A Viking Charm Offensive – and Other Oxymorons.

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We went to bed in rapt antici…pation of an early start and getting first tracks…

Oxymoron – noun [ok-si-mawr–on]. Rhetoric.

“A figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in ‘cruel kindness’ or ‘to make haste slowly.’”

We went to bed in rapt antici…pation of an early start and getting first tracks, but our plans went horribly awry at midnight.

The Vikings arrived!

We got a small sense of how the monks of Lindisfarne might have felt in AD 793. We cowered in the dark while doors slammed, voices shouted and a multitude of feet echoed as they ran up and down the stone stairwell.Continue reading “A Viking Charm Offensive – and Other Oxymorons.”

With Great Powder Comes Great Responsibility!

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With Great Powder Comes Great Responsibility! (Photo by Johannes Langwieder on Unsplash)

“Do you want to ski down seven Chilean volcanoes?” “COUNT ME IN!”

This was how we discovered our tried-and-trusted way to get into the back country safely. We still have a few mountaineering skills to learn (and a head for heights to gain!) before we tackle “The Magnificent Seven” – and I’m not sure that we could take the dogs…

However, before we get on to that, I would like you to understand why it is that Great Powder demands Great Responsibility.

Continue reading “With Great Powder Comes Great Responsibility!”

Pups in POW!

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Pups in POW!

We awoke to a very different Monday morning.

We were up with the larks at,er, 11:30! After our journey of 1000 miles, we both felt like we had been bulldozed.

It was a beautiful bluebird day but neither of us felt anything like skiing. With no new snow for some time, the conditions were quite icy and hard packed. Unlike our previous 1-week skiing holidays, where we were queuing for the first lift and did not return until dark (with a maximum 20-minute break for lunch) it was so lovely not to feel like we HAVE to spend every waking minute on the slopes. We wanted to make sure that the dogs were settled and happy in the apartment before we left them and after all, we are here for 3 months. There will be snow. Sometime. And we will ski. Sometime!

In the back of our mind, however; was this going to be a repeat of our road trip in the summer that didn’t actually go anywhere…?

Continue reading “Pups in POW!”

Winter Walkies in Monte Rosa

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There are plenty of well-marked & pisted tracks for Nordic skiers & snow-shoers which are ideal for walking pooches. (Photo by kind permission of Graham Smith.)

Monte Rosa prides itself on being Dog Friendly. That said, we could find NO information whatsoever on how and where to walk dogs before we arrived in the ski area. Of course, once we arrived, we sussed it out ourselves and it was actually very straightforward!

Here are my Top Tips on winter walking. Route information is obviously specific to the Gressoney Valley, although the more general tips will apply in other ski resorts.Continue reading “Winter Walkies in Monte Rosa”