This "chaps" trip to La Grave has been in diary for months so we decided to stick with the plan, despite there being very little snow down here. It hasn't exactly been a classic winter in Cham thus far and, figuring that a change is as good as a rest, we had an unpleasantly early start this morning and made the 3 hour drive south.
When we checked in with the ski patrol things didn't sounds promising - it's not possible to ski below the Peyrou station at 2400m and the whole of the Chancel Valley is basically off limits as a result. However, good conditions were reported on the Vallons side of the mountain and so it proved. There was no sign of any powder, predictably enough, but there was mile after mile of amazing chalky, cold snow and the views were as incredible as ever. In the end we did 5 laps from the top station back to the Peyrou, including no less than 3 runs down the Trifide Grand Couloir, which was just amazing.
Who needs powder when you have all this?
Tom heading into the Trifide Grand Couloir.
Conditions in the Grand Couloir. The chalk was amazing.
Me having too much fun to stop and pose for photos.
A little vid of me skiing the Trifide couloir. I'm not sure what the whooping noises are all about but you get the gist.
We've got a few more days here and I think touring will be the best bet tomorrow. However, another day on the lift wouldn't be bad either. What a nice dilemma to have! This place really is enchanting, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.