Walk Around Bangalore

Another work visit to India, this time I started in Bangalore - workshops with a new supplier to support and maintain one of my systems .... I was on my own here in Bangalore for the weekend - better than Kolkata my usual haunts, where I was due the next week.
On Saturday I had a road trip to Mysore (and its palace) via Kesava temple, and back via a bord sanctuary, which gave me some exercise, but lots of sitting in a car.
Sunday and still In Bangalore .. time for a stroll before the world gets going in the afternoon. From the hotel I headed up to the MG road, and along under the metro track. At the next major junction my map ran out and spent some time going around in a circle before getting back to the same place via a nice path just under the metro. and a look at an elephant sculpture.

From here I went North ... into the military area ... camps all around, and a large parade ground.
Coming around and heading back to the MG road, brought me back to where I had started .. the place was waking up, and the hawkers were becoming a pest.. as it was lunch time, I headed back to the big junction where I first got stumped .. I had seen a Hard Rock Cafe there, and fancied something different to the usual .. However, the choice of a club sandwich was delivered with spicy chicken.

After lunch I chose to go back to the hotel via the Cubbon Park, supposedly a much frequented place by local families. A big area marked in green on the maps .. but in reality very brown, and dusty.

Some interesting features ... the statue of Victoria with the park planting around it, another statue of a dignitary with similar planting, various wooden sculptures, all fenced off from the public.
There was a bandstand (in front of the regional law courts), and various trees struggling to survive.
Overhead there were a number of big birds flying around ... this is one that landed in the tree just above me ... maybe it was waiting for me to keel over with sun stroke!
Then back down to the bottom of the park .. past the library with its very English rose garden.

Outside the park it was meandering back through the streets to the hotel .. First there was a big obelisk-like tower that had an interesting glow from the sun around the top, and then the war memorial was having some repairs done.
Finally back to the hotel, it was getting hot and the traffic was increasing .. however it was good to see so many traffic cops fining the bike riders without head gear.,
Surviving the roads is a bit like London .. find a gap do one lane at a time, the difficulty here is that the lanes are "virtual"

Areches, France

It snowed last night ....  around 5 cms .. in Beaufort ..  so an opportunity to go up and make the most of it,.

Areches again ... M-J, Chris, Katie and I, with powder in mind.

Disappointingly there was not a deeper deposit at height ... I think the wind had something to do with this.

Straight to the top ... after the second chair, we went around into the top bowl and suddenly felt under dressed ..  the wind was bitter, strong and the temperature was heading towards -10 deg despite the sun breaking through and out of the wind.

A quick chat and time to go to the refuge and discuss options ...  we set out across the bowls to where the refuge used to be, and found nothing but a square of concrete and a sign indicating it would be back next year! So plan B ...  down to the bottom drag, followed by a quick trip to the top onthe top drag followed by the normal descent back to the lower section.

The cold on the drags was intense..  so glad that I was able to move the fingers out of the ends of my big gloves and ball in the palms for more warmth, then hid both out of the wind, relying on experience to stay on the drag without holding onto cold metal.

The cloud also dropped as we went up the top drag - we had to go to the top just to see - with it being like a white out  ..  the piste was really good ..  powder over the hard base, but the wind drove us to get around the shoulder to a little shelter.

From here a little experimentation with our usual playgrounds showed that the powder was good for fun. However we needed some warmth and stopped into the cafe for a coffee after the run.

Having set the precedence we avoided the top bowls and stuck with the lower playgrounds taking different lines ... until mid afternoon when too many others were copying us and it was time to call it a day.

The extra snow had not lasted long and the forecast was for a deep freeze tonight. we chose to cut our losses and make for home, on the morrow ..  so packing up and getting ready took the rest of the day.

The journey back was uneventful, with the exception for the excess charges to P&O for changing the day (£60 was very steep) ..  very glad to be home, thought so we payed up.

Areches, France

Chris, M-j, Katie and I joined forces for today's enterprise.... the marked tour route at the top of Areches... we had done the bottom section last year, and this would complete the route.

Taking the lift to the middle station (where the bottom section starts) then the top chair.
The route goes away to the right of the exit to the chair.,.. with all the usual warnings

The bottom section was an interesting meander through the rocks and hollows of the ridge ... made all the more interesting by the lack of snow cover and the route took some really innovative options.

The first tranche over there was an opportunity to bail before the top tranche. You could jump onto the piste here and continue or go down.

We chose to stay on the trail, which headed up the rounded ridge end with several steep turns getting narrower and narrower.

Once on the ridge crest (or almost), the route traversed around the shoulder, and along the side - grass interspersed with snow sections, and a couple if hairy descents.

As the ridge ended (or dropped down to meet us) we cut across the bumps back towards the piste and the top of the highest drag lift.

There was not much debate about continuing to the col de forclaz ... only a few meters above us.

Time for lunch and some photos, then we were back down the piste again .. as previous days this trip , very little enjoyment to the sides as it was hard and corrugated.

The the ride down the lift at the bottom .. facing outwards always takes a little getting used to.

Hautleuce, France

Just Katie, Chris and I today ..  and a trip to Hautleuce to see how it was coping with the lack of snow.

Arriving at the valley station, it was very empty, half a dozen cars, but the lift was running.

There was a deep frost and the temperature was low and the sun had not been here for a long time.

There were strange looks as we walked around the lift and put on the skis ...  they knew something we would find out ...
The snow making was going on and at the bottom a thin ribbon existed...  however around the corner in the woods where the piste got steeper, the ribbon ran out...

Skis off and walk up steep slippery rocks. after about 100m we could put them back on again - but only for a short section as we hit the next bend, and where the sun had reached, it ran out again. We continued (carefully) on the skins across the grass and light gravel, until we reached sheet ice ... luckily the gutter had foliage in it and we could walk up that as an escape route.

Above this tricky section there was a really nice slope with thick man made snow ...  the sun coming out warmed up the day and things looked good.

As we came out of the trees the snow ran out again ...  continuing again carefully we kept going until we found some odd patches as the track flattened out and contoured to the mid station.
Here we cut across the rough slopes (grass, heather and snow) picking our way from snow patch to snow patch.

Hot drink and chips later, the day was warming up, except for the wind which was bitter when it got up.

We set off to walk down the top section ... cutting the corner off  to the track, with an awkward drop down to the track.

Then the top of the "nice" section to put skis on

Unfortunately we were not the first down, but there was plenty of fresh snow left for us..

The top icy section we walked down (discretion being the better part of valor here) .. then we were in the snow making territory .. as you approached all seemed good , then the wet snow would blind you at the same time the skis started dragging, trying to make you fall over. Recovering and half blind you escape the clutches of the monster and pick up on the fresh snow blown down hill.

One more walking section and several more snow making monsters and we were back at the bottom.

Foregoing a stop in the cafe there - after last year when we were told in no uncertain terms that the kitchens were closed and there was no food, it had lost the appeal for our custom. We set off for the chalet ...  only to find out once there I had left a plastic bag with wallet and bits in the car park. Driving back in controlled rage at myself, only to be really lucky and find it where I had dropped it - only now under the front bumper of a car.
Relieved and chastened I adjusted the coping mechanism to be more OCD. This nearly spoiled what was a good day grabbed from no where.

Le Plannay, France

Yesterday's reconnaissance showed that there was not much on offer, so for today's exercise we opted to skin up the side of the piste at Le Plannay.

No issues parking again ..  in fact a lot more spaces today after the weekend crowd had moved on.

Heading up the piste, keeping to the sides.
A couple of anxious moments when the slope got steep and icy, but a gentle approach got around it.

Dom had some issues with rubbing boots, and needed some plasters.

Arriving at the bottom of the top lift we sat for lunch on some straw bales.

Looking at the view over to Mont Blanc

With the sun diving behind the clouds we headed back down ...  the icy patches had melted slightly , but going down is easier on it than walking up.

Back to the chalet for tea and cake.