Yeah for Nordic skiing!

Google chose to put a nordic skier on their page today. Makes me happy!

This week end, a french guy won a nordic ski race (La Transjurassienne - 50 miler) which we went to. It's rare. Makes me happy!

Jacques Dutronc

We went to Dutronc's (Senior) concert last week. He looks older, but the songs haven't changed. Here is my favorite...

More pics from last week end...

Church at les Confins. La Clusaz in the Alps.

Frozen chalet in La Clusaz.

View from our appartment in Lausanne. Worked out nicely to have the bottom part darken so that we can't see the buildings!

le Plateau des Glières (french Alps).

As if Saturday wasn't good enough, we decided to go back on Sunday. No journalism this time, we actually skied. Nordic skiing but not the classic way, the freestyle way (we call it "skating" here). It's rather technical (and rather tough if you're not in shape which is my case at the moment). However you get from point A to B a lot faster once you've got it down.

We discovered a new area. Le Plateau des Glières.

"...Le Plateau des Glières was chosen by the Allies for a massive parachute drop of arms to the French Resistance. On march 26th 1944, more than 10,000 Germans and French Miliciens attacked the plateau which was defended by some 460 partisans. The battle was lost but it was seen as a symbolic victory for freedom -"Live free or die" beeing their motto. Between the 13th and the 19th of august 1944, Haute-Savoie freed itself thanks to the survivors and other Resistance fighters of the whole area. Beyond history, this site is a haven of peace where nature is still preserved..."

The pictures we took on Sunday speak for themselves. It's my kind of winter paradise.

Good luck to Emmanuel Jonnier !

This week end, during the ski race on Saturday, we spent a little time with Sam's friend. He is taking off for his third Olympic Games today from Geneva. Sam wrote Manu's first article in 1997 in the Independent (no joke!) of Haut Jura. The title was "Manu Jonnier, let us dream!" (there is a rhyme in french...).

More seriously, Manu finished 4th (1st french) in a 30km freestyle ski race in Turin at the last OG. We wish him and the rest of his team the best luck. But above all we hope that he will have a blast and enjoy himself for his last games in Vancouver. Manu is 35, married with two kids, and has been skiing at this level for about 12 years. We're major fans!

Sometimes he takes the time to give us some live news here (his blog).

And there is more info about him here. Thanks to this link we learn something very key about his personality. His favorite place on earth is the Big Maclu Lake! see picture below (not taken by us). It reminds me of lakes in Oregon even if this spot is in our home area - the Jura. Way to go Manu!

Journalist for ski races. La Clusaz - les Confins.

We were lucky with the weather this last week end. It had snowed 30 cms during the night. We went to a ski race in the Alps at La Clusaz in the Confins on Saturday. I went skiing while Sam was already "working" and came back just in time to watch the race (some of the national french team athletes competing such as Gaillard, Vittoz and Jonnier doing their last race in France before the Olympic Games).

Sam started writing articles for the local paper where we grew up in 1997. He's at the point now where he only writes when he feels like it and on subjects that he enjoys . So it's either art or nordic ski races!

Sam and Romain Vandel (from le Jura. part of the "Dream Team"... will explain another time!)

"...Based in the Aravis mountain range La Clusaz (originally from the word cluse - meaning a narrow path between two mountains) was once called Clusa Locus Dei meaning God's narrow place - according to Wikipedia. An old village, La Clusaz has been hosting winter sports since 1907. It is the birthplace of famous French skier Vincent Vittoz ..."(who was at the race on Saturday).