The second week in September I had my Alpine Guides test.  The four of us who qualified as Aspirants in June once again came together to be assessed on the skills we'd been using through the course of our work during this summer.  Once again I was partnered with Matt Spenceley for the duration of the week. Other Aspirants on the test were Matt Stygall and Bruce Poll.

Although the forecast weather for the week started very promising, the latter end of the week would see quite varied conditions and a return to snow in the middle mountains.  In the first day of great weather we were assessed on our crevasse rescue skills and basic alpine guiding skills on the cosmiques arete. Familiar and friendly ground for a girl living in Chamonix.  The crevasse above was one of the largest ones that I have ever done crevasse rescue in.  I was very pleased that none of the other Aspirants or the assessing team could hear the shreek that I made when I dropped a full couple of meters further into the crevasse during my 'rescue'.  We returned to the cosmiques hut for a night before heading off to do an easy ice route on the East face of the Tacul.  The third day saw us heading to the Emosson Dam and the traverse of the Perron, rather ironically a route I had done only a couple of months ago with two friends.  The tail end of the week in somewhat colder and more vaired conditions we headed up to the Moiry hut for a traverse of the Points des Rosses, before finally finishing with a traverse of the Argentine- a route I almost did earlier in the summer but got shut down by the weather.  What are the chances!  Anyway, I was really pleased to be doing it, since I have been eying it up for quite some time.  Unfortunately on that last day on the Argentine I lost my camera, so have had to rely on my assessor Terry Ralphs for the photos.  Thank you Terry! 

The week was unfortunately not as successfull as I had hoped for.  Despite a very enjoyable and positive summer season I have been asked to come back for a days re-assessment next summer and do ensure that 10 of my logbook days next summer are at AD grade.  I was disappointed with my result but am determined for it not to effect how much life has changed for me this last year.  I am finally able to work in the Alps, not just with military groups but with the wider public.  I know with even more certainty that it is work I love and that I am good at what I do.  It is a shame that I wasn't able to show the assessors that on this occasion, but I am determined to do that next year on my retest.  Before then though we have another winter season and my ski test which is the primary reason I have taken on becoming a Guide... so that I can Guide on skis.  Finally I feel that I am close to my strongest discipline.  As I type this, I'm in the Ecrins working with a great group of students for 10 days and today is a rest day.  Yesterday we were on the summit of the Dibona, one of the most iconic summits in the Ecrins, and today the first flakes of snow are falling in abondance on the higher hills.  I'm smiling because for the first time in four years I get to spend a full winter skiing to my hearts content... and I plan to make the most of it!