Two Days In Chamonix
It had been four years since my last trip to Chamonix when I skied the Haute Route. The town has a special feel and, from my perspective, Chamonix is the soul of European alpinism. I wasn't doing anything special or particularly interesting, just a couple of days of down hill skiing over a weekend that would have otherwise seen me in Paris. Unfortunately, Paris was deep in mourning over the Charlie Hebdo and other associated terrorist attacks and the unification rally in response to the attacks was planned for the weekend. It seemed like a good time to leave the City. The view across to the Aiguille du Midi I had been in Paris while the attacks occurred and it was all a little surreal. Paris is a city I know well and love but it has also had a long history of revolution and violent protest. Despite this history, I have many proud Parisian friends and they were struggling to come to grips with the attacks and a number viewed the attack as fundamentally changing t