W Sportsmedia, Chamonix - and the beauty of the unknown

Chamonix. It is a pleasure to be back in your spectacular mountains! And thank you for giving us the best welcome: fresh snow. I can't wait to put my skis on, sharpen the ice axes and wake up to see the first sun rays over Mont Blanc. 
It is time for a winter in the Alps and I am now a part of the W Team of athletes!

This winter, our home is a cozy chalet between Chamonix centre and Les Houches. After driving through half of Europe with a car packed to the ceiling, 4000 km of road and many audio books later, Gorm and I finally arrived yesterday.

Chamonix has almost become like a second home throughout the last years. It is so much to explore and enjoy in the mountains here, to learn and discover, that in terms of inner and outer adventures, Chamonix is unique. The more I get to know it, the more I realize how little I've seen. It is just so much to do here.

Now it is winter and time to focus on skiing, ice- and mixed climbing. I have some dreams I would like to try and realize while here. Objectives that makes my heart beat faster and my knees go soft.
The beauty is that they wait for me. And I will feel when I'm ready to go there, to the adventure of my dreams.

The most important thing is yet to always come back - healthy and enriched.
That's why it is so important to choose mindfully when to enter the unknown and the beauty of finding out what that is like; the dream and the objective.

The Geant glacier with Mont Blanc du Tacul behind

The beauty of the unknown
In many ways, the unknown is an important ingredient here. The more I've learned about myself and mountain adventures, I have understood the value of the unknown. It gives the adventure its beautiful and very characteristic flavor. It both thrills and fascinates me not to know and it allows us to deeply explore our skills, feelings and capacity. A mountain adventure, either it is on skis or with climbing equipment, or combined, often involves unknown pieces of what to encounter when you finally decide to give it a go.

It took me several years to understand the essence of the unknown and what a great impact it has on an experience. Sometimes it also scares me, but it is a beauty to allow yourself discover it and let it reveal the path step by step. Without the unknown, there wouldn't be an adventure.

In Chamonix, those opportunities are so many, and no matter your level or objective, you will always find something to explore here. Small or greater adventures can be just a tele-cabine away and in the evening you can be back home to recover and glimpse back at a new experience.

I hope that there will be many of those days coming up! I can't wait to spend time in these mountains, with my best friends and people who share the passion.
It is a sweetness to share a day in the outdoors!

W sportsmedia - my new partner! 

Another thing that's new this year is that I have become a member in the team of athletes at W sportsmedia. I am very happy to become apart of W and look much forward to our work together!
Read more it here. 

In the W sportsmedia portofolio can also be mentioned athletes like the Sochi Olympic medalist in ski cross, Anna Holmlund and of course Team Coop,  the world's leading longdistance X-country Ski team! The future is exciting.


This morning, I pack my bag with avalanche equipment, skins, harness, rope, food and a sparkling energy. We will head up to the Aiguille du Midi, ski on the glaciers and see what the conditions are like. Here are some photos from my previous times in Chamonix. They make me long back every time I am away.
Maybe they will inspire you too to find your own Chamonix?

Enjoy!

Gorm Gunleiksrud working his way up the Passon couloir

Looking out over the Chamonix town and valley

 

Stephanie Churlet about to enter the Rectiligne couloir

Sweet couloir skiing in the classic Rectiligne, taking you down towards Mer de glace

The strong Föhn winds, elements of nature to respect

Alpine winter climbing with the Dent de Geant behind with Morgan Salén during Haglöfs photo week 2014

Make sure to have sharp edges on the skis :-)

Powder at the Bosson glacier

Ulrika Asp, Morgan and Bjarne Salen - what a fun team to hang out with! From Haglöfs photo week 2014.

And not to forget, with Ulrika Dahlgren at the Midi South face (last June)

The beautiful Aiguilles de Chamonix, and Aig. du Plan

Aiguille du Midi, the castle!

Skiing down the Tour glacier and passing the "Ice trolls" (seracs), photo © Gorm Gunleiksrud

 

Gorm glacier traversing

Ice climbing around Chamonix, photo by Bjarne Salén @endlessflow

Preparing a Chamonix style ski rappel

Enjoying a "fika" (coffee break) after a sweet day ski touring in the Aiguilles Rouges. Mattias Jonsson, myself and Gorm (2013). Maybe the most important moment of the day?! 

Alagna shred, photo by Johannes Strobel