The Challenge Ahead: A Descent Down the Mountain

As we set out on our adventure, we couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and trepidation. Our mission was to ski down a steep mountain, navigating through dense snow and icy slopes. We had been warned about the difficulty of the terrain, but nothing could have prepared us for the reality of it all.

So, we've been a little unfair and thrown Ebbers in at the deep end. We've had to come quite far down a red slope to get to the start of the skinning. Up! Out your skis, jump out your skis! Tiptoes! Tiptoes over. Luckily, Barry is a ski instructor, so he's getting Ebbers down and it's a learning experience.

As we began our descent, James couldn't wait for lunch. If it makes it down the slopes, can't wait for lunch. It's on Ebbers' back. The tension was palpable as we waited for the perfect moment to start our journey. Finally, the moment arrived, and we set off down the mountain.

Yeah, that was the easy bit. Now we've gotta do the thing we've never done before. Mind you, I've never done a red before. So that was my first. It's beautiful up here. It's a shame I'm thinking too much about the skis and not enough about the mountains. Seamless. I'm sure that's how all the pros do it.

45 minutes to get down half a run. I mean, we started. (panting)I said green or, I said green or, oh God. Now we're finally at the starting point. We need to put some skin on the skis, dress down. Get up there, and fine dine.

The challenge hasn't even started yet. This is just to get to the beginning. The pressure was mounting as we prepared for our fine dining experience. Our chef had cooked up a storm, and our bellies were growling with anticipation.

This is really hard work. Uses different muscles, doesn't it? That is stunning! We turned the corner and just saw this incredible sight: a glacier, at the bottom of a glacier. Sounds, feels like it's a good place to have a fine dining meal.

So worth it just to get here. The fact that now we're gonna be fine dining is just out of this world. (glasses clink) Touch. A touch. Excellent, boys, excellent. Before we could sit down and enjoy our three-course meal, we had to dress for the occasion. Well it wouldn't be fun, darling, with that, would it really?

Stick to the brief. James, you could have bought an iron. Spectacular. We've done some ridiculous things in our time. This is great. This is the best. This is up there. Nope, it's the best. I love it. We've peaked.

Trouble is. Oh, we joke that we should ski down like this as well. But to ski down like this makes it look like you know what you're doing and I definitely don't. Ah! Ah, boys. Well, here we are. I mean. (Barry laughing) We came all that way to get this shot. We got it now.

I feel like we didn't think this through. Look around. Is this not the most ridiculous thing you've done in 30-odd years? Let's get the soup on. Okay. Ah, Ebbers. Today I learned that when you're here, liquid is a good friend. Lots of liquid, lots of onion, butter, and most importantly, bay leaf. Right. See if you heat that up.

The Fine Dining Experience

As we sat down to enjoy our meal, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and camaraderie. The soup had survived the journey, and it was time to indulge in its rich flavors. We raised our glasses in a toast, savoring the moment and the company of each other.

Oh, Ebbers. Today I learned that when you're here, liquid is a good friend. Lots of liquid, lots of onion, butter, and most importantly, bay leaf. Right. See if you heat that up. The soup was served with a side of crusty bread, perfectly toasted to bring out the flavors.

As we enjoyed our meal, the scenery around us came alive. The sun cast its golden glow over the glacier, creating an otherworldly landscape. It was as if we had entered a different world, one that existed parallel to our own.

The music played softly in the background, adding to the ambiance of the fine dining experience. The sound of gentle strings and soothing melodies created a sense of peace and tranquility, washing over us like a balm.

We talked about our experiences on the mountain, sharing stories and laughter around the table. The conversation flowed effortlessly, like a gentle stream meandering through the landscape. We spoke of adventure, danger, and the thrill of the unknown.

And yet, amidst all the excitement and activity, there was a sense of calm and contentment. It was as if we had found something special, something that went beyond words or explanation. A sense of connection, of belonging, and of being exactly where we needed to be.

The Fine Dining Experience: A Legacy

As we finished our meal and prepared to leave, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the experience we had shared. The fine dining experience was more than just a meal; it was a journey, a discovery, and a memory to treasure.

We left the mountain with full bellies and happy hearts, carrying with us the lessons learned and the laughter shared. The memories of that day would stay with us forever, a reminder of the power of adventure and the joy of sharing experiences with others.

And as we looked back on our journey, we knew that we had accomplished something special – a descent down the mountain, and an experience that would stay with us for the rest of our lives.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(intrepid orchestral music)- The Alps.The most extensive mountain rangein Central Southern Europe,spanning seven countriesand home to Mont Blanc,Europe's tallest mountainat 4,680 metres.It can be a dangerous placewith unpredictable weather, avalanches,and 150-foot-deep glacial crevasses.Ben is seriously anxiousand really worried about this.The perfect place, then, to set upa three-course dining experience,complete with champagne.What could possibly go wrong?(intrepid orchestralmusic peaks and fades)(snow sliding and rustling)(upbeat piano music)- Before we could headup into the mountains,it was time to plan a route and decideon the fine dining three-course menu.And for that, this time we had two chefs.(upbeat piano music)- Talking to some ofthe guides around here,we're looking for glacier...d'Argentiere?So...- d'Argentiere.- Thank you Ben.Which I think, this massive thing here.- How do we get to it?- So, there's gonna besome skiing involved.There's a bit of downhill.Quite a lot of uphill.- I'm excited for it.- I'm genuine, I've never done anything-- It's an adventure.- Do you have anyidea what you're cooking?- It's gotta be French.Some French dishes, French inspiration.It's gotta fit in a rucksack.- And it's gotta look good.It's fine dining.- And it has to stay in one pieceby the time we get to the glacier.- We'll start the food.- Mm hmm.- I will-- Figure out this.- And I'll get outta your way.- Should we do some cooking?(energetic string music)- Before it wastime to get some sleepahead of an early start,James and I started to prep the foodand package it up in away that was not onlysmall enough to put in a backpack,but would also survivethe odd fall or two.So we're thinking,obviously we're in France,classic French dishes that wecan get most of the way there.Get all the mise en place done,stick in a rucksack, and climb a mountain.(energetic string music)(knife thudding)(liquid simmering)(pepper grinder cranking)(scissors clatter)We're gonna heavily season upand add loads of fresh herbsto a pork rillette and then serve thatwith plum jam and celeriac remoulade.And maybe some crouts.(energetic string music)Pretty classic French mayo.So egg yolk, mustard, salt, pepper,oil drizzled in and thenfinished with lemon.I'm gonna put that throughthe celeriac remouladewith some parsley.Less classic French onion soup.I've cheated it, becausewe're going with white wine,stock, and miso, andthat'll give you the umamiof hours of cooking inabout half an hour instead.(energetic string music)- This is just a ganache.It's double cream, boiled,poured over chopped chocolate.Mix, mix, mix. Done.(energetic string music builds)(mid-tempo guitar music)- Before we go anywhere,it was time to get kitted up,to get us up and down the mountain.♪ Rhinestones on her hemline ♪♪ Lipstick on her cocktail ♪(vocalist scatting over guitar music)- I'm comfortable with normal skiing.This is ski touring, so on the boots,you got this thing, there,which makes this boot bend moreso you can like, ski and walk.I'm better at skiing than I am walking.- So these skiswill allow us to walkto get us to our finalfine dining destination.But first, we needed to getto the top of the mountain.(upbeat synth music)We were excited, getting quite hungryand feeling confident.That was, until we startedto put the skis on our feet.(slow horn music)- I'm sure they have nursery slopesyou could test this (beep), this stuff on.- We couldn't get any flatter here.You should be fine.- Right.(item clicks)I stabbed myself already.All right, get. Right, come on.What was that from?(Ben groans with frustration)- Boys, are we going now?- Are you in, Ebbers?- No.Yes. One in.- You're in it inthe back and not the front.- Oh, now.(laughing)Now how d'you get out?- All right, I'm really bleeding.- How d'you get out? (laughs)You are loving this.(Barry grunts)- All right, now you know how we feelwith the kitchen, Ebbers.This is what we do everydayI try and (beep) julienne.- I've only just put theskis on, I'm sweating.(Barry laughs)Let me just put my lunch on me back.This is the first time we've done skisin a long time and I wasnever very good at it then.(laughs)- Ben is seriously anxiousand really worried about this.He really couldn't care about the factthat we're trying to film this.He just wants to getsome snow under his feetand feel more confident.(dramatic music)- We good.One, two, three.- Let James go first, and then...-. You're good, you're good, you're good.Nailed it. Now stop.I think we are as high as we can go now.- That's right.- So. (laughing)- I like the fact you'vejust given me all the food,'cause you know that I'mgonna fall over the most.- Around the corner,Ben, we're gonna be doingsome walking, but there isa little bit of a black.- That's what worries me.- Are you ready for this?- No! (laughs)- We'll be okay.Okay, just stick togetherand trust in one another.- Oui, Chef.- For once, he is the chef.- He is the chef today.- What could possibly go wrong?(mysterious synth music)Having arrived at the bottomof the climb on his own,James decided he was in a rush.But then he found out what was unfoldinga few hundred metres up the mountain.- So, we've been a little unfairand thrown Ebbers in at the deep end.We've had to come quitefar down a red slopeto get to the start of the skinning.- Up! Out yourskis, jump out your skis!Tiptoes! Tiptoes over.- Luckily, Barry is a ski instructor,so he's getting Ebbers downand it's a learning experience.- Get in!(snow crackling)Stand up, open the curtains.Good job!(relaxed guitar music)- As time started topass, James's fair skinbegan to feel the effectsof the intense mountain sun.- Can't wait for lunch.If it makes it down theslopes, can't wait for lunch.It's on Ebbers' back.(relaxed guitar music)- Yeah, that was the easy bit.Now we've gotta do the thingwe've never done before.Mind you, I've never done a red before.So that was my first.(skis clacking)It's beautiful up here.It's a shame I'm thinkingtoo much about the skisand not enough about the mountains.Seamless. I'm sure that'show all the pros do it.- 45 minutes to get down half a run.- I mean, we started. (panting)I said green or, I said green or, oh God.- Now we're finally at the starting point.We need to put some skinson the skis, dress down.Get up there, and fine dine.(slow-tempo rock music)The challenge hasn't even started yet.This is just to get to the beginning.♪ 12 rounds ♪♪ Ding ding ♪♪ Sick and tired of thewhole damn thing, yeah ♪♪ Stick a move in the ring ♪♪ You can't hit me withthe words you fling now ♪♪ You're never gonna keep me down ♪♪ You're never gonna keepme down, no, no, no ♪♪ You're never gonna keep me down ♪♪ You're never gonna keepme down, no, no, no ♪♪ You'll be lucky if I stick around ♪♪ May be foolish but Iain't a clown, no, no, no ♪♪ You're never gonna keep me down ♪♪ You're never gonna keep me down ♪♪ No, no, no, no ♪- This is really hard work.- Uses differentmuscles, doesn't it?(energetic synth music)- That is stunning!(dramatic orchestral music)- We turned the corner and just sawthis incredible site glacier,at the bottom of a glacier.Sounds, feels like it's a good placeto have a fine dining meal.- So worth it just to get here.The fact that now we'regonna be fine diningis just out of this world.(glasses clink)Touch. A touch.(uplifting music)Serve me chefs!- Oh boys! The soup's survived as well.- Oh!(Ben and James exclaiming)Not even Ebbers' skiing could break them!(Ben and Barry laughing)- Excellent, boys, excellent.Before we could sit down andenjoy our three-course meal,we had to dress for the occasion.- Well it wouldn't befun, darling, with that,would it really?- Stick to the brief.(suave jazz music)James, you could have bought an iron.- Spectacular. (laughs)- We've done some ridiculousthings in our time.- This is great.This is the best.- This is up there.- Nope, it's the best.- I love it.- We've peaked.(Barry laughing)- Trouble is.Oh, we joke that we shouldski down like this as well.But to ski down likethis makes it look likeyou know what you're doingand I definitely don't.(suave jazz music)- Ah!Ah, boys.- Well, here we are.- I mean.(Barry laughing)- We came all that way to get this shot.We got it now.- I feel like we didn'tthink this through.- Look around.Is this not the mostridiculous thing you've donein 30-odd years?Let's get the soup on.- Okay.(Barry laughing)- What's wrong with you?(suave jazz music)- That's it, that's it. Lovely!- [Ben Should we ignite?(gas flowing)- Oh, we're on gas.- I'm also wearing nylon trousers.Lots of liquid, lots of onion, butter,and most importantly, bay leaf.Right. See if you heat that up.(upbeat music)- Oh, Ebbers.- Today I learned that when you're here,\"Chef\" just means \"Boss.\"And I feel like you'vebeen a much more of a chefthan I could ever dream of.- I want \"Yes Chef,\" \"Oui, Chef.\"- Champagne, Chef.(Barry laughs)Oh, don't let this boil over.We're gonna start withour French onion soup.And we've got some comté crouts.The second course, a pork rillettewith white wine and plum jamand celeriac remoulade.- That sounds good.- A homemade mayo.And we're gonna end, James,with your dessert, which is...- A ganache.Um.(Barry laughs)- Some of your biscuits-- You're really worriedabout your ganache.- On some of my biscuit,with a pistachio crunch.- Fabulous.- All right.(upbeat music)(jaunty jazz music)- This is pork.Lots of pork flats andmushrooms and blueberries.Parsley and lemon. Heavily seasoned.Yeah, that's fine.(Barry snorting with laughter)- Wait, just wait.- Just take a dump on the plate.(James and Barry laughing)So, you left us to goget some more experiencein the foodie world.How's that working out for you?- You're a dick.(Barry laughing)I'm back polishing Ebber's turds.(all laugh)(jaunty jazz music)- Now we're talking!- Right, my soup's nearly ready.Bubbling away.- That style of dessert,it looks a little bittoo similar to our main, but...- I call that a chocolate-- A chocolate glacier.- Chocolate glacier.- Chocolate glacier.- Chocolate glacier.- Soup's ready, too.- Boys. (applauds)We did it!- Three courses withchampagne, up a mountain.(upbeat music)I'm going straight for the crout.- That's so soggy.- Yeah, it gets a soggy bottom,but it's got a nice golden cheesy top.(Barry laughs)- It's not the first thing to havea soggy bottom today, is it, really.(Ben laughs)- Mm.For dirty brown water,that is outstanding-- Oi!- Delicious.- The miso in it is so good.Miso, white wine, red onion, butter.- Yeah, you should be proud of that.- Okay, here we are.Slaw.Jam.(Ben snorts)Meat.- That chuck meat is excellent.- It's quite nice with the-- Works so well.- 'Cause I was worried it was gonna bea little bit too fruity.But actually, with all the pork...- You've got your meaty.You've got your fatty, with the mayo,and you've got your fruit and acid.(Barry laughs)- Boys. Boys.- Homemade mayo.- Oh, there's basically lotsof French things on a plate.I love it.- Now, it's going so well.Let's have those nice creamy ganache.(Ben laughs)- No, no. Chocolate snow. (laughs)- Oh, you missed.- It crumbled on me.- It's almost got BlackForest vibes in it.It's not cherry, it's plum.But it's either chocolate and plum.And that is some of theshortest pastry I've everhad the pleasure of crumbling in my mouth.♪ And then the holy ♪♪ Royals and beggars ♪♪ Young and the aged ♪- Chefs.It took a lot of effort to get here.(Barry and James laugh)- More for some of us.- That just made it worth it.- It's stunning.- But that's spectacular.Nailed it, guys.- Boys, we did it.- Cheers?- Cheers.♪ Jump on with us ♪♪ Whoa oh ♪♪ Whoop, whoop, hallelujah ♪♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh ♪♪ Come ride with us ♪- All right, make sureyou enjoy this 'cause,Ebbers, you gotta ski down in a bit.(all laugh)- That's what worries me.\n"