Skiing in Chamonix France, March 2002
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Friday March 29th - Paris to Chamonix
Steve, Cecilia, and I rented a car and left Clamart at 5:00pm.  The traffic leaving Paris was pretty severe due to the long weekend, but we were out of the city within an hour.  Six hours and two gas/candy stops later we arrived in Chamonix.  Chamonix is a popular French ski town southeast of Geneva, near the Switzerland-France-Italy border.  The city is situated in a valley at the base of Mont Blanc, at a relatively low altitude (~3000 feet?).

We checked into a Hotel Novotel that we had reserved in advance, about 1km outside of town (between Les Hoches and Chamonix).  The person who had used our room the night before had checked out with the key, and the hotel did not have a backup key!  We had arrived late, and this was the only room left, so we had no choice but to use the manager (and his master key) to open the door.  We would repeat this ritual for the next two days, until they finally delivered a new copy of the room key.

Our friend Todd, a former MIT-Schlumberger intern in Houston, was already in Chamonix for two weeks of spring break with his friend Nick.  Todd and Nick were staying at the house of two other MIT students, Mary-Anne and Libby, who were living in Chamonix for the entire winter.  We had arranged to meet Todd at Goophy's bar in town at midnight, and we arrived with 10 minutes to spare.  Todd and his friend Nick had already been celebrating (occasion unknown) for the past 5 hours, and provided plenty of entertainment for the rest of the evening.   We were back in the hotel and asleep by 2:30am. 

Saturday March 30th - Skiing Day 1
We woke up late, and found Todd waiting at a cafe called No Siesta - where his friend Mary-Anne was working temporarily.  We had croissants and coffee, then rented our skis (and snowboard) at a shop down the street from the cafe.  The sky was gray, but no snow was falling.  We chose to spend the day skiing at the Grand Montet - a station just up the valley from Chamonix, and struggled with relatively icy slopes and lack of new snowfall.  Cecilia earned the gladiatior award for the day, as we forced her to join us on mostly "red" level slopes, despite her novice snowboard skills.  One of the highlights of the day was a break for hot wine and snacks at small restaurant on the slopes, which allowed us to rest our bruised hips.  Despite the rough conditions we still learned a lot and had a good time together on the slopes.

We returned to the hotel at 6pm, showered up, and headed into town for dinner.  We coincidentally found Libby as we walked through town, and went together to one of the many excellent fondue restaurants on the main strip.  Two hours later we were stuffed with cheese, meat, and creme brulee (as usual).  Everyone was exhausted from a hard day of skiing and staying up late the previous night.  Steve, Cecilia, and I retired to our hotel after dinner, but Todd and the gang went to meet friends at Goophy's.

Sunday April 1st - Skiing Day 2, and Return to Paris
Early wakeup to blue skies and cool temperatures.  It had not snowed overnight, and we chose to go to Brement, which faced the early sun and was expected to be softer (mushier) and more ice-free.  We again went into town to get a croissant and coffee at No Siesta, and then headed off to the slopes.  Sunday skiing was ten times better skiing than Saturday, as the hot sun had softened the slopes and allowed us more freedom to improve our novice skills.  Cecilia spent the day improving her snowboard technique on the "blue" slopes, which Steve and I worked on the "red" slopes higher up the mountain.  Todd and Nick joined us at mid-day, and spent a few hours joking around in expert fashion off-the-run.

We returned our gear in town and helped Todd and Nick pack their gear.  We loaded the car with 2 ski bags and two backpacks on the (rackless) roof, and headed back to Paris at 9pm.  The roped roof gear held just fine, and we arrived in Paris 5-1/2 hours later.  Everyone had slept for a bit in the car, and were eager to sleep more when we got to the apartment.  A few images from the second day of skiing:
 
Clear View of Mont Blanc Across the Valley
Resting and Snack at the Lodge
Steve on the Lift...
Cecilia and Steve Resting on the Slope
Steve in Front of the Big Rock
Aaron in Front of the Big Rock

Monday April 2nd - Day in Paris
We woke up late at 11am, and had lunch outside at a restaurant/cafe in Saint Michel.  The weather in Paris was perfect, and we spent the next four hours walking through Paris and eating/drinking - a typical leisure day in the city.  We returned home at 5pm, and then spent the next few hours lounging in the Eiffel Tower park.  We had dinner at Chez Papa near our house, and were home by 11pm.  Cecilia and I had a long day of work ahead on Tuesday (big presentation for me), so we went to bed early.

Todd, Nick, and Steve headed out the next morning, back to the normal lives.  It was great to hang out with the in Chamonix, and we will always welcome them back!  More images from Paris:
 
Lunch at an Outside Cafe
Relaxing in the Eiffel Tower Park
Todd Taking care of Business in the Bushes
 

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