The Shifting Sands

Everything you need, wine, cha cha, fruit and  Churchkhela , which are a string of nuts dipped in thickened grape juice We believe in the policy of doing what is close and easy.  Even though Dubai is not far from Mumbai in terms of flying time, it has opened up a number of new opportunities.  For skiing, three places that have been on my ski radar for some time suddenly became very accessible, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. The middle of February was school holiday time and the prospect of a ski holiday seemed like a good tonic for the usual challenges of settling into a new country. From Dubai, Georgia is easy and cheap.  A three and a half hour direct flight with Fly Dubai, at around $600 per person, is not to dissimilar to flying to New Zealand from Australia. A mosaic covered viewing platform on the Georgian Military Highway From the Airport in Tbilisi, the highest ski area in Georgian Caucasus, Ga...

Gearing up with Col du Chardonnet in the background Although I was flying between Berlin and Denver for work I was still desperate to fulfill a life long objective, to ski the Haute Route.  Unfortunately I was unable to fit it into my schedule and I was almost at the point of giving up when the volcano  Eyjafjallajokull   erupted in Iceland.  This resulted in international flights to the U.S. stopping and effectively marooning me in Europe.  Which gave me the perfect window of opportunity to ski the Route. I signed on with a guided trip with some trepidation, packed my bags and drove our Land Rover Discovery II to Chamonix. The stairs leading down from the Grand Montet telepherique I met the rest of the group that evening and went thorough the briefing, gear checks and paperwork.  We had time for a few bonding beers before getting to bed. The next day we loaded into the Guide's van and drover to Argentierre for a ri...