Recent Photos
Last things ... what a way to finish! 26 November 07
Damp from whoever is sleeping down this hole, forms a frost garden of ferns. 26 November 07
A tough slog to the summit through thick powder - but ample reward. 26 November 07
Looking West from high up, early in the evening. 11 November 07
The following day, a gale dashed all this splendour to the ground ... 11 November 07
Feeling very small in the centre of the Tunnel de Parpaillon. 4 November 07
A final flash of colour before Winter ... 4 November 07
The higher the lake, the more it feels part of the sky ... 29 October 07
The last lambs born this year - little time left before snow. 29 October 07
Aretes de Bruyere rise above the Grand lac. 27 September 07
Barely a week before, it was hot and sunny here. 27 September 07
Young chamois encounter their first snow. 27 September 07
Low sunlight catches a wild geranium leaf. 25 September 07
Passing through this gate would, I felt, lead me onto a cloud, and perhaps onward to paradise. 25 September 07
Reeds and grasses slowly invade the gorgeous aquamarine Lac d'Escur. 24 September 07
Twisted, bleached roots and colourful 'myrtille'. 24 September 07
The startling green of a unname lake. 23 September 07
Farmhouse roofed with larch tiles. The triangular holes are for ventilation. 23 September 07
The lac Long, on a sparkling autumn morning. 17 September 07
Frontier stone between Savoie and Italy, dating from 1823. 17 September 07
This chapel on Mont Thabor is at over 10,000ft ! 17 September 07
The approach to Mont Thabor follows the line of the ridges from the col beyond the patches of snow. 17 September 07
What is left of the Glacier de Valmeinier, hiding under stones, passing its time dropping stones into the meltwater. 17 September 07
The beginning of Autumn colours. 16 September 07
Wild view from Pointe des Cerces. 16 September 07
The rock is an amalgam of pebbles and debris, all smeared and squeezed together like pieces of plasticine. 16 September 07
The Grand lac with the aretes de la Bruyere. 16 September 07
The lac Long, on a sparkling autumn morning. 17 September 07
Frontier stone between Savoie and Italy, dating from 1823. 17 September 07
This chapel on Mont Thabor is at over 10,000ft ! 17 September 07
The approach to Mont Thabor follows the line of the ridges from the col beyond the patches of snow. 17 September 07
What is left of the Glacier de Valmeinier, hiding under stones, passing its time dropping stones into the meltwater. 17 September 07
The beginning of Autumn colours. 16 September 07
Wild view from Pointe des Cerces. 16 September 07
The rock is an amalgam of pebbles and debris, all smeared and squeezed together like pieces of plasticine. 16 September 07
The Grand lac with the aretes de la Bruyere. 16 September 07
The fun one can have with water: here an undershot waterwheel powers a marmot riding a bike. 15 September 07
The chapelle de St. Michel, high in a lonely spot between Nevache and the vallee Etroite. 15 September 07
A modern carving in the chapel. 15 September 07
Time for my hard-working Silva altimeter to take a bow as it goes around the clock. 15 September 07
The lac Chavillon, with the three wise men (Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspard). 15 September 07
The crete du Queyrellin mirrored in the waters of the lac Laramon. 14 September 07
'Myrtilles' turning a gorgeous crimson in Autumn. 14 September 07
Autumn colours fringe the lac du Serpent. 14 September 07
The Dent du Diable at the end of the valley leading to lac du Chardonnet. 14 September 07
The lac du Chardonnet. 14 September 07
Morning cloud boils off to reveal the lac des Beraudes. 13 September 07
Lovely spikey peaks of the massif du Cerces. 13 September 07
The marvellous sulphur and ochre colours of the Pic de la Mouliniere. 13 September 07
Many smaller mountain lakes writhe with tadpoles and little frogs. 13 September 07
The lac blanc by the col de Ponsonniere seems to be having a blue day! 13 September 07
A very little lamb (Mum was nearby). 13 September 07
A huge sink hole, 20m deep, formed when acids in the rain dissolve limestone. 12 September 07
Two fine goats with strong curly horns. The wooden halter with clonking bell is characteristic of the region. 12 September 07
A natural stone arch above Val des Pres. 12 September 07
A storage barn, constructed from notched tree trunks, roofed with larch slats. 12 September 07
The tower of the Grand Pierron above Val des Pres. 12 September 07
Nature drawing abstract patterns in the rock. 12 September 07
The lac Pers is fed by springs, and is a beautiful turquoise colour. 9 September 07
The springs of the river Romanche issue from under this pile of blocks. 9 September 07
The Tete sud de la Somme rears above the glacier de la Plate des Agneaux. 9 September 07
The Grande Ruine and the Glacier Superieur des Agneaux. 9 September 07
The Barre des Ecrins and its domed glacier. 9 September 07
The glacier des Agneaux has shrunk to half its original length. 9 September 07
The pastures of the plan de l'Alpe, with the massif de Mont Blanc on the skyline. 9 September 07
Hamlets and terraces below the col du Lautaret. 8 September 07
The sentier des Crevasses traverses 400m above the valley floor. 8 September 07
The Bec de l'Homme opposite the sentier des crevasses. 8 September 07
La Grande Ruine in the early morning above the little lac Pers. 8 September 07
Fallen ice blocks the size of cars on the glacier du Clot des Cavales. 8 September 07
New lakes forming below the glacier du Clot des Cavales. 8 September 07
Cable-assisted stretch to the ref. du Pave. 8 September 07
The pic Gaspard from ref. du Pave. 8 September 07
Ice melt cascades down terraces below the Pic Sud des Cavales. 8 September 07
Pic de Neige Cordier. 8 September 07
The head waters of the river Romanche. 8 September 07
The 17th century 'roman' bridge over the Veneon. 7 September 07
Typical barn at Les Fumas. 7 September 07
The Tete de l'Etret above a mountain tarn. 7 September 07
Brightly-coloured caterpillar looping across the path. 7 September 07
The Aiguille d'Entre Pierroux and Aiguille des Arias behind the lac des Beches. 7 September 07
The vallee de la Lavey. 7 September 07
These rocks have been ground and smoothed by glaciers, and are called Roches moutonees. 7 September 07
One can stand in the cleft in the rock directly under the trunk of this fully grown epicea tree. 7 September 07
The cascade de la Lavey falls 50m into a cauldron. 7 September 07
Triple bunks in the refuge de Temple Ecrins. 6 September 07
Sunrise on the col du Temple. 6 September 07
Neve in September approaching the col du temple. 6 September 07
The Pic Sans Nom above the glacier blanc. 6 September 07
The pic de la Temple. 6 September 07
The chapel at la Berarde. 6 September 07
The torrent des Etancons at la Berarde. 6 September 07
This loo is perched on the edge hundreds of metres above the glacier, and tied down by cables ... 5 September 07
Crevasses in the glacier du Pilatte. 5 September 07
The glacier du Pilatte snakes down from les Bans. 5 September 07
A little stream of silver wiggles away from the glacier. 5 September 07
The vallon des etages. 4 September 07
These stone steps occurred entirely naturally. 4 September 07
The river Veneon tumbles down the valley. 4 September 07
Autumn in the wings: birches and rose briars. 4 September 07
La Meije south face - the refuge du Promontoire can just be made out far left of centre. 3 September 07
Climbing to the refuge de Promontoire - one can see the helipad and white refuge. 3 September 07
The glacier du Pave opposite the refuge. 3 September 07
This cairn is smiling because a tromp across the glacier comes next: no more steep climbing! 3 September 07
The glacier du Rateau. 3 September 07
A bat shares my bedroom. 2 September 07
Happily, the cairn on the end of the pinnacle doesn't mark the exact route! 2 September 07
Even the sheep here are climbers. I swear the one on the left is chewing gum. 2 September 07
The 400m granite spike of the Dibona and the refuge Soreiller. 2 September 07
People slept under the overhanging rock while building the refuge. The overhang has now been made into a 'room'. 2 September 07
A needle-shaped cairn echoes the Dibona behind. 2 September 07
The Grande Ruine and the river Veneon. 2 September 07
A toad pretends to be invisible. 1 September 07
The pinnacles below the summit of the Grand Area. 1 September 07
The North ridge of the Grand Area. 1 September 07
The lac Rond. 1 September 07
A little lake by the lac Rond. 1 September 07
The lac de Cristol. 1 September 07
Rock face with horizontal glacial grooving, and vertical solution grooves. 1 September 07
The lac la Barre. 1 September 07
The Grand lac de l'Oule. 1 September 07