Welcome to the first Journal post from our family of Utility Archive ambassadors. A couple of weeks ago Ben Adams, Joanna Brigham and friends enjoyed a late summer day of foraging and photography in the Chamonix valley.
‘We started from Le Tour, a traditional Savoyarde village in the northern reaches of the Chamonix valley, a stones throw from the Swiss border. Just above the village, at around 1600m the valley head opens into a bowl. This is a beautiful expanse of mountain pasture with the higher peaks of Aiguillette des Posettes and Les Grandes Autannes as a backdrop. The views south down the valley toward the Mont Blanc massif are spectacular, some of the best in the region.
Being so open and south facing this area always gets plenty of sun, I suppose that's why it's good for picking myrtle berries. Related to the bilberry, they’re the key ingredient in one of this regions most famous desserts, Tarte aux Myrtilles. We sometimes make jam with them, although these we just froze and will add to our porridge over the winter. Great before a big day split boarding or ski touring.
Just a few days after these were taken we woke up to snow, and more on the way too. Incredible how fast the seasons change here.
I shot all photographs on my preferred digital setup, a Lumix GX80 with Leica 15mm prime lens. I haven't edited these much, just balanced the exposure slightly so they match in a sequence.’
Featured are the Roll Top Large 28L in Basalt, the Fell Zip Pack 30L in Fjord and the Tor Flap Pack 25L in Lichen.
All photography, Ben Adams.
