Steve Baldwin's Blog, page 4

Gone Skiing

It is that time of year... we have had to wait a bit in Chamonix, but it is snowing again, and I am going skiing.

Watch out for my snow reports on chamonix.net to see how the winter goes, or check out a copy of "Snow Tales and Powder Trails" book, to see the kind of cool stuff that will go on in the mountains above Chamonix...

Meanwhile, here is an excerpt from a poem that I am working on, inspired by snowy mountains:
 "Storms roll in off the Western sea,

 Reach the mountains, setting the crystals free...

 ...The coldsmoke powder reaches my chin, 

 And sets my face into an elated grin.

 The sun glistens on the freshly fallen snow, 

 And a repeat session is on for tomorrow..."
Photos from today, December 17th. Merry Christmas, and see you at the end of May...

Early writing

I was recently going through some of my schoolbooks from when I was a kid, and I found this, which I wrote when I was age 9... My subconscious mind was apparently way ahead of me, as this was way before I was consciously wanting to ski or write. It is interesting how this early influence developed into my book project 20 years later. On another note, the winter is starting to pick up in Chamonix, and I have a craft fair to attend with copies of "Snow Tales and Powder Trails" for sale, just in time for Christmas. Snowtopia is a local arts and crafts showcase at the Grands Montets ski area in Chamonix, including a couple of local ski makers. 
It should be going on this weekend the 13/14th December, if the ski area opens, or the following weekend 20/21st if not...

research trip

I just came back from a research trip to Japan, where the winter is just about starting, and the fall colours are amazing on the Japanese maple trees. 
There was some recent snow on Mt Fuji 2 weeks ago (see photo below), and I found that "Snow Tales and Powder Trails" is available over there too, on amazon.jp: Meanwhile, we are in Chamonix, waiting for snow... here is my first snow report from this winter: http://www.chamonix.net/english/snow-reports/chamonixnet-snow-report-december-2nd-2014

Winter is here !!!

How about some early winter stoke: a photo of some cheeky October deep powder turns that I made (undisclosed location).
  Here are some more photos from the build up to winter:
So, winter is here :-)
It snowed in Chamonix town last night, and the snowpack is starting to build in the mountains above the valley. This is the time of year that inspired me to write the chapter "Pre-season Adventures".
 

November 15th, 2014

   I was going through some old magazines, and I found an old Black Diamond ski equipment catalogue from over 10 years ago. It has some really inspirational text and images inside, and this cover shot was a photo that really inspired me to ski powder and write. Even better was the catalogue from the year before, but unfortunately I let that one get away...

November 14th, 2014

This photo turned out better than I hoped. I was just trying to get an action shot of Petter on the ridge, but it shows beautifully the scale of the Chamonix mountains. Photo from earlier in the autumn, stoking up the pre-winter vibe :-) ... maybe it will make it to the next book!

fall in the alps

    It is nearly winter, with the magic of snow approaching, which originally inspired "Snow Tales and Powder Trails".
   However, autumn has its own magic, as you can see from these photos that I took during the last couple of weeks.  Right now we have some classic late-year sunshine to enjoy.
    Here is an autumnal quote from my second book, which I have started to write: 
"...as the sky clears after the autumn storm the town exudes a different atmosphere. The air smells of forest and woodsmoke, glaciers and snow. The stars shine bright..., while below, the river bubbles its way downhill... 
    Freshly fallen leaves begin to collect in the quiet streets, adding a distinct musk to the other smells of the valley..."

Exploring the wilder side of Chamonix

    A photo essay, featuring Chamonix and its beautiful valley. It really does feel like a little corner of British Columbia sometimes, when you get out of the town, and up into the forest and glaciers and breathe the fresh air    :-)
    It is very inspiring for writing and photography...

Autumn snow

So, thanks to hurricane Goncalo, I believe, the storm that hit Iceland and then Britain came over Chamonix today, and gave us taste of winter, with the first tree-snow of the season  ... here's some fresh photos from today in the Cham valley... it should give me some more snowy inspiration to write my second book!

A taste of autumn

It is definitely autumn here in Chamonix, and in between rain showers with high-altitude snow, we have some awesome sunshine, which feels quite warm, and cold nights.