Mont Blanc 10 year reunion: day 1 Montruex jazz festival (CHF)

Up at 4am to get to airport for the 6.30 flight to Geneva to meet JJ (Jerome - old school friend from way back). Basically meant no sleep as was into bed late with packing and Lukie's school awards ceremony which Jacqui and I attended.

Awesome seeing JJ with his flight arriving 30 minutes after mine before boarding the train to Montreux for some jazz on the water front. Next year have made a mental note to catch some of the evening festival performances as the lineup looks super cool (Morcheeba, Herbie Hancock, Erykah Badu, Sampha, London Grammar and plenty more). With JJ on great form we took in an act from South Korea who according to the dooode sat next to me are famous there before Stevie (old uni mate who I also go way back with and have done all my mountaineering with) met us for lunch on the lake - he driving the 10 minutes down the road from Vevey where he lives.

Then came the 2 hour drive to Tasch which is the last place you can park before getting the train up the valley to Zermatt, unique for the fact that it does not allow any cars in.  I had a 60 minute window before beers and dinner and so ran the path up out of the village where Stevie, Jo, Jacqui and I had walked the summer before through Zmutt and then looping back on the eastern ridge via Furi with great views of both the iconic 'Toblerone' Matterhorn and Zermatt town. #65 minutes later I had only managed 10k but lots of fun running on the hills and trails feeling good.

Beers then ensued just off the pretty main square before dinner around the corner reminiscing on our 2007 Mont Blanc ascent. 10 years later none of us can actually believe we did it. A shame that the other two in O and G could not make it.

Run and pictures of the day:

https://www.strava.com/activities/1072118811