Mervyn Powell – Page 2

GIN Ski Outings – Monday 20 January and Tuesday 21 January

The ski blogs are coming thick and fast now.

Two outings were scheduled on consecutive days this week due to the excellent prevailing weather conditions at altitude. The call to action received a disappointingly small response due to injury, sickness, therapy, travel and work(?) commitments. Time for some realignment of priorities, surely.

Bright (or rather, foggy) and early on Monday morning Mark and Mervyn set off to Champéry. The autoroute traffic in our direction was pleasingly fluid and we were soon booted, ticketed and on the 10am téléphérique and up into the glorious sunshine. Some gentle cruising on empty pistes saw us rendezvous with Stephen and Kate for an early coffee at Les Brochaux. Stephen was making his first GIN outing of the new year, having led us to expect him to be hors de combat for the season. Having a stubbornly gammy knee has done nothing to reduce his speed on skis but has required a modified technique for getting on and off chair lifts.

The rest of the morning was spent enjoying at speed the long, almost empty, slopes around Avoriaz before a welcome lunchtime beer and excellent plat du jour Chez Flo. Stephen departed to return early to Morgins leaving the two elder statesmen to wend their way back the pretty way to Champèry via Mossettes, Les Crosets, Ripaille and Grand Paradis. It was a testament to the good snow conditions that the long itinerary route was skiable, with the delightful Chalet Clavets open to provide drinks en route.

We left at 4pm and were back home by 5:30 after a trouble-free return journey.

The next day, Tuesday, a different trio (David, Ralph and Mervyn) ventured out to ski Le Grand Massif. We drove via Bardonnex onto the A40 to Cluses and thence to Samoens. There was thick fog in the Arve valley and high polluting lorries were forbidden from using the autoroute, which was something of a blessing. We duly arrived without incident and in sunshine and were up on the snow by 10am. The two super-seniors in the party were granted free lift passes whilst the youngster paid his dues with good grace. Whether the same largesse is available to him when he reaches 75 remains to be seen.

This had all the makings of a great day and so it was to be. The slopes everywhere and particularly above Flaine were in remarkably good snowy condition and the mountain vistas quite breath-taking.
The photos don’t do it justice, not least because there are three guys spoiling the view. We enjoyed the long, wide sweeping blues and reds above the treeline from Les Grandes Platières (2480m) before stopping for a late lunch of classic mountain fare at Le Blanchot.

Unfortunately, the long scenic route down to Sixt was closed so we retraced our way back to Samoens the way we came. It’s quite some distance but the lift system is very efficient and the crowds at this time of year are virtually non-existent. There was the suspicion of a fall by one of our number, but as it wasn’t witnessed and is therefore unverifiable, GIN rules imply that it never happened. Three tired but happy and injury-free bodies set off for home shortly after 4pm.

I shall be away for the next two weeks, so if anyone reading this wishes to organise an outing then, please feel free to do so.

GIN Biking – Hallowe’en 2024

Four faithful fellows forewent broomsticks for bikes this Hallowe’en (31.10.24) – Ivan, Mark2Ts, Peter T plus yours truly. The usual litany of excuses for absence, ranging from the forgivable to the feeble, was received from…….. no names, but you know who you are.

We met up at Divonne Lake at the appointed hour of 10am and after a brief conflab agreed to try to find the elusive sun which was reported to be shining above 800m. This entailed a ride past Bonmont and further up the road towards La Barillette. At the junction leading towards the pond we were still in mist so decided to head on up to the junction at 888m. En route we were pursued and, much to our astonishment and shame, overtaken by an elderly ironman on roller-skis out training for the upcoming ski de fond season!

Still not in sunshine we ventured further up until, at 990m we were finally rewarded with clear blue skies and an appreciable rise in air temperature. Our own temperatures were decidedly on the high side after 90 minutes of exertion, not least Ivan, who had for the previous couple of kilometers struggled with the added handicap of a back tyre rubbing hard up against the bike frame. He had been putting so much pressure on the chain that the wheel had become misaligned. As none of us possessed the requisite spanner (Peter D, you were missed) it was an easy decision to head back down. After all we had reached our goal – the sun.

The descent was decidedly on the chilly side with cold air blowing on sweat-soaked clothing so it was with great relief that we repaired to the restaurant at the foot of the hill in Crassier soon after 12 noon. We’d eaten there some years back but it is now the Restaurant La Semplicità, under new Italian management and to be recommended. Beers and the plat du jour plus desserts were thoroughly enjoyed, except by a very strong-willed Mark who is still on the wagon for another week.

A satisfying outing and a rewarding contrast to the washout of two weeks earlier. Hope we can fit in a few more rides before the snows come.

Vital statistics: dist. 33.5 Km, deniv. 601m

GIN Not-Biking 17 October 2024

Well that was the bike trip that wasn’t.

Of the seven who had signed up for this outing two sensible souls – the Honourable Members for Founex and for Rolle – believing their own eyes rather than the weather forecast, decided to stay in their pyjamas in preference to donning wet weather cycling gear. That left five of us who duly assembled at the start line at 09:30 – Ivan, Mark, Mervyn, Peter S & Ralph.

The grounds of the Everness Hotel are the usual meeting place for our biking trips but today, under leaden skies and heavy rain, the invitingly warm interior was the unanimous choice. There we shed wet outer clothing and ordered coffees and teas. It continued to rain so we had another round of coffees and discussed the options for the morning. By 11 o’clock, with no improvement in the weather expected for several hours, we had decided to abandon any thought of cycling other than to head straight home.

Oh well, next time?

Blog written by a fully signed-up and unashamed member of the Fair Weather Biking Group.

PS: There are no photos of this non-event because no one had a waterproof camera.

Thursday 10 Oct 24 Le Môle Stroll

A Stroll up the Môle – 10Km and 725m

With apocalyptic weather events currently affecting much of the planet it might seem churlish to be concerned about our local météo. But there were some apprehensions expressed about the conditions we could expect on our planned ascent of the mighty Môle. However, with Ralph’s confident prediction of a temperature of 23°(where?), Mark 2Ts, Mervyn, Nathan & Ralph confidently set off from Divonne at 9am in Mark’s new e-car to rendezvous with Ross and Peter T, plus faithful four-legged friend, at the start of the hike.

After a few minor detours, but at the last minute wisely excluding the option of going via Bourg en Bresse and Lyon, we duly arrived to be met by a slimmed-down, shaven Kobie bounding down the track to lick us all. The two-hour ascent from the parking at Chez Béroud 1160m via Plan Meulet to the summit at 1863m was completed in under the signposted 2 hours.

It began in sunshine while we traversed the forest but by the time we emerged above the tree line the clouds were gathering and the mountain tops were frustratingly obscured.

Ralph looked happy, before we got to the steep bit

The path became steep and the heavy recent rain had made it muddy and slippery. It was reassuring to know that there was an alternative route down.

At the top, wearing our warm outer-layers and gloves (it couldn’t have been much above freezing) we duly celebrated with champagne, chilled gamaret and warming Knockando.

Getting ready for the celebration – Mervyn’s n’th birthday!!! (where n=x+3)

Absent friends amongst you readers were toasted. The promised full 360° panorama was not to reveal itself on this occasion, much to the chagrin of the two Môle virgins amongst us, but we did get fleeting glimpses of the some of the peaks and the lake. Another time?

The threatening shower accelerated our picnic and we quickly descended to Le Petit Môle, where it was sunny, tantalizingly revealing the peak we had just left. No-one was keen to reclimb 330m!

ANother Mervyn Birthday Bash. Note – sun on the summit …

The easy route back down became a stony track and we were reacquainted with the cars within an hour, all the while enjoying good views of the Arve valley well below.

I for one enjoyed the day immensely.

(PeterT Notes:- A great day out, pity the weather was not great, but it could have been worse. A really tough last few hundred metres, my heart rate went higher and for longer than any on other hike in the last 4 years…)

GIN Ski Day – Thursday 7 March 2024

Another Thursday, another ski outing. And what an outing it was!

Whilst I’m sympathetic to those of you with understandable excuses for a no-show, the rest of you really did miss out on an absolute humdinger of a day. The chosen venue was Glacier 3000, because your humble correspondent was staying with his brother-in-law, David, in nearby Les Diablerets and 50cm of new snow had fallen at altitude in the previous 24 hours.

The two of us headed up to the Col du Pillon to rendezvous with Stephen (Langton) and catch the 9am cable-car. Stephen was driving up from St Cergue that morning and was delayed by the usual motorway traffic and roadworks on the mountain road above Aigle . We couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with the acres of fresh powder on the glacier so decided to meet up later on the mountain.

Without doubt these were the best skiing conditions so far this season – and indeed for several seasons. The gentle runs at the top had just been lightly groomed and it was like skiing on silk. Those with steeper gradients were untouched, giving endless possibilities of skiing in deep, light powder. It was a thrilling and all-too-infrequent experience and perfect to build one’s confidence in off-piste skiing.

The weather that day, which had initiated an early start to the GIN biking season, was sensational in the mountains. There were breath-taking views in every direction from the 3000m summit at the Scex Rouge where we even decided to forgo our skis for a short climb up to the celebrated Peak to Peak walkway. David just about conquered his fear of heights to cross the 110m “floating bridge” and live to tell the tale. A welcome coffee stop was taken on the other side of the glacier at a favourite of the writer’s, Refuge de l’Espace, which is situated beside the Quille du Diable, an impressive column of rock towering out of the snow and ice and overlooking a 1500m sheer drop to the ruined hamlet of Derborence (familiar to some of the GIN hikers and immortalised in C.F.Ramuz’s novel of the same name) and the Rhone valley 1000m below that.

After another couple of hours skiing our legs off we treated ourselves to Boxer beers and croutes at the Cabane des Diablerets, where the large resident dog was frolicking outside in the deep snow and dazzling sunshine, wearing a pair of goggles. Doggles?

After lunch it was more of the same until we were ready to descend to the cars. We wisely decided against taking, at the end of the day, the recently opened tunnel bored through the cliff which opens onto a seemingly near vertical un-pisted descent of 1000m to the bottom station of the téléphérique. Younger, fitter legs definitely required.

Again, the return journey was not entirely traffic-free, with roadworks and the usual congestion between Lausanne and Morges – the only negative to a truly splendid ski day. More of the same please.

Next outing is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 21 March – DV&WP (Deo volente and weather permitting)

GIN Leap Day Ski Day – Thursday 29 February 2024

Well, for once this season the weather forecast indeed turned out to be both positive and accurate.

Encouraged by the promise of a grand beau I cheekily proposed a ski day on what had already been declared a snow-shoe outing, albeit with no snow. However, none of the skiing members of the snow-shoers could be persuaded to change their allegiance, preferring a meander on Mont Mussy to a day’s piste bashing in the Valais.

So it was only the two faithful stalwarts, Joe and Mervyn, who set off bright and early and headed for Veysonnaz, one of the satellite ski stations in the huge 4 Vallées domain. We arrived without incident and were ticketed and booted and on skis by 10am. Cloudless skies above and a good depth of snow underfoot greeted us. The 360° views were magnificent and even the distant Matterhorn showed itself.

Being so youthful, Joe had to pay full whack for his lift pass so we decided to get his money’s worth by exploring as much of the area as possible. Oldies like me and Portes du Soleil season ticket holders go free! After a quick sampling of the Thyon runs we headed, direction Verbier, to Siviez, Tortin and Nendaz. Lunch was taken on a sunny terrace above Siviez to fortify us for the return journey to Veysonnaz. There we enjoyed the perfectly groomed and empty black runs of Etherolla and the celebrated Piste de l’Ours (twice) before descending down to the village via a much anticipated vin chaud/beer stop.

The return journey was not entirely traffic-free, with the usual heavy evening traffic between Lausanne and Morges – the only negative to an otherwise splendid Leap Day ski day.

Next outing is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 7 March – DV&WP (Deo volente and weather permitting)

GIN Ski Day – Wednesday 7 February 2024

Here is the blog of the ski day that never was!

Despite the change of date of this week’s ski outing which was probably wise weatherwise, it was nevertheless unsuccessful in attracting a quorum, nay, even a single participant to sign up.

There were a number of apologies for absence proffered, mostly of an orthopaedic nature, but I suspect the perception of the prevailing skiing conditions – poor snow and potentially crowded pistes – also contributed.

Perhaps also the purpose of these ski outing should be clarified. We are no longer (if ever?) a group of thrill-seeking, dare-devil powder hounds, who are impatient to get the first cable car, think lunch is a Mars bar on a chairlift and ski until the pisteurs clear the slopes. No, we are pleasure-seeking, mountain-loving, epicureans who just enjoy doing it at a high-level and where the uphill effort element is largely removed from the equation. Hikers and snow-shoers take note! Sounds to me like the criteria for a perfect day out with good company.

Next outing is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 22 February. Let’s see what the weather gods will have conspired to provide by then.

Disgruntled from Commugny.

GIN Ski Day – Thursday 25 January 2024

Here is the blog of the third GIN ski outing of the current season – though you wouldn’t know it from the absence of the two earlier blogs!

Skiing is getting to be as unpopular as underwater chess. Apologies for absence this time ranged from the frivolous and feeble to the downright mutinous with talk of a breakaway B team?!!

Nevertheless, two of us, myself and Joe, a welcome young new addition, drove early to Champéry and were soon basking in glorious sunshine at 2000m. The perfect conditions above were not quite matched by those underfoot. There was still plenty of snow cover but the pistes were hard packed and very icy early on and those exposed to the sun soon got soft and heavy. This didn’t seem to deter a surprising number of other skiers. This “working from home” lark is getting out of hand.

A mid-morning coffee stop and a late lunch provided welcome respite from some serious piste-bashing around Champéry, Les Crosets, Linderets, Avoriaz and Plaine Dranse. The Domaine des Noirs above Avoriaz was closed (too icy?) and the Swiss Wall didn’t look very inviting, but that still left plenty of other options. The Welsh ski team (Dragons) were strutting/sliding their stuff but thankfully didn’t need an additional veteran.

We were off the mountain by 16:30 and the return journey was thankfully reasonably trouble-free.

All in all, a ten hour day but no idea of distance or denivelation skied. Must do it again.

Blog of the GIN Cycling Group Outing 15 June 2023

In the event, six intrepid members of the biking group assembled at the Divonne Lake (ice-cream shack) starting point: Bill, Ivan, Mark, Mervyn, Paul and a late-entry – our man from the mountains, Peter T.

Several apologies for absence had been submitted exhibiting varying degrees of justification (no names, but you know who you are!).

Monsieur Météo promised to be benign – warm, dry and no wind. So, it was agreed to accept my proposal of a ride through the open fields to the relative shade of the Jura hills up to the 888m point on the infamous Barillette ascent. It wasn’t long before Peter (then Ivan Ed.) took over the lead as we headed onwards and upwards. We suffered varying degrees of pain and fatigue as the gradient increased from a modest 5% up to a more daunting 10.5%. e-Paul once again demonstrated the clear advantage of bike battery technology over raw lung and leg power as, with the mere touch of a button, he showed at least one fit-looking young interloper a clean pair of heels (or in this case, pedals).

The investment of all that time and effort on the ascent was rewarded by a swift and exhilarating descent down the sweeping bitumened bends, where Ivan demonstrated impressive slaloming technique, to Gingins and thence to Trelex and finally Prangins.

This passed not entirely without incident as, no sooner had bits started to fall off Mervyn’s bike, than Mark decided to do a mini-Nathan and part company involuntarily with his machine. Thankfully only pride suffered a minor injury this time.

A table with seven places laid out awaited our arrival at Les Abérieux restaurant down on the lakeside at Prangins.

Beers were swiftly ordered and consumed before the mystery missing diner – our BLeader, Stephen, no less – made his welcome appearance, fresh from 15 minutes “re-education” on a stationary exercise bike. Now that’s solidarity for you, in the “I share your pain” sense!

BLeader makes his appearance in time for beer

Lunch-time banter covered the usual old chestnuts plus a intriguing discussion, initiated by our resident man of letters, Paul, on what constitutes the toughest sport. Cycling uphill in the heat of the midday sun, notwithstanding, other candidates ranging from mountaineering, ultra-marathons and competitive saunas were proposed. The common denominator seemed to be utter madness.

With that we dispersed and wended our ways back to our various starting points in the Terre Sainte and beyond.

Vital statistics: 44 Km, 580m deniv. 3hr in the saddle (+2hr lunch)

Author: Mervyn Powell, faithful member of the peloton and frequent lanterne rouge.

GIN Downhill Ski Day – Friday 20 January 2023

6th annual Dave Knewstubb memorial ski outing

The skiers’ prayers have finally been answered and the frustratingly capricious weather pattern this winter began to normalise at the end of last week. This meant that the much-anticipated inaugural outing of the 2023 skiing season could actually take place.

On Friday 20 January three stalwart GINtlemen (Mark, Steve and Mervyn) and one honorary guest (Alun) convened on skis for a warming coffee high above Champéry at 10:30. There had been several absentee messages received, few of which constituted a convincing excuse, to wit: dog matters, passport problem, lack of ski fitness, can’t ski when the day starts with an F (because we normally do it on a Thursday!)

A fine morning’s skiing under sunny blue skies and on freshly prepared, near-empty pistes and some adjacent powder fields got us back in the groove and hungry for some mountain fare at one of Steve’s favourite haunts below Avoriaz. Beers, croutes and tarts restored energy levels and enabled us to indulge in a further few hours of piste-bashing before bidding farewells and returning to the various car-parks around the Portes du Soleil from where we each started our skiing day.

No record of distances or denivelation, but it seemed like a lot. All in all a good, if belated, start to the season with hopes for many more days like it. Sadly only thought of photos at end of day, after Alun left.