A quick getaway to the Val d'Anniviers before Christmas. It seemed really easy. Hop on a plane to Geneva, and then the train and Postbus. Of course I had not bargained on British Airways staff voting to strike, and declaring their intent to strike before I travelled back. Oh well, if I had to travel home on the train, it would be no hardship.
I had a walk around Sierre on the way up the valley and saw locals playing outdoor Bingo, accompanied by some guys on a Karaoke machine. All in -2c.
The weather and a judge then intervened in my travel plans, which was just as well. The weather in the UK was awful and lots of folks were stranded, then Eurostar suffered from the wrong type of snow and upset thousands of travellers plans. The judge conveniently (for me) declared the BA strike vote unlawful, which meant that my flight home was running again!
I skied in both Grimentz and Zinal, both hills were pretty cold. The skiers bus does not run until high season, so the journey to Zinal each day was over an hour and two buses each way. It was also not free, unlike last year.
The cold was pretty invasive! I saw -20c at mid station in Grimentz and saw a reported -29c at the top of the lift system. The loos at Bendolla were full of screaming children and anxious parents, who had failed to read the weather forecast and dress their children to suit the conditions. I have never seen so many people who looked as though they had been slapped hard.
All this cold weather, meant very little new snow, it was just too cold. I did manage to find isolated pockets of fluff, but generally off piste cover was thin and rocky, so I stayed clear.
Meeting up with some old friends was a real bonus, and I enjoyed skiing with them again, though don't feel I did my skiing justice, as I went down with a really bad cold, which sapped my energy. I also slipped over crossing the road and tweaked a knee, so I'm guessing the cold left me a bit vulnerable to injury.The cold is now going, and I can't wait to get back out there later this month. It's rather cold again right now, but I'm confident that will pass and lots of fresh snow will follow in it's wake!
