The foehn wind is due to blow into Cham in the second half of this week so Sharon and I wanted to get out for a day before the bad weather came. We originally planned to do something up in the Argentiere basin but the top lift didn't open so we went to "plan b" - a tour up the Flegere.
We didn't really have a set objective but I'd somehow never got round to doing the Breche de Berard (sometimes referred to as "the keyhole") so that seemed like as good a plan as any.
The skin up was steady enough and the light was amazing, with the weather turning in front of our eyes.
Stunning light over the Aravis.
Sharon near the end of the skin.
On board camera.
Final section of skinning.
We had a final stop just below the Breche and then booted up, got ready as quickly as possible in the strong wind and set off down.
Sharon scrambling up to the Breche.
The ski down was a mix of ice, crust and even a bit of powder and overall it was pretty good fun. However, the Berard Valley is incredibly dry and after a decent section of combat skiing, we gave up and walked the final 40 minutes or so.
Me skiing near the top of the descent.
Me (bottom right) dwarfed by the Berard Valley.
Final section down to Le Buet.
It looks like the weather is about to turn fairly unsettled, which could hopefully bring some much needed snow over the next week. Here's hoping.