Mountain Biking in Chamonix, French Alps (2009)
Craig spent last week mountain biking in the French Alps in Chamonix:
“When not spending time behind a camera I like to spend it behind the handlebars of my mountain bike. When my mate Matt suggested a trip to Chamonix in the French Alps for a week of world class mountain biking, I was more than a little enthusiastic. First port of call was the famous Portes Du Soleil. What struck me was how well organised the event was. Food and drink stops at various points provided much needed refreshments. There were also Mavic bike workshops strategically placed to deal with any biking mishaps. This turned out to be very fortuitous for me as I happened to snap two nipples on my rear spokes, which were quickly rectified. What was most enjoyable was the fact that we could use the ski lifts to get to the summit of all the trails and then use the wonder of gravity to hastily make our way to the bottom. This trend continued throughout the week as my tyres and brake pads bore the brunt of an alarming increase in my downhill tenacity.
Bearing in mind the physical rigours of hurling myself around some of the most challenging terrain I’d ever encountered, I had some reservations about taking my camera. I ended up taking the Panasonic Lumix LX3 , which boasts an impressive 24mm Leica wide angle lens at a more than adequate f2 aperture. It would be the first time I’d have taken the camera to test its capabilities, and proved itself to be a stellar performer. I won’t go too much into the acquisition of the pictures, but rather have the images tell their own story of a week well spent.”
