOT my van, but I’ve managed to get out and about quite a bit in the last few weeks. Although I haven’t done anything major, this past while has given me time to reflect and time to think forward to the future.
About this time last year (or earlier actually) I was having a tough time deciding whether or not to put an application into the British Mountain Guides scheme. I decided against it in the end mostly because I didn’t feel ready, either financially or with motivation. It’s strange to read words that I wrote only a year ago and thinking how much has changed for me in that time.
A few weeks ago I submitted my application to the guides scheme and I’m currently waiting to hear if I can start or not. A couple of good friends are also applying this year which was one of the bigger factors in getting me psyched to apply too. I now know that I’m completely ready and fully psyched to start and I really hope they give me a chance! Fingers crossed!
The other big news for me is that I’ve recently been taken on by Salomon as a climbing and skiing ambassador. I couldn’t be happier about being given this opportunity and I just hope I can live up to what they expect and that the relationship can grow in the future. I genuinely love the kit they make and i’m super happy with everything I have at the moment. Thanks to those who helped me with this, you know who you are.
Looking forward to this summer my main goals aren’t necessarily specific routes or mountains. I mostly want to train hard, and try, at least to really push my fitness further and see what kind of gains I can make with a more focused approach. I’ve been running and rock climbing along side doing strength and core training session as a start this spring and I’m already starting to see the benefits. I also sure that I will get out and try some bigger objectives aswell and hopefully this summer is fruitful and long and I have the chance to experience some more of the mind blowing climbing Chamonix and the alps has to offer. I’d also love to take a trip to the Himalaya again soon and hopefully I can find a way to fund it!
I leave you for now with a few shots of some climbing fun from the past week! Thanks to Ben O’connor Croft for the bouldering shots and Dave Thexton for the alpine shots!
Team work is essential with bouldering sometimes!
Having some fun on some boulders up near the swiss boarder.
Ground up cleaning a V0 boulder problem.
Dave Thexton, Budding Alpine photographer!
Dave climbing the crux ice of left edge.
Me enjoying the freedom of soloing and carrying very little!
Loving the Edelrid Riot Axes.
Messing about on a serac
Crusing up the final snow slopes to the top of the triangle du tacul
Sometimes, living in Chamonix, spending most of my time pursuing my passions, feels a little like being in a vortex. A constant cycle of checking weather, looking after equipment, managing rest and having, what often feels like, some of the best days of my life hanging out with some of my favorite people in the world. The more you do it the faster it seems to go. Friends come in with you for a while before returning to there own vortex. Life seems pretty good until something snaps you out of it…
Its been a tough month with the loss of two friends (Brendan and Dave) and also the passing of my Grandpa Den. Almost two different types of deaths. My friends on one hand were doing what they loved. Striving to live life to the fullest. It feels like an injustice for them to leave so early in comparison to most. There loss sends shock waves around the world, shaking the lives of those who they have met. I for one passed a few pensive moments of wondering what I was doing and why. I’m sure I wasn’t alone.
On the other hand my dear old grandpa had lead a long and full life. As I sat at the wake watching a slideshow of his life I was reminded of just how amazing he was. He’d been in the navy and then the mounted police in Africa, defending villagers from many perils and also going horse riding with our current Queen. After this he devoted his life to building schools in Malawi and other country’s around the world for which he later received an MBE. He was a fantastic football player, he once played against Bobby Moore and captained the Rhodesian football team many times. He then moved onto teaching and later mountain leading. This is just a brief list of his exploits. He was a huge inspiration to me and my family and I have very fond memories of time spent walking on Dartmoor with him as a kid and listening to his endless stories of adventures. I don’t feel like he was taken from us to early. I feel he’s still here in someway. I feel like he made the most of his life and also touched the lives of many along the way enhancing them with his teaching. He will be sorely missed of course, but the last few years he wasn’t his normal self, happy and full of life. It almost feels like death was justice and the ceremony a fitting send off to a great man.
Before this news I passed one of the best weeks of my life. I’ve spent a lot of time skiing in Chamonix and little time else where. I traditionally don’t have holidays either…But why should I, my life is one big holiday, right? I’m not sure.. Holidays are supposed to be (correct me if I’m wrong!) stress free, relaxing (not having to worry about work etc) and fun! Yes I’ve been on a few expeditions but they are aren’t very relaxing and yes I get out most days into the mountains but its almost like work sometimes…almost. I was invited on a trip by my friend Chippie (Stephen Windross) to ski in the Ecrins (Serre Chevalier, Montgenvre and La Grave) shooting for a Fall Line Magazine article. It felt like a proper holiday and despite the poor quality of the snow earlier in the week we had a lot of fun and got some good shots too. Later in the week, whilst we were skiing in La Grave, we were treated to a 80cm+ dump of snow that turned the bulletproof Sastrugi into skiing perfection. I’ve wanted to go to La Grave for years and it was great to finally get the chance to ski there. Somewhere I need to spend more time for sure.
The Mighty Meije.
Joe Vallone, Baddass skier, Mountain guide and general legend. Standing next to his car which he inherited off Doug Combes,
Never really gets that busy at the lift in la grave.
Low Snow but good views.
Chippe in Serre chevalier.
A few weeks ago I flew back through the turbulence to Scotland to finish of my tick list for the British Guides Scheme. After years of deliberation I’ve finally decided to put my application in. Great conditions and company made for a really good, but tiring week, climbing some awesome routes. My application is coming along and I really hope it gets accepted in May so I can move onto the next phase of my life. Here’s some shots from the week.
Typical Walk in conditions
The Shroud looking good.
On Kellets NF Route
Mixed Climbing in Scotland
Ally Swinton In Scotland
Fort Bill
Jack Geldard on the Curtain
Becky Coles on the Curtain
Gemini is so fat right now.
The Shroud
Jack Geldard
Some guy with a Haul bag??
Miles of walking…
Jack climbing in Glen Coe
Jack Geldard In Scotland
Ally Swinton in the Caringorms
Lads
I’m back in Chamonix and starting a new job with Epictv.com and hopefully i’ll be back to the vortex soon. With the conditions in the mountains this winter being pretty bad I’ll be bringing a lot of caution into the mountains, but I’m still looking forward to some big days out when things are stable. Hopefully I’ll have some good stories to tell as the winter progresses. Keep it real. Keep it safe and keep on having your own adventures.
