Le jour commence dans 1h, il pleut pas...c'est parti pour la traversée des arêtes du Gerbier !

#isere #myisere #grenoble #igersgrenoble #frenchalps #alpes #iseretourisme #photography #Vercors

(mi-août)

Third times the charm! Our friends loaned us their SUP to try out, so we keenly raced back to Lake Montriond the following morning to try it out (and have another #wildswim too). After a few novice hiccups (involving pumps and valves) we got out on the water for a play. I enjoyed a calm paddle around as N swam near me, taking in the beauty of the lake from yet another perspective. This was our last day of play in the #frenchalps as home is calling us back - long drive ahead.. #SUP #France

Ha - I said we'd be back. We couldn't resist stopping in for another #wildswim at the gorgeous Lake Montriond as we passed. We suited up and swam around the buoys for a 2.2km loop, passing the occasional paddleboarder & kayaker en route. The (now) 21degC clear water was slinky smooth and the sun was shining, perfect conditions. Then a riverside walk and explore of #Morzine central before meeting friends for dinner & drinks. Another great day in the mountains. #France #frenchalps #oldfriends

Lac Blanc et Grand Pic de Belledonne

#isere #myisere #grenoble #igersgrenoble #frenchalps #alpes #iseretourisme #photography #Belledonne #Lac

Sur une vire à mi-hauteur du Pas Étoupe, Vercors.

Couloir que je trouve de plus en plus délicat au fil des ans ; ou alors c'est moi qui vieillit...

#isere #myisere #grenoble #igersgrenoble #frenchalps #alpes #iseretourisme #photography #Vercors

The Chavanne chair in Les Gets took our bikes and us up the #frenchalps. We started down an easy green route, as a warm up & tester. We soon concluded our narrow-tyred hard tail gravel bikes were not the right tool for these undulating, twisty, high bermed trails, & we had to ride conservatively to maintain control. But the trails were empty so we could take time to settle and explore the limits of our bikes (& skills). We progressed to blues runs, but no more. A fun, enjoyable day #cycling

Arc-en-ciel au boulot, sur Grenoble et l'Isère

#isere #myisere #grenoble #igersgrenoble #frenchalps #alpes #iseretourisme #photography #rainbow

Leaving #Seytroux we headed off to visit Lake Montriond, set in the mountains above #Morzine. We ran a couple of laps around the lake and along a woodland trail to the (currently fenced off) cascades d'Ardent. After, we cooled off with a gentle #wildswim The light was resting beautifully on the still lake and imposing cliffs, the water a refreshing 18degC - we'll be back here. Later we returned to Les Gets for an easy afternoon and to prep for the following day's downhill #cycling #frenchalps

We bounced off the mountain after our hike and decided to overnight in the nearby village of Le Reposoir. We walked around town and visited the #Chartreuse du Reposoir with its beautiful setting and lake.
Later there was an event on where you could quiz various experts on elements of the forests, from hunting to ecology. Road works noise and dust from 7am disrupted our lie-in, so we headed off early to explore Les Gets & Morzine, and later to meet up with some #oldfriends #Frenchalps #hiking

A quiet Sunday morning. Tired bodies, aching limbs and a little hungover. So what do we do? Get up early, make our way to Col de la Colombière and hike +579m up to Lac de Peyre, of course. This was our first busy hike, lots of weekenders out to play. The Col was stuffed full with cars & motorbikes and climbing cyclists dodging the throng. The route offered stunning views of #Montblanc on the way up, but no opportunity for a cooling dip as the lake was low on water. #hiking #FrenchAlps

Post-cycling late afternoon we used our ski-lift day passes again to visit the highest local point at Mont Lechat. From there we could again see the distant peak of #Montblanc and many paragliders circling around above and below us. We also attempted a practise #slackline but struggled to go more than a few steps - needs more work. We returned to the town via the chairlift & télécabine and had another #wildswim river dip to cool off, then pizza & beers to finish the day. #frenchalps #exhausted

After queueing with a group of paragliders buying season passes, we started up the télécabine. Chose an 'easy' uphill green route to begin, and my tired legs were in bits in under 2k.Not good. We were the only non e-bikes on the trails, and we now knew why. But the route finally dropped and we flowed down nicely on wide gravel paths and narrow woodland tracks. The tough uphill stints were worth it for the glorious long sweeping descents. Again. And again.
#cycling #downhill #hiking #FrenchAlps

On waking, I took a notion for a bit of a #trailrun and wifey joined me on her bike. Followed a green cycle route (43 La Serpentine 223m+) 4k sharply up, then 3k crazy down. Cycle piste map said it would take 1hr 40, but took under 40 mins with some 7min/km & some 4min/km. Strange timings. We then returned to Le Grand Bornand village to chill, had a little river dip and local explore. Tomorrow the Télécabine Rosay opens and the proper downhill #cycling can begin. #FrenchAlps #running

Loving this area of the #FrenchAlps, we moved along the valley first to Le Grand Bornand, and up further again to Chinaillon. Picked up some maps and started up GR96 to Aiguille Verte and Lac de Lessy. In every direction everything was stunning, with distant views of both #MontBlanc and #LacLéman from Le Buclon ridge. Wifey dipped in the cold lake before we headed back to town, weary but elated. #hiking #wildswimming

Deeper into the #FrenchAlps we passed through La Clusaz and parked up at the end of the road beyond Lac de Confins at 1440m. The backdrop cathedral of snow-patched peaks along the Crêtes des Aravis provided a humbling majesty to this place. Herds of bell-tinkling goats surrounded us. We wasted no time #hiking up one #combe - the 'Trou de la Mouche' - and made our way beyond the snowline and into cloud above 2400+m. Beautiful - we feel we've properly arrived in the heart of the mountains now.

Skirting around Lacs du #Borget and #Annecy (both visited before) we got most of the way to #Thônes but were denied by a closed road. Roadworks and accidents then conspired to turn our simple 1hr40 drive into a rather stressy 3hr30. Finally arrived and - yey - the rain storms began. We fitted in a few local walks (Roman bridge loop, the Jean-Jacques Rousseau tour) between downpours, over two wet days. Moving into proper big jaggy Alps territory tomorrow. #hiking #frenchalps

Campsite Le Curtelet and lac d'Aiguebelette have been wonderful hosts. Lovely 1.8k exploratory #wildswim and 17k lake-loop #cycle on day 1, then a longer 3.2k swim (24degC water!) between and around the islands, followed by a well-earned lazy afternoon planning mini-adventures and reading my much neglected book. We had a final 300m early morning skins swim with the ducks, before the campsite had woken, a lovely end to our stay. Recuperative, restorative days. #France #frenchalps

This week at @Annecyfestival
an episode of "Hideous Henk" will be screened as part of the block "TV Films in Competition 3" of which I wrote the music for. And what are you doing this week? #annecy #swissalps #frenchalps #festival #filmfestival #animation

Un peu de soleil et beaucoup d'herbe verte au lever ce matin.

#isere #myisere #grenoble #igersgrenoble #frenchalps #alpes #iseretourisme #photography #Vercors

Picked another hike from our #FrenchAlps book, parked by a cemetery in Attignat-Oncin to hike to Belvédère du Mont-Grèle. A muddy woodland trail lead steeply upwards, one of the toughest starts to a walk in years (pushing hard, the first mile still took us 24m). Humid, sweaty messes, we emerged from the treeline into heavy rain and exactly no view. We returned a different route past a trickling cascade and flopped into Campsite Le Curtelet on the shores of beautiful lac d'Aiguebelette. #hiking