Challenge Stu

A combination of work and adventures in plasterboard means it's taken me longer than intended to get round to writing this, but I wanted to write a quick piece on one of the best skiing holidays I've had in a long time. The season didn't start well. Even compared to last year, when it didn't really snow till mid-January, the start to the season was bad. A March trip sounded like a bad idea, but frankly we needed as long as possible to save up, so March it was! The Daily Mail - for all the best celebrity weight and skiing stories In fact, the snow was not a problem. We stayed at Le Praz, in the Courchevel valley at about 1300m. This worked brilliantly for me, as there was snow above us and sunny valley below us. I skied on Sunday but on Monday decided to take advantage of the weather and headed out for a  long ru n. It was a great adventure, like the long runs I used to do on days off last winter. As then, the speed was low but the climb pretty high! I clock...

It's that strange time of year around Christmas and New Year, when every day feels like a Sunday and you wonder just how much more cheese you can eat. In short, a perfect time to write a blog. And at the turning of the year, 2016 seems the obvious subject, and it's been an interesting year! There's nothing new here though, so I'll keep it brief and try to include some good photos. Please also forgive me for being selfish; this blog is already too long without mention of the amazing achievements of others in 2016, including British Champion Rhys Findlay-Robinson, Nicky Spinks' double Bob Graham round, my brother's epic Frankfurt marathon experience, and all the great achievements of my team mates at events throughout the year. Well OK, only that much mention of them. Cheers for the inspiration. Here we go then... Sunny valleys in the early season Last January I was living and working near St Martin de Belleville in the French Alps. The snow conditions ...

I've been living here in La Combe, in the Trois Vallees in the French alps, since November. To be honest, in skiing terms, it's been (so far) a horrible season - there has really not been very much snow! Things that should've been white since December are still green, the locals are grumpy, and the Marmots are confused. Amazing for running, crap for skiing However, I've been having a brilliant time! Yes, it's fair to say I haven't become the skier I hoped I might, but I've managed to keep running a lot more than I thought I might, and have started doing some ski touring. Which brings me to the point of this little post... Ski touring is an awesome sport. It reminds me of a combination of running in the high mountains and road biking. For the unfamiliar, ski touring involves the use of skis with "skins" on the bottom, which grip one way and stick the other, allowing you to push them uphill. In combination with lightweight boots with a...

Woohoo! We live in the alps now. Last Friday, Lorna, Acer and I arrived in the tiny hamlet of La Combe, between Moutiers and the ski resort of St Martin de Belleville. We're in the "Trois Vallees" area, the biggest ski area in the world. I've dreamed of living in the Alps for a long time, and it's amazing to actually be here. A quick introduction to (and plug for) our chalet... Lorna and I are the new managers of Chalet Chardon Bleu. Between us and the other two staff, Josh and Amber, we look after the chalet and up to 25 guests on behalf of Peak Pursuits . Lorna is the chef, Josh and Amber help in the kitchen, clean and tidy the chalet, and help me ferry guests to and from the slopes. I'm in charge of things like looking after the Hot Tub, checking the vehicles, fixing chalet and vehicle stuff, and driving. The chalet is a beautiful old building, but I think the maintenance will keep me busy! It's been a busy week since we arrived with the chalet t...