Over some happy hour cocktails at the Chambre 9, Jon chatted about his novel Cham, how he became a writer, and Chamonix in general. For those out there who haven't yet read the novel, can you tell what Cham is about? J – Well, as the name perhaps suggests, it is set in this very Alpine Mecca of Chamonix Mont Blanc. It’s about a lot of different things, but at its heart is the sublime splendour of the mountains and the almost spiritual purity of winter sports, contrasted against the hedonistic and sometimes seedy world which exists in the valley down below. But it is also about the Romantics poets, Byron, Shelley and Mary Shelley and about how they helped found the modern love of rugged scenery, whilst living lives as debauched as rock stars. I wanted to get across my passion for the mountains, and particularly for powder snow, but integrated into a work which stands up as a great read in itself, not only for those who share my obsessions. What’s the main message of the book? J - The contrast between the splendour of nature and the darkest bits of town life. Speaking of the darkest bits of town life, does the spot where Itchy hides in the carpark exist? J - No. I made it up. Although I've had friends claim to have found the spot. The Chamonix Sud car-park has recently been completely renovated, but before, the place stank of neglect: broken glass; and pools of water - huge pools of water; sand-buckets so filled with litter they could only add to any fire; graffiti everywhere; doors rusted off their hinges; dumped, burnt out cars. It looked like a car-park in a rough inner city estate or something, and the contrast of the car-park to the Aiguille Midi which towers above it was so incongruous, it inspired the central themes of the book. It’s a complete warren of tunnels, I used to go on walks down there, after it was finally shut down after a big arson, and it was spookier than ever. I probably know that place better than anyone who doesn't work there. It looks nothing like that now, thankfully, but it was closed for three years while it was sorted out. Where else did you go to write or be inspired? J - Most of it was written in Chamonix itself, I’m a big believer in method writing, there’s nothing quite like being somewhere to absorb the atmosphere and tiny details. Some parts were actually written at the top of the Aiguille de Midi. I used to take my laptop up there sometimes and write away in the café, whilst getting light-headed on lack of oxygen and Heineken. That’s got to beat J.K. Rowling’s Edinburgh coffee shop… They have plugs up there? J - No, I could only write until my battery ran out. Anywhere else? J - I also used to look for a quiet place for a break when I was working in the Office Bar in Argentiere. So I went next door to the graveyard. The history there is fascinating, and that inspired a chapter in the book too. Any trouble thinking of the title? J - Actually “Freeride” was the original title when Cham was a germ of an idea. I liked the idea of the central character looking for a ‘free ride’ through life. There is a little play on words with the new title as well, since Cham is pronounced like Sham. But UK readers usually pronounce the "ch" and so don’t see the connection. And the Chamonix locals, who pronounce it correctly, have lived here too long to see "Cham" as anything other than an affectionate nickname for their beloved town. You've had really great reviews. The Financial Times says, "Trigell's ski-bum hedonism does for extreme winter sports what Alex Garland's The Beach did for backpacking." Anything to these comparisons? J - The Beach on Ice. There’s probably something in that, in the sense that we are both examining these youth orientated sub-cultures, which for many people are not just hobbies but ways of life. But more importantly, I think there are parallels because both of our central characters find a paradise, but bring their own serpents with them. Your book Boy A treats some pretty heavy subjects, was Cham meant to be lighter? J - Because Boy A committed his horrible crime when he was very young, most people seem to have some sympathy for him and he comes off almost more innocent and likeable than Itchy, the central character in Cham. I wanted Itchy to reflect a bit of the sportive and debauched life - a modern day Byron - and discuss the grey line of consent and rape - well not really grey. But all of my characters are complex, and have a little bit of goodness in them. I was a bit worried that the Tourist Office wouldn't approve and would think my plot was too dark - that they would run me out of town. Any repercussions? J - No, I gave a Tourist Office English speaker a copy of the book, and she said she really enjoyed it, but I don't think they'll be selling copies anytime soon. Ultimately all publicity is good publicity though: tourism to Thailand soared after The Beach came out. I still can buy my season pass anyway, which is a relief... Your previous highly acclaimed novel, Boy A, has been made into a film, do you think we'll be seeing Cham on the big screen soon? J - It hasn’t been out that long as a book, so I can only cross my fingers at this point. My agent will be trying to sell the rights, but has warned me that with all the skiing and boarding scenes the production costs would be really high, so it would probably need to be a big Hollywood player rather than UK. Which means that the chances are it won’t happen. But then, I think the world is ready for a ski movie which actually has a plot, so watch this space. Which came first: writing or being a ski bum? J - I think I always wanted to write really, it has certainly been where my only real talent led me. I wrote a story when I was seven or eight which won a local prize. It was about pirates, which I see are very much in favour again, perhaps I should have stuck to the genre… Then when I was at secondary school my English teacher once told the whole class that I was going to be the next Jeffrey Archer. Which of course makes me shudder now, from both literary and moral standpoints, but I believe was intended as a compliment back then. I studied English at Manchester University and then went on to do an MA in creative writing there, so I guess it was quite a natural progression. But for a lot of years, before my writing started taking off, I worked winters in the Alps and summers in the UK, doing corporate events. Are you currently living off your writing? J - Well, Film 4 making Boy A into a movie certainly helped, and I write a fair bit of journalism now too. But for this winter at least, I'll still do some work for the tour operator Erna Low, while working on my third novel, Genesis. Another Chamonix novel? Genesis kind of evokes Frankenstein? J - No not in Chamonix. But I don't really want to give too much away. It's about genetics and is set in near-future London. Any reason you chose to come to Chamonix. The main character of your book comes because of a series of essays he wrote about Byron and Shelley. Was that your reason too? J - I only really made that connection after I got here, even though I’d studied the Romantic poets at uni. I had spent several ski seasons in Val Thorens, Alpe d'Huez and Tignes and then just naturally migrated to Chamonix, because it is a ski town with real history and a bit more of a real life. Other ski resorts just don't really have that. I first did a winter here 4 or 5 years ago – maybe 6?- it's a bit of a blur. Now I want to stop moving around so much and stay permanently. For all you Chamonix addicts out in the U.K., the Boardman Tasker prize will be awarded at the Kendal Mountain Festival November 22nd 2008 in the U.K, where Jon will read excepts from Cham. Other short listed works for the Boardman Tasker prize are: Ararat by Franck Westerman Psychovertical by Andy Kirkpatrick The Eiger Obsession by John Harlin III Fallen Giants by Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver Click here for more information on the Boardman Tasker prize Click here for more info on the Kendal mountain film festival
