The Big Pretty: Week one of gratuitous vacation: Belledonne!

I complain a lot about French bureaucracy. I hate submitting papers in triplicate. I hate trying to anticipate which documents, that are not on the official list of documents, I might get asked for at the Prefecture. And I hate getting sent back and forth and back and forth between different offices in different buildings on different sides of the city.

However, I do not hate French vacations. Despite my constant struggles with administration and the current possibility that I may not get paid for 40 hours of work I did last year because someone checked the wrong box on my forms back in 2012, I feel that I should not complain (at least not more than I have already). I should not complain (too much) because just as I managed to surface from underneath an enormous pile of papers to make and grades to enter, I started a two-week school vacation. It feels a bit gratuitous since we've only been back at school for 4 weeks, but since France splits itself into 3 zones for vacations, it was our turn to go first, and voilà: vacances!

Luckily for me, beginning the week without concrete plans has not gotten in the way of my ability to 'profit' and to renew my affection for one of Grenoble's closest mountain ranges: Belledonne. I would be lying if I suggested that we had not already 'discovered' skiing in Belledonne. While he studied abroad back in 2009, Brad brought Thad and me on a multi-day trip up some of the most prominent peaks seen from the city. We profited again with Sam over Christmas in 2010; with Carrie, Thad, and Brian in 2011; with Sambo and Jesse in 2013 and on and off in between. However, given our relative obsession with the Ecrins, occasional but fantastic powder in Chartreuse, and Brad's broken ankle last year, Belledonne had fallen a little by the wayside.

Over the last week, I have been reminded of some of what Belledonne has to offer, exploring new areas, new summits and new views. Below, there is a smattering of photographs from the week's adventures--ones in which I fell back in love with the massif's steep valleys, endless views, and low parking lots and high summits.

1) Weekend exploring the eastern side of Belledonne from the Basse-Maurienne:
Day one: Col de la Colombière and Col du Merlet with Brad, Thibaut and Christophe

Christophe tops out on the col

François, have I earned French Nationality yet??

Day two: (Almost) Col du Tepey and other minigolf around the valley with Brad and Thibaut

Heroics on the skin track, take one

Heroics on the skin track, take two

Brad enjoys turns earned

A not so heroic moment:
consequences of a white out and flat light

2) "Sick Day": Enjoying a beautiful sunny day while throwing down tons of vertical (6,900 ft) and admiring Mont Blanc, la Grande Casse, la Meije and much more.
Rocher Blanc (2928m) and Col de la Combe Madame with Brad