We have had (again) a long anticyclonic period that has caused inversion: a low hanging thick layer of clouds blocks cold and humid air near the ground, whereas the air above the clouds is warm and dry. This is very common in this valley at this time of the year. And it is so annoying! Yesterday we got sick of being in constant pea-souper for so long without seeing even a glimpse of the sun, and decided to go snowshoeing above the clouds to the nearest place (40 kilometers’ drive) we could think of: Chamrousse on Belledonne (at 1600 meters). Actually then we found out that a nearby (80 kilometers’ drive)  was hosting a World Cup event in freestyle skiing (moguls) this weekend, and there were seven fellow Finns participating in the qualifications yesterday.  So we switched the plan from walking in the snow to standing in the snow.  However, we ran so late that we resorted to the original plan: snowshoeing we went, but without the snowshoes since the pedestrian path on Plateau de l’Arselle (cross country skiing domain), although snowy, was well groomed and walkable in hiking boots. (Besides, none of the seven Finns qualified to the finals).

It was a lovely afternoon in the sun, with the temperature almost in double digits.