With the uncooperative weather on the last day, most of us drove to Briancon and climbed Via Ferrata. A hiking trail rose 700 feet to the base of the cabled wall. From there it was 1,290 vertical feet and 2 1/2 hours to the top. Of that, maybe 200 vertical near the top was also hiking trail without cables. Andy is even more acrophobic than I, so he and his friend Robert skied Serre Chevalier again instead.
Start of the cables:
Guide demonstrates the two carabiners attached to your harness; you move one at a time past each cable attachment.
View up. I was a little nervous here and relieved when I asked and the guide said we were not descending this way.
Ascending Via Ferrata; only a decade later did I learn that Via Ferrata originated in the Dolomite front during World War I.
Ski runs descending into Briancon:
View south:
Briancon:
Final night festivities in La Grave. Guide Joe Vallone is the drummer.
Tina leaning over between the two Extremely Canadian guides; the lady at far right worked at the hotel in La Grave.
Steve Mayer in the brown shirt also guided my 2005 Las Lenas trip and gave Liz a private lesson at Whistler in 2015.
Start of the cables:
Guide demonstrates the two carabiners attached to your harness; you move one at a time past each cable attachment.
View up. I was a little nervous here and relieved when I asked and the guide said we were not descending this way.
Ascending Via Ferrata; only a decade later did I learn that Via Ferrata originated in the Dolomite front during World War I.
Ski runs descending into Briancon:
View south:
Briancon:
Final night festivities in La Grave. Guide Joe Vallone is the drummer.
Tina leaning over between the two Extremely Canadian guides; the lady at far right worked at the hotel in La Grave.
Steve Mayer in the brown shirt also guided my 2005 Las Lenas trip and gave Liz a private lesson at Whistler in 2015.
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