This winter I have been working in an office in a ski resort. Despite the comfort of my immediate surroundings, I find the monochrome view of the piste outside the window very dull and uninspiring. It is occasionally brightened up by a passing skier sporting an 80's fluoro' one-piece suit, but apart from that, it's just snow, snow, snow.

This last week, on my commute home down the hill, I have been surprised by the sudden arrival of colour as spring creeps its way up to the ski resort from the valley. As the snow line rises, the lush green spring grass is pushing through replacing it and I've now seen the first primroses and violets of the season.

Buoyed up by these signs of spring, I found myself counting down the time to my next days off eager for a ride. When the time came it was shorts and T-shirt weather - overshoes, leggings and glove liners all left at home for the first time this year. It was even warm enough to bring a few lizards and butterflies out to bask on the tarmac, not to mention other groups of cyclists (including the AG2R youth squad) looking as happy as me to at last be feeling the sun on our backs.

Encouraged by melt, I got bolder and rode higher. I've now ridden my first two cols of 2008; the Col de Tamie (907m) and the Col de l'Epine (1012m). It's been great to get a bit of height again as the reward is always the descent - the Taimie has some particularly good, fast sections.

This morning I woke up at 6:30am to a bedroom darker than normal - the skylight window was covered in snow - all plans for a ride today scuppered. It's now 10pm and it's still falling and has been all day - there's now well over a foot on the ground outside and it seems unimaginable that I was ever out in shorts and T-shirt yesterday.

Back to the monochrome office tomorrow, but my memories of the cols will be with me in glorious Technicolour!

Helyn

Given that many of our best-loved cols in this area close due to snow from November til May (and we were missing them), we decided to take the initiative and see if we could get to the top of the col du Glandon without the use of a snowmobile or helicopter. 

We set off on the road up from the Maurienne valley in the minibus, with the view that we would just park the van when the road ran out. This happened at St Colomban des Villards at around 1300m.  So we put the skins on the skis and headed up, roughly following the main road (or what you could see of it).  It was stunning - check out the pictures here and at:: http://picasaweb.google.com/Leicesterlittle/WinterInTheAlps2008.

The top in particular was stunning - just a moonscape, with 3 metre drifts over the road and he col signs just sticking out of the snow.  The ski down was hard work but there was powder to be found amongst the crusty stuff.

Now, what about the col d'Iseran?

Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk