It's cold enough to snow, but the clear skies often deprive Mont Ventoux of its wintry blanket. The so called "ski resorts" -- one on the north face, and the other on the south -- will often stay closed an entire season.
A late winter snowfall this year reopened the Mont Serein ski resort on the north face, and this past weekend I went snowshoeing on my favourite mountain, and with a great deal of excitement.
Snow covering the tops of the pines while in the background the chain of the Alps boast their snow-clad peaks:
While staring directly up the slope, the sun persists in finding a crack in the cloudy armour:
Shining through a stand of pines:
Walking up the road reserved for cars and cyclists in the summer: the plows don't remove the snow beyond the ski resort, to the delight of snowshoers and skiers. 6km separate the ski resort of Mont Serein from the summit, and 500m in altitude. Count 2 to 2.5 hours to reach the summit by snowshoe.
One lucky dawg:
Closing in on the summit, the Alps in the background become all the more clear:
A zoom from the summit of Mont Ventoux to show you France's most coveted peak:
Taken from the summit of Mont Ventoux:
The setting sun highlights the Alps as we begin our descent:
In the evening a little walk to help digest the chalet food, all snug in a down jacket :
Sunday morning we awake to fog and snow, and while the masses are buzzing up the ski lifts, we head back into the mountain for another walk:
Being Provençal makes snow a bit of a novelty, so why not take every opportunity to...
make a work of art?.....
Dog rose from Mont Serein, at 1400m in altitude.
And just 45 minutes later, having driven down the mountain, without a cloud in the sky, the almond flowers hint that spring is in the air.
