I met Greg Louie, who flew from Seattle, at the Munich airport. We were on a trip to ski the Alps over Christmas and New Year's break. The first four days of our trip we stayed with Michael and Corinne Trommsdorff and their family in Niederthai, Austria. Niederthai is a very special place, a small village tucked away in the Tyrolian Alps. The residents of Niederthai focus on one thing: skiing. After Niederthai we traveled through countless tunnels in Austria to Grenoble, France. Along the way we stopped to visit Greg's brother-in-law in Switzerland. In Grenoble we stayed a few days at Michael's house and enjoyed a nice day of skiing at Chamrousse, a local resort. We left Grenoble and spent five days absorbing the incredible terrain of Chamonix, France, where favorable weather and snow conditions allowed us to ski the famous Vallee Blanche route from the top of the Aiguille du Midi. The route flows down the Glacier du Géant and it offers a jaw-dropping 9000 vertical feet of skiing. The mountain scenery is like no other, beautiful and rugged. While in Chamonix, we were guided by Michael's brother, Christian Trommsdorff. Christian is an accomplished climber and professional mountain guide in Chamonix. Without his knowledge of the area, we wouldn't have been able to see and experience as much as we did. Below are my thoughts about this incredible trip. I plan to return, again and again.

12.30.05 Hohe Wasserfalle, Austria
12.31.05 Schartenkopf, Austria
01.01.06 der Brand, Austria
01.04.06 Chamrousse, France
01.05.06 Courmayeur, Italy
01.07.06 Bel Oiseau, Switzerland
01.08.06 The Vallee Blanche, Chamonix, France
01.09.06 Our last night

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