Since our nordic ski outing at the Plateau de Beille on Monday, I have been experiencing a lot of discomfort at the top of my thighs on both legs. It isn't the normal dull DOMS ache that I know well. It feels more like a strain, as if the tendons at the top of the leg have been pulled to near breaking point. OK, I may exaggerate slightly, but lifting my legs when seated should not be painful now, should it! The only difference between this last nordic ski outing and the one that I did with Pat and Kev the other week (when I experienced no discomfort), is that this time I felt like I was continually fighting my skis on any inclines to prevent them from back-sliding which put a lot of strain on my upper legs. Why the skis behaved differently this time, I have no idea. So yesterday, despite the glorious weather, we remained at Pissou. Today, the glorious weather has continued and I had to get out and do something. Skiing was off the agenda so the alternative was a gentle snowshoe outing. We drove 15 mins up to the Col de Port and headed up to Pic d'Estibat (1663m) Fortunately, tracks had already been made by previous snowshoers (in stark contrast to
our last outing up there in November) which made our work a bit easier.
The clarity of the light and the contrast between the deep sky blue and the pure white snow was striking.
I took it really steady and the legs felt OK, thank goodness. The views from the Pic make the 400m of ascent worthwhile. I have also
uploaded a short video of the panorama to YouTube 
The avalanche risk is currently at level 4 here at the moment - the northerly and north-east facing slopes are heavily corniced and wind-slab is also prevalent. The NE-facing cornice that runs between Pic d'Estibat and Sommet des Griets is already showing signs of collapsing under its own weight
We were only out for a couple of hours. I wanted to stay out in the warm sun for longer, soaking up more of this amazing weather but my legs need to fully recover before I can enjoy a longer outing. Plans for next week are already forming!
The clarity of the light and the contrast between the deep sky blue and the pure white snow was striking.
I took it really steady and the legs felt OK, thank goodness. The views from the Pic make the 400m of ascent worthwhile. I have also uploaded a short video of the panorama to YouTube 
The avalanche risk is currently at level 4 here at the moment - the northerly and north-east facing slopes are heavily corniced and wind-slab is also prevalent. The NE-facing cornice that runs between Pic d'Estibat and Sommet des Griets is already showing signs of collapsing under its own weight 
We were only out for a couple of hours. I wanted to stay out in the warm sun for longer, soaking up more of this amazing weather but my legs need to fully recover before I can enjoy a longer outing. Plans for next week are already forming!
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