The last rays of sun for the day on the top of La Meije

Essentials

Off to La Grave! Harry Potter audiobook, inspiring podcasts and super-energizing pop hits in the stereo.

Overnight ferry from Trelleborg to Rostock

Visited Hamburg, ate at Ikea in Hannover and then stayed overnight in Freiburg. My sister found a b&b to stay at while talking over the phone.

Just passed the french boarder, bought a baguette and forgot about the dijon. Welcome to France!

The very first sight of the La Meije massif (far away to the right). Everything I´ve heard, everything I´ve seen and I´m so close. The stoke factor at this moment was on top and it just didn´t descent. Aswell as the temperature in the cooling water but luckily there was a garage in La Grave.

2km from La Grave. No cars on the road, just a skier walking back after some touring.

La Meije, viewed from La Grave. I really had never experienced anything compared to the height difference and the extreme size of this massif ever. From this view, it´s really impossible to get a truthful idea about the distances, depths and heights, it just feels unreal and mighty

For me, the experience of surrounding myself with mountains like this makes me feel calm in a deep sense. There´s definitly something about the big, natural made, long lived, non moveable pieces of terrain. Mountains must truly be one of the greatest truths there´s to think of.

Mini Cooper One, my armour bearer going into the mountains of La Grave.

The way up to Ventelon. 3km road and 300m ascent from La Grave.

Ventelon, my home for the winter.

Second attempt after first moving in to the wrong apartment. I guess I’ll have to improve my french.

The Studio.

Another one. Such a cool house.

First day in La Grave and I was just walking around in the village, feeling the vibe of this place. At this time there was still one month until the lift opened, and no people around.

I had heard from one of my neigbours that it´s common to go to a place called Cole du Lautaret and do some early season skitouring. After a beatiful 20min drive I parked the car and started touring.

Just finished the way up, the season is on

Changing lens and putting on warmer clothes.

Old snow and flat light, but totally wonderful.

The new setup worked great! Extrem Opinion 118 with Salomon shift. During the tour I was tense about something not working this day. I mounted the binding the day before and first time in the boots aswell. A normal day in the slopes I wouldn´t hesitate on my adjustments but while touring alone there´s a different situation.

Packing the mountain goat after the first tour.

Rolling all the way back to La Grave and Ventelon. Lot´s of feelgood music.

Morning routine no.1. Checking the window for snow.

Back in Cole du Lautaret, following my old tracks in new snow.

Bootpacking the last way. First time using crampons. They weren’t really necessary but it was fun to have try them. What a difference walking with even in soft snow.

Hello sunshine. Lunchbreak, a bit of reading and then ski all the way back.

A short sequence of my time in the past.

No driving today. Fresh snow on the hillside of Ventelon.

Out discovering. The hood is on and the fit is amazing.

Walked around in the village trying to figure out in what area the snow had been blowing. Apparently I wasn't the only one having that in mind

Teamed up with this dog, Pilou and decided to go far left. Halfway to the next village Les Terrasses.

At first Pilou started following me after I had a chat with Pilou´s owner, my neighbour. I have no experience of dogs and after a long way of walking with Pilou following every step, I decided to go back to the owner and just say that he seems to want to join me. Apparently Pilou use to run around on his own in the snow. One time, my neighbour said, they called from the top of Telepheriques saying he had somehow got into a gondola by himself and ended up on the top.

The hillside over Les Terrasses

Trying the other side of Cole du Lautaret, the start of the longer route towards Galibier. Famous pass from Tour de France.

The sun is going down and the wind was increasing rapidly. Followed my tracks down. But the light. So white and blue, crisp but at the same time flat in the shadows.

A warm morning in January

Growing up in Duved, I’ve always been drawn experiencing the mountains in though weather to really feel the power of nature. Today I did not get my calculations straight and I started touring below treeline in really hard wind and limited visibility. The snow started to crack around me while walking and my feeling was bad from the start. Even though I know I should turn back it was so hard to just let go on and do it. I had along inner monolog why I was going out this day and not just wait out the storm. The biggest difference here than back in Duved is that you have to adapt to the weather and conditions and it’s not an option to challenge nature as I’m used to in Duved. If it’s good conditions you go out, if it’s though you stay inside and wait. It’s easy to say but I had to learn it from a myself, being naive.

Snowstorm in Ventelon

Reflecting, a big part of my winter. While going to La Grave I wanted to ski as much as possible but also, as high valued, I wanted a free space to just be in for a while. I wanted to feel alone, I wanted to see clear, I wanted to get perspective.

Mood

Following my neighbour Joost and the dog Hermes back down to Ventelon. At this time, the best snow I’ve ever skied.

Chanzel, skiers left from the third and last stop of Telepheriques, P3. The terrain is amazingly big and with smooth formations.

Cole du Lac and the entry to the colouir Le Banane, down in the middle

Le Banane, my first ever colouir! Holy smoke what a feeling. Intense and so much fun.

Me in Elevates Le Vallon jacket in the other standard route of La Grave called Le Vallon. Skiers right from P3

An huge ice cave in Le Vallon

Exciting discovering the cave and beautiful surrounding

Anders perfectly matching the iconic telepherique with his orange red clothes. Going into Le Vallon from the upper part of Chanzel

Telepheriques, approx 40 minutes to the top. Nice time to dream away by the surrounding and possible lines

Touring with my neighbour Ptor Spriecenieks

I’d recently seen the movie Dreamline which made by Bjarne Salen and featuring Ptor. The day after he knocked on my door, welcomed me to Ventelon and asked if I wanted to join for a skitour the next day.

At this moment we’d been walking for 5 hours and I was really tired. Super happy but my body was just really drained of energy. Our plan at first was to go to the ridge on the upper right of the picture. Because of my low energy and the great effect the sun would have on the snow as it to late, we ended here.

Still this would be the longest off-piste run I’ve ever had. It was so long it felt like sitting on a bus at some times, just gliding passively as we entered the lower terrain. This upper part was really incredible. The snow was still cold, the terrain was big and the surface was smooth as a dancefloor. The lower we came, the warmer the snow was and the terrain varied a lot.

Gliding back on the small road to the car we’d left in Les Hirés

Good ending in the sun

Enjoying the sun at P3, the top station of Thelepherique.

Freeskiing with two locals in Le Vallon. Last day before going to Japan.

Tricky

Back from Japan, what an experience. The trip back to La Grave with just one walkable foot and lots of luggage, a car with problem in the cooling system again was really something not too optimal. When I finally came back, I was really tired, unmotivated and sad with the fact my foot didn’t feel good at all. Here’s me eating outside, getting some sunlight, dreaming away looking at La Meije and doing the best out of the days. I couldn’t either walk or drive so I was quit stuck at this time.

Starting to be able to get my self around better. View of Thelepherique and La Meije

One month has gone since the crash in Japan and the foot wasn’t getting better. I got really hopeful after been to a Ortoped in Brincon who said It’s not just a sprain. You’ve been extended on or two ligaments in the foot and it will take a long time before it’s the same but at the moment, you can do whatever is not painful. Walk, run slowly and even start to ski. I did try to ski and that was so painful. I couldn’t even ski on one ski because when I lifted the painful foot, it was even more painful.

Ventelon

Ventelon by night

Sunset over the valley leading to Grenoble

Fading colors on L’Aigullion, viewed from Ventelon

Every night, a airplane passes like rocket from behind of La Meije

Got inspired after seeing the movie Into the wild so packed by gear and walked up the hill, made food read and slept under the sky.

Full moon and cold temperature. Fell asleep at 19:00

Accompanied by my cousin, uncle, friends from home and hundreds of visitors I made a second try on skiing. This time with one ski on the left and a big shoe on the right. We were skiing in the glacier lift on top and the mono skiing worked great.

The fist tacks of the day going down to P2, the second stop on Thelepherique

Thelepherique at P3, such a beautiful piece of construction. Can’t imagine the project building this lift in thee rough mountains.

Good morning La Meije, looking good today

My Belgian neighbours Ziggy and Emma! They have been my La Grave family, having dinners and helping me while I was struggling with the foot buying groceries and such. During the winter they’ve been doing this Auberge called Aberge du Signal making dinners and hosting a place to stay. In April they left La grave for bicycling in the mountains of Patagonia and at the time I’m writing they’re doing their fourth month discovering that part of the world (@r.ookiemisstakes on instagram)

French class supported by Emma and Ziggy

Stina entering telepheurique for the first time with the guide crew of the day. Ortwin, Ziggy, Laura and Emma.

On top, P3

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to ski because of the foot but I found myself taking care of the terrace while drinking coffee and reading.

Crows - a beautiful sight

Meet up by the car, changing for shoes and then aprés

The youngsters going home from school

$The Studio in spring weather. Decided to move out a month earlier after I’d been to the hospital for a new x-ray which showed the fracture I’d been having this whole time and I wouldn’t be able to ski until next season.$

The Studio in spring weather. Decided to move out a month earlier after I’d been to the hospital for a new x-ray which showed the fracture I’d been having this whole time and I wouldn’t be able to ski until next season.

Stina making aprés snack

Demounting bindings to fit everything in the car

Stina enjoying the sun and some aprés outside the studio

I moved out of the studio, left my belongings in a storage room and drove to Italy for two weeks. It felt really good to leave the mountains fo some time while I couldn’t ski anyways.

Umbrella in Camogli

Smooth rocks, very different to the rocks in the mountains. It’s really amazing by the forces of nature. These rocks have been polished of water, sand and each other. The rocks in the mountains stay untouched in comparison.