Dwight Peck's personal Web site

Sun and fun on Mont Tendre in 2005

Year after year, Mont Tendre, unlike western civilization, remains as much fun as ever.

We're bound for Mont Tendre on 13 March 2005, on cross-country skis this time.

That's not Mont Tendre -- no, not yet, not by a long march. That's Grand Cunay, seen from the road behind the Col du Marchairuz near the cross-country ski carpark at the head of the Combe d'Amburnex and the forest of Grande Rolat. We're just getting started, on the first brilliantly sunny weekend in months, and we're headed across the flats to the farm of Pré de Denens in the center there, to pick up the machined cross-country track and gain time.

Dr Pirri powering along the crosscountry track past the Pré de Denens farm.

The farm of La Racine, about 10 kilometres out. Snowshoeing is fun, but slow. Our theory is that we'll gain time by skiing out the cross-country track, and then, once we're in the vicinity, prance straight up to Mont Tendre in a jaunty manner.

Now we're ready to leave the ski track and start up to Mont Tendre. Dr J. J. Pirri gazes up into the forest and focuses his mind, which is not hard anymore. We're carrying snowshoes along in case the top area is iced over, which is not unusual for this side of Mont Tendre, where the wind comes in from Greenland. Many's the time we've got this far after two or three ill-spent hours and had to go home again, disconsolate, without getting to the top.

Dr Pirri is wisely following the track of a previous party of skiers, back and forth up through the forest.

The snow is fairly gooey down here, provoking floundering and profanity. We hope it's firmer higher up.

Dr Pirri tops out of the forest and gazes upon the summit.

That's the top of Mont Tendre on the left, somewhat featureless from this side. The far side of the mountain is far more interesting by any measure.

The snowshoers' track proceeds boldly straight up, but we cross-country skiers will wander back and forth for a while instead, lest we ski back down involuntarily, backwards.

Another part of Mont Tendre as we glide briskly up towards the main summit.

Jura shrubberies, with the effects of the Mont Tendre wind . . .

. . . the wind that's come in from Greenland.

The snow's not bad here but as we get higher, oooff, intermittently icy. Dr Pirri can just be discerned on the extreme right horizon.

That's Dr Pirri himself on the summit, awaiting us, with the summit pylon over to the left.

Dr Pirri on a well-trodden Mont Tendre summit. We're not the first ones here! (Mont Blanc and Lac Léman/Geneva in the background.)

The famous Mont Tendre fenceposts.

Another party prepares to descend as best they may.

The narrator, with the Alps and Lake Geneva in the background.

Leaving the summit behind, 13 March 2005.

And a last look back up towards the top as we shuffle around the icy bits.

Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 19 March 2005, revised 29 June 2007.

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