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I love the challenge that winter provides. Being outside all day to climb and ski in cold temps forces you to prepare for survival and interact with nature in a way that is not always so friendly or forgiving. It's the season for hand warmers and hot drinks!I'm really looking forward to doing more mixed and ice climbing this season. This picture is from the Vent du Dragon, a 250 m M5 climb in Chamonix. While we were on route, a snowstorm came in that became more intense as we got higher on the route. The climbing took a long time under all the new snow. We missed the last tram down, and spent some time warming up in the toilets at the top of the Aiguille Du Midi. After a little while, we decided to ski down the Valle Blanche in the middle of the night. All of the tracks were covered, and the navigation was incredibly challenging. After all that, we got to the parking lot at the base. I took off my skis, stepped onto the asphalt and slipped on some black ice, and cut my hand open on a sharp piece of gravel. It was an ironic way to end an adventurous, epic day! I'm grateful a little cut was the only bad thing that happened. Huge thanks to @tom_grant_ for snapping this pic and for his ability to get us down the Valle Blanche in the dark! #bigmtndreams
