Red Pike

Still not got used to this camera as a lot of the pictures have not turned out today.  It was dull and the pictures were under exposed.

View of Buttermere.

And Crummock

The ground was still frozen and it was difficult to make progress upwards in places.  Red Pike is interesting as the summit appears to be skiddaw slate on top of  Ennerdale Granophyre. Across the comb are crags of the Borrowdale volcanics.

We descended via Scale Beck, the path was still iced over in places. So we crossed the beck to bye-pass the worst bits.

On the walk back I had to rescue a sheep being chased by two dogs that some inconsiderate owners were letting run loose.  They were so far back on the path that they probably could n't see what was going on.

Real Skiing

A sunny start to the day with the tops covered in snow. Picture near Troutbeck enroute.

Headed up to the Lake District Ski Club hut on Raise after parking at the Greenside Mine car park.  Definitely not straight out onto the piste here.  It's a long walk up and you are nackered by the time you get there.  The cloud was down and it was windy.  No corrugated piste bashing either.  The snow was terrible boiler plate frozen sleet by the looks of it.  The lumps and bumps were unspottable in the flat light. After  three runs down, 2 falls and a long "rest" in the club hut I heded down out of the cloud into Keppel Cove.

Keppel Cove is a bleak spot on a wild day and Catseycam is a fine mountain from here.

Circled  [click on to enlarge] a person on the north west ridge of Catseycam.

The cloud started to blow away and a hint of blue arrived as the sun was going down.

Well no chips in Keswick on the way home,  but a grand coffee in the Square Orange.

Eurostar and Belle Plagne

Like quite a lot of people I was poorly on the lead up to Christmas and couldn't shake off a nasty hacking cough.  We had booked seats on Eurostar leaving from Ashford, Kent at 10 am Boxing Day.  The weather was still ice age and the all night journey from Cumbria was made worse by having to go via Peterborough.  Eurostar is an efficient way to get to the Alps and the booked taxi was there at Aime La Plagne to whizz us up the mountain.  Oh, and  motorway service stations are shut at Christmas.

View from apartment next morning.

Anyway I was finally shaking off the cold and by Tuesday of the holiday it was wall to wall  sunshine.  I seem to have been skiing for a number of years now but never get any better.  The French whizz past as if they were born on skis.

Anyway we had a great week  and some of the scenery is stunning.  Eurostar is a good way to get to the Alps the only down side if you live up north is the 8 or 10 hours it takes to get down to Kent.  Still at least I dont live down south.