Each January, I drive to the Alps. I’ve been doing this for quite a few years now, and it provides me with a feeling of having properly visited the country where I’m skiing. This trip took in Switzerland, France and Italy.

The Weather was mostly cold and windy, well it was January after all.  The weather affected the running of the lifts, and I failed to make it to the top of the Klein Matterhorn lift, with skis. I almost made it, but the liftie bounced me!

Onwards to Chamonix, and I made the best of some fabulous powder in Les Houches.

I also made the best of the powder in Le Tour, seemed rude not to.

I took some time out to visit the Step Into The Void attraction at the top of the Aiguille du Midi . It was fun to stand on a sheet of glass over a 1000 metre drop. You can just see Chamonix below my left hand!

Skiers setting off the ski the Vallee Blanche

Off the slopes, my mission was to eat my way through the display counter in my favourite cake shop.

Headed over to Italy for a day with Chris Fecher of Tinderbox Ski. Rode the tiny Cresta d’Arp cable car to the top of the resort and skied quite a steep run back down to Zerotta, in time for a late lunch.

This was the easy bit. Then it got a lot steeper!

A lot further down the same run, the gradient was easier. Chris measured it at 32 degrees.

I met up with my friend Sara and her husband Ian, for a spin around Grand Montets. This was fun. We found some Crevasses quite close to the marked pistes.