ITALIAN ALPS
GONDOLA S OVER THE VALLEE BLANC
One of my favorite sights ever. This was the start of an all day ski tour on the Valle Blanc glacier Italy with a guide in front and one in back. We skied down into France. Above the clouds we had this to look at, below the clouds it was snowing. Those distant Peaks are in France.
The view is amazing on top of Mount Blanc
MOUNT BLANC BEAUTY
This cabin jumped out at me. Between the dark brown trunks of the evergreens and the walls of the cabin the stark contrast between the snow storm and the browns gave this a Norman Rockwell feeling. Behind those trees is a 10,000 foot mountain hidden by the storm.
JET-FLUME-SNOW
When we dropped over that next ridge we said goodbye to the sun for the day. Blue sky sunshine above and a snowy day below the clouds. SUN CLOUDS POWDER
This is the backside of the famous Materhorn in Zermatt Switzerland. We skied in Cervinia Italy and it snowed all day. It looks a little different from this angle. Believe it or not the Sun broke out I got this shot. ten minutes later it was snowing again and we never saw the sun again. that trip.
These standup capsules to the sky are still going strong at Courmayeur.
Check out the tent of those brave souls that are camping at the top of Europe. Talk about getting away from it all.
This is my attempt at a busy black and white with some awesome clouds.
One side of the Vallee Blanche is an intermediate to advance run. The other way down is a gnarly steep scary thrill ride. Its always your choice.
This expansive photo was taken a the top deck on Mount Blanc. The scenery at this vantage point is Awesome. Get here if you can.
Don't be fooled these cracks can swallow you. Crevasses are the thing that makes a guide be a good thing.
This is the same cabin without that much new snow.
Angles of beauty cried out to me in this frame the Black&White gave me the dramatic angles I was looking for.
These jagged peaks surround the Courmayeur area.
These glaciers are like a time travel as they have been around for a long long time.
If you expand this shot you can see the town of Courmayeur down below as well as the mist in the valley.
I shot this in B&W for a dramatic effect The mountains The glacier the off-piste leave a great background for the chairs.
Looking across the valley I just wish I had an even bigger camera. This expanse could fill a frame on the widest angle lenses you could carry.
THE Ski area of La Thuile is huge it connects with France via Mt Rosa the expanse you see here resembles the Rockies & more. MILES and Miles of Snow.
When you ride the series of cable cars to get to the top of Europe this is what you see when you walk out of the last station. This shrine is on top of Mt Blanche. Sixteen years later this beautiful piece of history is inside a glass walled marvel that is perched on top of Europe. I am so glad I came back.
This blue ice is very very old It's also as big as buildings.
How would you like to walk outside to this view every day. AWESOME
If you enlarge this shot you will see the lonely cable car that appears to truly be a high wire act. THIS GONDOLA IS IN THE ITALLIAN ALPS
The sheer vastness of the ski areas around the Aosta valley amaze me. Too many mountains Too little time.
Checkout the hanging glaciers resting between the Peaks in this picture. Awesome!
These Ancient Ruins in Aosta near the ski Resort of Pila These date back to BC I don't mean British Columbia . The fact that this wall with perfect keystones and craftmansship was built thousands of years ago. Wow.
Look at this chimney. Its a work of art. Its functional as the pizza ovens below it gave us a wonderful lunch.
The rocks point up to the sky. The snow points down to the valley. Math is beautiful.
Sixteen years later I got to return to this magical place. The mountain is the same but the way up via the new tram system(Skyway) is off the charts. You have to get here.
My guess is that the rock that looks like a finger is famous for climbers. Because its there, and because it looks like its the highest point.
The view on top is awe inspiring.
This is a memory I will take home with me The buildings the mountains the snow the skis life is good!
Looking in every direction up top gives a different perspective of just how big the Alps are and how small we are.
COURMAYEUR GONDOLA S IN THE ITALLIAN ALPS
Although I shot this particular frame it feels like yesterday when I skied the Vallee Blanche from Italy to France
The mountain tops go on and on and on. I feel like a grain of sand.
There are runs of all levels in bounds at Courmayeur. There are runs where you can meet God if you ski off-piste.
Peaceful scenes like this abound all over the mountain.
Check out the glacier coming down between the mountains.
GLACIAL VIEWS
The backdrop for this mountain goat is spectacular. The goat however is not doing well.
This tree was lit in the twilight of the mountains best of both worlds this could have been a christmas card.
This was part of our trek down the Vallee Blanc. We avoided the crevases. Our tracks are on the left.
Just a few more rocks pointing to the heavens.
Granite peaks with snowfields and glaciers.
Check out the runs below the tram. If you see the skiers you see that they look like ants.
The dead trees the warning sign and the drop off (you cant see ) can force you to respect this area.
I was trying to capture eerie scary high with some mist thrown in.