It was an enjoyable first day with good weather and great snow - we challenged ourselves with some nice runs through the trees and few big long runs from the top of 'Le Herse' lift back down to the valley. That night we invited Stu and Alison to join us for dinner. A good opportunity to meet our guide and to discuss the 3 day itinerary. In addition to his busy guiding schedule, Stu is also the equipment officer for the BMG. As you can imagine much of the evening was dedicated to high quality 'gear chat'! A busman's holiday for me! 
Day one with Stu was fab. We were unable to get an early lift up to the Midi, so a quick change of plan - back up to the Grands Montets! Cable Car to the summit followed by a decent of the fabled Les Pas de Chevre. All started well, snow was ok, stunning views of the Dru et al. As we descended, however, the snow got harder and more crusty, so much so that Stu actually apologised to us! He thought the snow conditions would be better! Anyway, not long after we entered the first couloir, I accidently caught my pole during a tight turn (very poor technique!), next thing I knew, I was sliding down the couloir, minus 1 ski and with no axe to arrest! 40 metres later I came to a stop, shaken and a little stirred (memories of the Haute Route prominent in my mind). No major injuries, other than a cut on my nose. Crampons on, I climbed down to fetch my other ski. We then continued down, snow conditions improved (crust to powder) and all was well again. We then had to negotiate a desperate descent onto the lower reaches of the Mer de Glace, which involved a lower off an old pine tree onto a tiny shelf that contoured below a fantastic icefall shortly followed by the narrowest of couloirs that led to the wide expanse of the glacier below - great! We then skied to the exit point, a 20 minute carry up to the restaurant and a well deserved beer and breather! The time was about 1300 hrs - we enjoyed a pleasant ski back down to the valley and grabbed some lunch.
We then took a lift to up to the Midi and enjoyed the most fantastic late afternoon descent of the Valley Blanche. It was empty - all the crowds had skied it in the morning........we had it to ourselves! Stu guided us down the more exciting 'Petit Envers' variation which was superb. We got off the mountain at approx 1800, straight to the pub to catch the start of the rugby! One of the best days I have had in the mountains! 5200m of descent!
Day 2, we were knackered after a mammoth first day and the weather wasn't the best. We headed up to the Grands Montets and combined some nice backcountry skiing with practical avalanche awareness work (avoidance, rescue, snow pack, causes, transceiver, shovel and probe etc.) Stu's knowledge in this area was first class - we learned so much in 3 hours! Gordon had a nasty fall and sprained his hand fairly badly - not good.
Day 3, weather was crap in Chamonix. Solution: go to Italy! The weather in Courmayeur was fantastic (Blue Sky, no wind) and the snow conditions were really good. We did a quick warm up ski then headed up to Cresta D'Arp, the highest lift access point. At this stage our options were numerous, however, we decided to traverse around to Col D'Arp and head down a beautiful valley (Vallone de Youla) which was again empty and untouched (first tracks, yippee).
We descended all the way to the village of La Balme before booking a very expensive taxi back to Courmayeur. The descent was superb - a pure unadulterated back-country experience.........until we reached the forest! The route through the trees was really difficult and I found it impossible to ski competently (nothing new there then!)
Once back at Courmayeur, grabbed some lunch at a really nice mountain restaurant (in fact it was half a pig and chips - lovely!). Our plan was to head back up to Cresta D'Arp and do an alternative route. Unfortunately the lift was closed at Cresta Youla, not thwarted however, we picked a great off-piste route that headed very steeply down towards the Zerotta lift (Val Veny) , we then traversed around the lower slopes of Mont Chetif ultimately arriving at the Dolonne lift and then back down to Courmayeur - another fantastic day, made all the better when we finally exited the tunnel to discover the weather in Chamonix had not improved at all! (Cloud, rain, sleet - grim).
The final day was spent back up at the Grands Montets, before heading back to the UK. A great trip.
Thanks to Stuart Macdonald - fantastic guide, very professional with some funny stories to boot!http://www.stuartmacdonald.org/
ME Gear used and abused:
Shell: Morpheus Jacket; Changabang Jacket; Firefly Paclite Jacket; Changabang XCR Jacket; Changabang Pant; Firelite Pant
Soft Shell: Astron Hooded Jacket; Microtherm Alpine Jacket; Aw09 G2 Ultimate Mtn Pant
Baselayer: Catalyst T; Momentum Zip Neck
Gloves: Pinnacle Glove: Couloir Glove; Guide Glove; G2 Alpine Glove
The week gave us a fantastic opportunity to use and abuse the above products. It's only when you are in the mountains that you really appreciate how functional and well designed ME products are. I have highlighted a couple of favourites below, in the interest of brevity!!
I was very excited about using the new winter 09 G2 Ultimate Pant. Although my sample was a little short, I wore them everyday, with a thermal underneath on colder days . The Gore Windstopper fabric has been specially designed for use in legwear products and I was amazed how well the pant worked - it shrugged off snow, wind and sprindrift, felt very comforatable next to skin. It fitted well around the knees and crotch area and the laser cut bonded pockets were well positioned for storage. Furthermore, for a fabric so light compared to it's predecessor, the durability of the pant was amazing, a point noted following my aforementioned 40 metre slide down hard, crusty snow! The lower section of the pant includes a fully gusseted zipper, an internal snow gaiter and crampon kick-strip. All worked well. On warmer days, it was good to be able to vent through the thigh pockets. Looking forward to the arrival of the fully tweaked version which will be available Sep 09:) RRP £150
The weather was very well suited for softshell, particularly in the more sheltered valley's where a hard shell was just not necessary. Other than the G2 pant, product of the week for me was the Microtherm Alpine Jacket. Such a simple product that offered outstanding performance. Yes it shrugged off wind and showers, but it's breathability and quick drying properties were phenomenal and perfectly suited to the weather conditions we encountered. No wonder so many professional guides have asked us to re-introduce this product to the range. The spec is simple, the price represents great value and the performance is outstanding. The He30 rs (ripstop) shell is windproof, highly breathable and water repellant with a micro grid wicking lining which regulates temp and comfort. We then add in well positioned pockets, fleece lined collar and thumbloops (priceless). When we skied the final section through the trees to La Balme, I was falling at every turn, I lost my ski several times - I was hot, exhausted and dripping with sweat when we final reached the village. My Microtherm was completely dry - unbelievable! Available now RRP £80 - buy one!
