Emma and Adrian Read, visiting family in Les Houches, did a Valentine's Day tour with Kathy to the Col du Tour Noir on the Glacier des Améthystes.

The weather was desperately cold, as it has often been this Winter. A stiff wind added to the ambience of incoming weather excitement.

Bundled up and moving uphill, body temperature was manageable. But the howling winds above kept us from topping out on our objective (still, we came close).

On the way down, we managed to link together a few passages where the wind had deposited soft snow, and where the base was firm enough to stay on top! Ahhh...

Admiring our turns (the good, the bad and the ugly!), we lingered in the sun a bit before re-entering the shadows for our long glide back to town and the warmth of hearths and homes.