UKC

Unparalleled access to climbing, hiking, skiing and trail running makes Chamonix a dream destination for the mountain enthusiast. But there are practical considerations too, says Will Harris, from high property prices and Brexit-related bureaucracy, to the sometimes-limited integration into the local French community. The mountains brought Will and his wife Amy to the area, but it's the people they've got to know and the work they do that make them want to stay.

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Enjoyed that, but I inwardly cringe whenever anyone working in the mountains refers to other climbers or tourists as "hordes". It's a pretty derogatory term for the people that make your life as a mountain guide possible.

I can't see anything in that article that remotely suggests the author would be being derogatory towards other people in the mountains. Quite the opposite, in fact.

I do wonder what is the value of these articles or who are the audience? Are they elaborated marketing pieces, as I see the majority are authored by mountain guides? 

I don't begrudge folk making a move to the mountains, it's something I continue to think about, so perhaps there is an audience. The reality for most people (and for me) is it's either unaffordable or impractical from a job perspective - unless your work is connected to the landscape or it can be done remotely.

With that in mind, these articles land like glorified social media posts.

I'm sure there are plenty of interesting stories where the move to the mountains hasn't worked out, or what about an article how we can all have the choice to move to the mountains and the politics of making that a reality? 

I enjoy these articles (probably mostly for the escapism... er, about escapism) but I definitely sympathise - can't helping thinking what I really want is for UKC to time travel back 15 years and give me proper advice on how to find a meaningful profession with my skill set that would allow me to work anywhere other than a very small number of major cities, all in England... (Having tried and failed to find a way in Vancouver that would allow me to have anything like a proper career). The reality is a lot of jobs need to be done in certain cities/hives of government/finance etc (not every organisation is pro wfh or in favour of you working odd hours with a time difference, and that often it's very healthy for the worker anyway), a lot of professions AREN'T desirable for immigration purposes so you can't get the visa, and these moves aren't cheap or logistically easy for a lot (whether that's money, social isolation, etc). 

There does seem to be a disproportionate number of outdoor professionals or tech bros (or maybe really useful people like nurses) in these stories, and I would dearly love to think other professions are possible - though I suspect it may be because they aren't! 

There have been loads of positive comments about these articles from people who have enjoyed them. I know I have. They're not all from guides/instructors. I'd suggest maybe reading a few of the others.

It occurred to me that what makes things stack up in this particular story isn’t the guiding business, but rather the remote working actuary partner. A much better paid profession than guiding and Chamonix is an expensive place.

I think planet explained what they meant fairly clearly.

What they didn’t explain is why they found the usage of the word “horde” in the article derogatory. The context made it plain that the standard dictionary definition of “a large number of people or things” was intended.

I’m also not entirely sure why one, in this enlightened age, should find the original usage “derogatory”. The original definition likely stems from historic xenophobic attitudes to nomadic peoples.

So, if planet really does finds the usage derogatory, I find their interpretation offensive.

I guess it roughly boils down to - did you choose  a career for its own sake or did you choose a career which also gives you the option of being very employable everywhere? Climbing a ‘career ladder’ is harder if you move about a lot or live in a more rural area. So if you have the freedom to choose, it just depends on your priorities in life.  I moved away from a rural area to re train as there were no career prospects. I lived in a city for a while and then as soon as I could, moved back to a rural area with my new qualifications. It’s limited in some ways, as there are less exciting career opportunities, but I wouldn’t want to live in a city.

Oh no.

Glad to find you’re not the snowflake you made yourself out to be in your first post. Carry on.

I'm glad you find enjoyment in them.  I've read one or two, and scanned the rest, it appears most are either from guides or people who have the privilege to set up life there.

Upon further reflection, Nicholas Livesey's account in north Wales, for me, is the most refreshing. I think it offers something more than simply 'look how great things are for me'. (I appreciate that might not have been the intention of the authors, but that's how many of them land for me and I don't find that interesting).

The one thing that does interest me in these article is the idea of 'escape'. The authors gesture to it as a motivation for moving, and it appears the articles themselves even offer some form of escape to readers, as indicated by some replies. But escape from what?

In some of the articles, there are indications of this, such as mental illness, relationships etc. Obviously there are a lifetime of individual reasons, unique events that give rise to whatever people are escaping from. But given I've heard 'escape' as a common (but not only) response to 'why' people go to the mountains, I do think it's important to constantly return and question the social conditions and the politics that give rise to some people fleeing (or wanting to flee) from the towns and cities, whether on weekends, for a lifetime or indeed in their dreams. 

Most people spend most of their time in towns and cities. So in a way, it's a truly sad reflection on life for so many and for these places, if people can't fulfil fundamental needs in the places we live. The 'dark satanic mills' may have gone physically, but what these metaphorically represent appears to be present for many of us living in cities. 

I believe it is possible to change this state of affairs. It requires more people, to take more responsibility in protecting what 'mountains' we do have in urban areas, and creating more, especially greenspaces for those who do not have the means to escape to the hills. 

I don't think we can rely on councils/governments/business to do this for us, especially business who often want to grab public land, rather than enhance it.

It sounds cliche, but one idea is for more urban dwellers to apply the same wisdom that Nicholas Livesey offers in their article, that is, networking and getting involved with your local community and collectively bringing about what you and others need wherever you live.  

No offence meant, as others have guessed my use of the term 'hoardes' was as a short hand for 'lots and lots of people'. No derogetory connotaton intended, indeed I wasn't aware of this sense and yet another lesson in accurate use of language. I'm always pleased to see lots of people out enjoying the mountains, and I don't see ths as a problem as there's endless quiet corners in whch to avoid the crowds if that's what you want to do.

In reply to The New Nick B:

You can make a comfortable living from guiding in the Alps, as I hoped my article would show. You'd usually make around €500 a day if you're mixing some private guiding work with some freelancing for agencies, and most people work around 120-150 days a year. So as you point out not quite London Actuary rates but certainly not something that should put people off whats an enjoyable and rewarding career.    

I think you might be overthinking it all.