Tuesday 9 March 2010

Rectiligne Couloir

Looking for a good mission to squeeze in to a 4 hour lunch break, Damien and I went and skiied the classic Rectiligne Couloir variant on the Pas de Chevre off the top of Grand Montets. The couloir wasn't powder although it was nice, soft snow and good to get an edge in. You have to side slip around 10 metres at the top, where both ends of your skis touch the sides of the couloir, but after that it's nice and sustained at between 35 and 40 degrees depending on your line. The rest of the Pas de Chevre and the James Bond track was pretty grim snow, but a good little mission all the same.

As for conditions up top, we met some guys off to do Swiss route on Les Courtes, and apparently some people have gone up to do the Shroud on the Jorasses. I was initallt very jealous, but having woken up today to find the forecast down from 70% sun to 50%, and with a strong breeze, I'm not sure how they will be getting on. We'll see.