We’ve spent a few days of alpine living ‘at home’ around Pelvoux, doing various bits of online work, resting, swimming and even squeezed in a couple of valley climbs between the every changing weather of recent days. High clouds early on in the day signalled a change was coming…

Clare has had a very busy period of work, so while she was ‘on calls’, I decamped across the road, to the very pleasant surroundings of the shady balcony terrace of the Hotel Glacier Blanc.

Meanwhile, back at base, Clare has been training her new licenced facilitators, who are now ready to go out and deliver Clare’s ‘Wellbeing Ambassador Programme’ – a course that she has designed through her wellbeing training company Goldcrest Training. A productive time in the Goldcrest alpine office!

Away from the office, we also took a walk through nearby village of Argentiere-le-Besse – home to the worlds largest ice axe!

It’s been super warm, but with some sudden showers, so it’s generally been too hot or too wet be be on the cliffs!

Lower down the valley we did manage a few routes one evening at a crag near the lake of La Roche de Rame. On the second climb, heavy raindrops the size of blueberries fell as we hurried to get back down!

The skies looked like a massive downpour was about to happen, but luckily it blew past and the splatters of raindrops on us, soon dried up. We retreated to the lake for a swim anyway… The clouds had sent the weekend crowds away, so we actually pretty much had the whole place to ourselves to swim and dive in. The warmth in the air remained, so we treated ourselves to dinner again at the lakeside restaurant. Brill.

Climbs at Roch de Rame, Falaise de Gero:

• Bison Poussif, 5c
• Supersioux, 5c