INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN LEADER

Accompagnateur en Montagne

After many years of training, I am now a fully qualified International Mountain Leader (IML) which opens up a whole new world of work opportunities. I am now able to lead hiking tours all over the world, but more importantly I have an outdoor qualification that is recognised and highly regarded by the French for hiking and mountain biking.

The final assessment took place in the Pyrennees Orientales where we found great snowshoeing terrain. We were tested on micro navigation every day during which we had to talk about various environmental subjects. Animal tracks, tree's, geology, local area geography and other general nuggets of information. Other area's covered included emergency rope work in snow covered terrain and multi burial avalanche transceiver searches (find and probe 2 units in 8 minutes, I averaged 4 minutes).

Snowshoe assessment in the Pyrenees 2016

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Aiguille de la Grande Sassiere 3751m

One of those pure adventure days *warning mega photo post* Ali-venturing as it's been known by over the summer. When Ali from trailAddiction gets grand idea's in his head it always leads to hike-a-bike. Read here on DIRT Mag about a previous mission, its the highest rideable peak in the alps! A special team was organised: A top ten finishing team from the Bivouac Enduro, Mael and Max, Ali, myself and Fred the mountain bike mechanic from Mavic. All keen, all stupid? And then my alarm went off at 04:30. Time to eat and drink as much as possible. I hadn't been up this early since ski touring in refuges last winter. In my tired state I did subconsciously know how to load the bikes onto the trailer, it's easy after doing it everyday all summer. We drove up towards Val d'Isere, then turned left up a singletrack road. It was around 6am, and it was still pitch black. Slowly the sun began to rise: Tignes...

What guides do between work in the peak of July

Summer is here, and after fantastic spring riding in Southern France and then all over Valais, Aosta and Haute Savoie with good friends it's been time to get back to summer guiding, taking hikers around the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit. There's much worse things to do, but with three weeks off the bike I was itching to get back on some trails. With a carefully planned week between tours I was excited and made some plans to hit up some classic lines, and some new stuff too. It's mid July now, so in Chamonix valley you have to think carefully about where to go to miss the crowds, and to avoid going on the bike ban trails (July & August). Luckily it's still easy to find quiet trails in nearby resorts, or to simply drop round the back of a hill away from the frontside lifts. It went a little like this: Day 1- La Thuile with Wayne of newly qualified French legal mountain bike guiding service Chamonixmtb.com . Enduro race venue at it's best, rough and raw. ...

Alta Via dei Monti Liguri

Summit to Sea grande finale for the Provence Posers "The Alta Via dei Monti Liguri is a long-distance waymarked hiking trail in the Italian region of Liguria. In about 440 kilometres and 44 day hikes, it runs through the arc formed by Ligurian Alps and Ligurian Apennines from Ventimiglia to Ceparana" How does high mountain rocky singletrack cut out of the the hillside during World War II which descends into beautiful deciduous forests and ends with dry dusty fast trails above a seaside town sound? The final stage of Alta Via, 45km, 3000 metres of descent, 9 hours & 10 foccaccia's & close to 30 scoops of Gelato. Many thanks to Martial again for joining us and showing us the way. http://www.alpsmountainbike.com/index.html for booking a trip to do the whole thing in one holiday.

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