It's all about technique

"Push with your bush"... I lean in towards the ice.

*THUK*
90% of the time, my right ice-axe lands a solid hook into the ice. I test my weight on it, yup, all goot.
*TWAAK* *thuk* *thuk*
90% of the time, my retarded left swing completely misses the spot I was focused on :P I scrape around and look for a hole to hook into instead.

"Stick your butt out like a monkey"... I grip my ice-axes and stretch out my arms. Yup, butt's out there like a monkey's. I look down at my feet, find a spot, and remember to keep my heels down.

*CHUK*
Right foot in :)
*CHUK* *CHUK*
Left foot in :)

I push up with my legs. I hear water, I look to the side. Through the opaque ice, I see water rushing by underneath. There are massive dripping icicles around me.

This is AWESOME!

I fell in love a lot during this trip.

I fell in love with ice when I saw the frozen waterfalls at Lillaz in Italy.

I fell in love with ice-axes when I heard the satisfying *THUK* as it slammed into the ice.

I fell in love with crampons when I realized it was holding me up on my toes to the side of an ice wall. My heels rested on air.

I fell in love with Chamonix when, as I was up high and strapped to a tree by a very slim rope, a bright yellow heli flew right by me barely a hundred metres away. I anticipated the sight everytime I heard the *whoopp* *whoopp* noises of the rotor blades as it took off down in the valley.

I didn't do very difficult climbs. It was just that feeling of making it to the top in such amazing surroundings which made it memorable. The hardest part? Walking uphill in all that dang snow to get to the walls :P

As I'm huffing and puffing away, my guide for my first climb, Isa, who's 5 months pregnant btw, barely breaks a sweat. She's also the one carrying all the extra rope and gear! She's amazing :)