Torchlight Descent

Tonight's Torchlight Descent was in honor of absent friends; those who have been lost to the mountains.

The Torchlight Descent is somewhat of a ritual in Val d'Isere. Members of all the ski schools in the village descend the Face in an impressive snaking line, before ceremoniously placing their torches in a fire at the bottom. Then the younger ones get really drunk.

Today heralded the start of a period of really cold weather, that looks set to continue into next week. It's so cold it feels like being hit by a plank. The wind chill generated by even moderate cruising speeds is brutal. At least one of my nephews would be rendered into a moving ice block if he were to ski here.

I skinned up the Genepy from the Fontaine Froide and the walk was noticeably harder in this colder air. The Fontaine Froide, which is the coldest chair lift in Europe at the best of times, today became a test of nerve and will power. The lift operators were handing out hot chocolate at the top. Several people were seen to ski down to it again so they could get a second free cup.

Ski shops in town have completely sold out of mittens and emergency supplies are being flown in from The Three Valleys. Roubles are changing hands. I've been looking longingly at some of the high end mountain wear in the high end shops which are in this high end resort, and calculated that I could easily add a couple of grand to my credit card in the blink of an eye. Unless Alan Johnson was doing the shopping for me, in which case it might only be ten pence.

Thanks for all of your appeals to Ullr. Snow dust fell from the clouds this afternoon. Whatever you were doing, please do more of it. Much more.