12 days PG with Arnie -4: Chamonix, Verbier, Fiesch

While having breakfast on MON morning in 'Vittorio Veneto', Arnie and I were discussing our options: TUE was forecasted to be OK in Bassano, but both of us were not very much interested in an OK-day in Bassano, so the decision was taken to go to 'Fiesch'. We made as side trip to 'Alba' in the 'Piemonte Region' and had an excellent lunch in 'Treiso'. Driving across 'Simplon Pass' it started to snow lightly...
We arrived in 'Fiesch' shortly before 2000.

Next morning 'Fiesch' was still cloud covered. We decided to try out 'Verbier'. Arriving in 'Martigny' it could be seen, that 'Verbier' was still cloudy, so I took Arnie for a very quick visit to 'Chamonix'.

Grands Montets

Arnie looking towards Verbier

Then back to 'Martigny' and on to 'Verbier'. After having shown Arnie the LZ's in the valley we drove up to 'Verbier'. The TO in Ruinetttes' (accessible by gondola) was still in clouds, but 'Croix de Coeur' was not, so we drove there.

Arnie after TO in front of 'Petit Combin' In 1992 on GS trip to 'Verbier', Claude Ammann (our guide at that time) had organized a helicopter transport up to that summit, so we had about an 30min sled ride, which at that time was considered to be a rather long flight...)

We landed both in 'Champsec' in the valley below and of course the car was up at 'Croix de Coeur'. I walked down to the road leading to 'le Chable', after a short while a postbus came, but didn't want to stop at first, as he was already out of service and returning to his depot, but eventually he stopped anyway and took me to 'le Chable' (without charging me for it -thanks!). Here I could just watch the bus to 'Verbier' depart :-((.
So I had to hitch-hike again. And as luck would have it, already the fifth car stopped: a pretty battered car with an old man driving it. On the drive up we got talking and after a while he mentioned that he was an aerobatics champion flying a Pitts aircraft and having more than 1'600hrs. A while later I dropped that I had flown jets with more than 10'000hrs. Among the people he knew from my SWR times was Daniel Wasserfallen, whom he had met just three days earlier. I had done my conversion course to DC-9's in 1982 together with Dani - what a coincidence!
In 'Verbier' Paul XY asked where to drop me and I said anywhere, as I had to get a taxi to take me to 'Croix de Coeur' in order to get my car. He gracefully offered even to drive me up there.
Many thanks Paul, that was very kind of you and I enjoyed also talking to you!
Then back to 'Fiesch', where we had a good fondue together.

WED: y last day together with Arnie. On the way up to 'Kühboden' we met Andy & his wife Michelle in the gondola. Andy (Fly with Andy) is organizing the trip to Brazil (Quixada) in which both Arnie and I will participate at the end of coming October.




The conditions were very stable, so only a prolonged ride down to the LZ for me; I then continued to 'Arosa'.
Arnie stays another 2 nights in 'Fiesch'; tomorrow (THUR) the conditions should be good there, even allowing some xc. He then will go to 'Grenoble' and 'St.Hilaire' for the flying festival (Coupe Icare 2011) and next week to 'Nice' for his flight back to LAX.