Big mountain elite athlete, Nat Segal is a Chamonix transplant. This is her love story.
In 2008 I stumbled upon Chamonix. I never intended to stay here, in fact it was completely by chance that I arrived in town one afternoon just after Christmas with a roller bag full of gear and no idea where I was going to sleep that night.
After a failed plan to spend the winter in the French ski station Les Arcs, I followed the vague advice of a fellow Australian ski bum who told me that Chamonix was ‘the shit’. I knew nothing about the town or the surrounding mountains. All I knew was that it snowed there and there were ski lifts that could take me up high.
I don’t think that my story is particularly unique. Many residents of Chamonix weren’t born in the valley or for that matter in France. They arrived in town on a whim and the mountain culture, sports and beautiful lifestyle sucked them in – to the point that most can’t leave.
I came to Chamonix for the winter and it was here that I learnt to ski big mountains, to explore glaciated terrain on skis and spend time in the high alpine. However, it wasn’t the winter with its buzzing nightlife, incredible ski terrain and lift access that made me stay.
As Dennis Denuto from The Castle puts it – it’s in “the vibe of the thing.” It was the people and their chosen way of life that really sunk the hooks in. With no immediate plans following my first winter in Chamonix, I ended up spending the spring and it was then that I really fell in love.
After spending three winter seasons, a summer and many visits in between, I have begun to realise that one of the most important parts of the lifestyle here is that locals and transplants alike believe that it is ok to follow your passion. Everyone has their own way of doing it, some run businesses in town and mountain bike in their down time; others wait tables to fund their dreams of climbing mountains and skiing steep lines.
In Chamonix it is perfectly acceptable to do the average in pursuit of the extraordinary.
Of course there are challenges associated with this chosen lifestyle. Whether they are financial, physical, motivational or parental (not every family can accept their children choosing a mountain lifestyle over university and a steady job in the city), finding the perfect balance between living your passion and the realities of life are difficult.
I’ve had my fair share of trying to wrangle visas to stay longer than three months, funding life without being able to work in France and live a transient life between Australia and Europe – but it is always worth the struggle.
I would never say that Chamonix is perfect. While living in the mountains, surrounded by two other countries, all three of which can boast some of the best coffee, cheese and chocolate in the world is hard to beat, the town itself can to some become claustrophobic.
Not to mention, I can’t find a decent soy latte anywhere in town that lives up to Melbourne standards. I guess life is all about sacrifices right?
Luckily, there are many cures to the ills of claustrophobia. One of my favourite things to do here is to get up high into the mountains, either on the lifts (preferably with skis) or on foot and enjoy the extremities of nature – even if it’s just from the balcony of the Aiguille du Midi lift station.
Interestingly enough, the self-contained nature of the community in Chamonix actually inspires many locals to use the centrality of Chamonix as a jumping off point to explore Europe. From the coasts of Italy to the mountains of Norway, not many places are longer than a few hours by plane, train or automobile and it is not unusual for the valley to be deserted during the inter-season.
I’m not sure that Chamonix will always be my home, or my home away from home. A few years ago while based in the United States I swore I would never move back to Europe, that it wasn’t for me. Three years later I can’t imagine living anywhere else – even Melbourne, soy lattes and all.
For many mountain towns have a shelf life. After a point in time the lifestyle no longer challenges or motivates them. But for the moment I think I am safe, I still have a lot of exploring to do.
Check out Nat Segal’s website and her Facebook page.
