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6am start this morning with @martinzhor to grind out the last big session of a big week.⁣ ⁣ We climbing 2,000m from La Tour to Aiguille Du Tour summit 3,542m. After recent storms the Alpine is looking like winter still and the glaciers are in great nick. We went fast and light and I love this style of alpinism. ⁣ ⁣ Martin is training for a great and tough challenge to attempt to summit Gran Paradiso, Monte Rosa & Mont Blanc in 24 hours... 90k with 9,000m+ ⁣ And me sure well I’m chasing vert and hours on my feet for #TorDesGeants2019 😁
Yesterday headed via the tunnel to Courmayeur to check things out.⁣ ⁣ Wanted to recce part of the route for Gran Trail Courmayeur which is in 5 weeks, which is also the last part of the #TorDesGeants2019 trail.⁣ ⁣ Things started to feel a lot more real and it felt great to get up in the alpine above 2,000m. Although there is still a lot of snow up there which made it interesting. ⁣ ⁣ When I was sat on a rock above Refugio Bonnatti debating whether to push on to the col at Tet Entres Deus Sauts an Italian lady blazed past not thinking twice about it, turns out from chatting a bit later she completed the 1st #TorDesGeants back in ‘09... so great to meet a real Tor legend
A great Hike & Fly day today with @billzimmerman⁣ ⁣ I did my first solo mission this morning from Servoz to Plaine Joux and had a great morning flight.⁣ ⁣ Then met Bill who was going to hike to Platé which is up over 2,000m and I decided to join him for a look not exactly hoping to fly as I am still no where near ready for mid afternoon thermic conditions. But it was very calm and we remained hopeful it would be possible.⁣ ⁣ When we got to the launch it was quite windy so after a little wait we decided to retreat to the Plaine Joux take off. We had a lovely light valley breeze and sweet take off. But half way down the wind was a lot stronger and I had my longest flight yet just trying to make head way to the landing site, conditions were still a bit thermic despite it being after 6pm so I got experience getting trashed about for the first time properly. ⁣ ⁣ I did not plan to climb over 2,000m today 🤣
Just starting the final descent yesterday and I’ve got my oh so serious face on as some buck called Eitienne was just in front of me and we’d been leap frogging each other all day. He’d get me on the climbs and I had him on the descents. Luckily for me the final descent was a drop of 1,000m so I managed to tag him and snag 10th overall.⁣ ⁣ Trail Du Gypaète - Les 3 Lacs 75k 4800m+ 11h 7m super happy with that one and just great to be racing with a bit of proper training behind me instead of winging it 🤣 #traildugypaete⁣ ⁣ Just under 100 days until @tordesgeants #tordesgeants2019 #tordesgeants⁣ ⁣
Will these legs go? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 3 days until #traildugypaete Les 3 Lacs - 75km 4800m+ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ First test of the summer, this race and Gran Trail Courmayeur 105km 7000m+ in July are the main build up races to @tordesgeants in September.⁣ #tordesgeants2019⁣ ⁣⁣ Ever since getting into TOR I’ve had a fire lit underneath me. I’ve taken off work to train and prepare right, I got Paul Tierney @paulmissinglink as my coach, everything is going really well, I’m healthy and uninjured. But the bottom line is I fucking love the process so no matter the outcome of any of this I love being here in Chamonix exploring, meeting new people and learning new stuff - Paragliding 😎
‘The bottom line is that this race dredges right to the bottom of the tank and requires the ultimate commitment. If you are happy leave a piece of your mind and body on those mountains, you will probably succeed, and it will be worth the investment. Be warned, the TOR gets into your blood and you go deep. Very deep.’ ~ @jezbragg #tordesgeants2019 #tordesgeants @tordesgeants 104 Days To Go!
🏔🎿❄️🌎⛏🥰
Last night’s Astro photography session with @sampsonian playing around with every setting imaginable on his Canon 5D, we hiked up part of TMB route and caught some of the Milky Way rising above Glacier Du Tour, Aiguille Du Tour & Bec De Lachat. Albert Premier hut light is what’s visible on the glacier. Andrew has a lot of post processing to do on this shot when we gets it’s on his computer but I had a quick go via Snapseed #GalacticCore
Defo drinking the kool aid... Flying is something really special #skymanparaglider
Sure what else would you be at on a Tuesday morning!! 116 Days To Go until @tordesgeants #tordesgeants2019 #tordesgeants
Outdoorsing in the vertical world of Chamonix Mont Blanc where life is good!
Grinding out the last lap of Plannards trails last weekend for the first European ‘Running Up For Air’ by @patagoniachamonix . Really great event to raise awareness for air quality in Chamonix because despite what people think it’s not the best here, car/truck pollution from the Mont Blanc tunnel as well as a deep valley means air gets stuck in the bottom often. I know I’m not one to talk as I work in Oil & Gas but I don’t drive and am committed to less travel this year. Pic by @ollybowmanphotography
#LowHeartRateBeastMode🤣 My first long-ish run on Sunday with @trainersoverheels was a great one, she is scaling down post 100 mile race and I’m scaling up 😁 . So far so good here and hitting all the right markers. It’s been some what frustrating having to hold back and ease into things but it’s all about the long game and turning myself into a low heart efficient machine. The route to real endurance is a long one and I’m trying to do it right now being coached by @paulmissinglink and I’m hugely inspired by all things @uphill_athlete too. . I used to value high intensity training as the end all to fitness but I’ve discovered through experimentation and experience it really has the opposite affect. Too much time spent in higher HR zones has created ADS (Aerobic Deficiency Syndrome) now the bulk of my volume is below 140bpm and I’m slowly getting faster operating at these levels. That’s the key to success in long AF ultra’s. . 129 Days to @tordesgeants #tordesgeants #tordesgeants2019
Trip up the Midi this afternoon post training and an awesome Hike & Fly for my 2nd solo flight on my way to learning the trade, yes I will be flying off here and Mont Blanc at some stage down the line . But in the meantime let’s hang out up here and get the red blood cell production up. Oh and I probably should get the splitboard out as it’s looking like sticky snow season has arrived.

Gavan Hennigan is an Irish Extreme Environment Athlete who hails from Galway... Read More