Snoeshowing, episode 1.

None of the 4 of us have ever been snow-shoeing before, but it is something we wanted to try here. Luckily, I got the chance to hone my skills and build up my knowledge on the Annual Drakkar Meeting Snowshoe Hike. That's right, scientific meetings here in Grenoble always start with a traditional snowshoe hike. So, Sunday morning found me heading out with 26 other ocean modellers to climb some hills.

Given the size of the crowd it was always clear we wouldn't get so far, and much of the day was spent waiting for the crowd to regroup. We headed up to Les 7 Laux (the 7 lakes ski resort) and started on a flat trail to warm ourselves up and get used to the snowshoes. Then we begin the climb to plateau, treated by magnificent view of the alps. Lunch was a typically French affair - our hosts had bought along baguettes, hunks of cheese and slices of ham/salami, with coffee cooked on camping stoves.

On the return trip we crossed a few ravines, which were a bit too steep for some of my colleagues, many of whom reverted to sliding in a seated position as the most reliable way to make it to the bottom. Snow-shoeing is easy when you're in an established track, a bit harder work (but more fun) in fresh snow. Our day finished with a long descent back to the car park, arriving back in town after dark. A lot of fun, and gives me some idea of what Ella and Katy might be capable of if we can take them next weekend...