1. AndyK is turning 50 and it's been on his bucket list
2. I have the most amazing wife in the world and she was completely behind this.
3. Lots of frequent flier miles needing to find a place to go to work
4. A connection with an old friend - John Hamlin -- who connected us with a guide and his favorite area in the Alps.
So, an ice ax, carabiners, harness, avalung, skins and a variety of other great gear got crammed into a bulging bag and we headed for Milan on Saturday.
I've got a tradition of sorts when landing in Europe -- have a strong espresso and a chocolate croissant, then stay up all day (US nighttime) in order to sleep hard the first night.
After a little over two hours of transfer, I made it to Gressoney, Italy. A very small mountain village, but one of the lifts serving the largest backcountry (off-piste) areas in Europe is right outside our door.
The bad news: 60 degrees at the base turned the snow to mush. When it freezes at night, it becomes rock hard again. The answer to such maladies is, of course, food once again. A wonderful Pizza / Bar is next door. So I settled in and waited for the guys.
Follow that with a dinner spread that looks like this and I'm gonna need to burn some calories!
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