Monts Jovet, West Couloir

With the last snowfall over a week ago, Phil and I feared that our chances of finding good snow would be pretty slim on Tuesday. Conditions are pretty strange right now, with most of the powder gone, but not much spring snow around either. The south facing slopes haven't transformed yet, but the north facing slopes seem to have a bit of crust on them. Hmm. 

As is often the case, the better known options were looking pretty uninspiring, and we needed to "think outside the box" (as London marketing types would put it). Based on the fact that it was relatively low altitude, sheltered from recent winds, and doesn't get much sun in January, we went for the W couloir of Monts Jovet. This twin summitted peak is above Les Contamines, and the W couloir has long been lodged in my mind as an early season objective for when nothing else jumps out as a good idea. 

Unwilling to do the long slog up the peak from the end of the Valley, we instead rode the lifts up to the top of the Contamines ski area, and traversed over to the Col des Chasseurs. I assured Phil that this was quicker than the slog (as well as easier), but it turned out I was wrong about that and we ended up making our approach much longer, but also a lot more enjoyable as the ski down from the Col des Chasseurs was great.

A couple of panoramas from Phil on the skin up. I keep telling him how easy photography is with a subject this good, but he's not having it.

Phil on the short bootpacking section

Me skiing near the top of the Col des Chasseurs. Photo Phil Ebert.

Phil with Mont Blanc behind

Shredding

The final powder before heading out right for our second ascent of the day. Photo Phil Ebert.

Once down at the Chalets de Jovet, we put skins back on and began heading up, pretty sure that Nora (Mrs Phil) had made the right decision by staying on the Les Contamines pistes as it was now 2.30 and we still had a long way to go! Oops. 

"Of course I know where I'm going!" Brits do ski touring. Photo Phil Ebert.

Still, the views were incredible, the banter excellent and we figured that we might as well go and take a look. As it turns out we made pretty fast progress, and after not much more than an hour of hardcore sweating we were on the S summit of Monts Jovet. The view from the top was stunning, and best of all the couloir looked in really good shape. 

Summit!

The guidebook talks about dropping in 20 metres below the summit, but the only tracks into the couloir had gone much lower. On the fairly safe assumption that whoever had been there last knew better than us, we followed their way in and were rewarded with an amazing ski. The top entrance is said to involve either an abseil or a short downclimb in crampons, but the lower way in means you ski straight in and only sacrifice 20 or 30 metres of skiing. 

Once in the couloir we had superb snow, which was occasionally crusty but generally light and fluffy all the way, resulting in some good whooping from both of us. The snow was never quite perfect enough that you could just let rip and go for it, but 99% of it was fantastic, and well worth the effort of getting there.

Me on the initial steep section. Photo Phil Ebert.

Me in the couloir. Photo Phil Ebert.

This section was probably the best snow we found. Photo Phil Ebert.

Lower down, in the trees. Photo Phil Ebert.

Once at the bottom, it was simply a case of skiing down to the car via the "exciting" track to Notre Dame de la Gorge, and driving home to tea, cake and a well earned shower.

At the foot of Monts Jovets after an awesome ski. Photo Phil Ebert.

It was Phil's birthday today, and to have a day as good as today (my favourite of winter so far) is a pretty good celebration. Happy Birthday Phil!

Aiguille de Praz Torrent - Brèche de Praz Torrent NW Couloir

With temperatures rising in Cham, the powder of the middle of week was quickly being replaced by slush. Unwilling to accept that the good snow was gone, Phil, Tristan and I were joined by Olympic diving sensation Tom Daley (or it might have been his doppelganger and namesake Tom Moores) for a mission above Le Buet. We opted for the Breche de Praz Torrent, high above the Berrard Valley, which was supposed to provide a 200m couloir and, judging by our trip over the Col de Beaugent, plenty of powder.

It felt a bit odd to start the day skinning back up the Berard Valley having skied down it so many times, but half an hour after starting we had already branched off and were heading up into the bowl below the Praz Torrent.

Just after leaving the main Le Buet trail. The couloir is hidden but is in the obvious gap in the centre of the photo.

After another half hour we reached a narrowing and had to swap skis for crampons in order to negotiate some ice. It was only half way up this that it occurred to us that we'd also need to descend this section, and that without a rope that could be tricky...Still, no point dwelling on it until we needed to!

Phil on the ice

From there, we reached a steep band of trees and decided to keep bootpacking. Eventually the trees thinned out but it was still steep so we stayed on foot all the way to the top of the couloir, making it over 700 vertical metres of hiking with skis on our packs! Still, the snow seemed good so we figured it would be worth it. 

Me bootpacking in the trees. Photo Tom Daley.

Daley on the boot pack

Having finally arrived at the Col, we were rewarded with an incredible view up the Argentiere Glacier, and so we took a few minutes just to relax and take it all in before skiing down.

View from the top

Tristan and Daley getting psyched

Phil too

The top section was frankly pretty gripping and involved some tough side stepping followed by some narrow rock bands, none of which was much fun and all of which was negotiated much more easily by my 3 companions than by me!

Looking down the side stepping section

Stan in the narrow rock band

Once through that we had 200 metres of steep and deep powder, which provided perfect skiing. As is so often the case, the photos say it best.

Phil in the main couloir

Tristan lower down, on the final steep section. Photo Phil Ebert.

And me. Photo Phil Ebert.

Nearing the exit

Having got out of the Couloir itself, the snow was still great, and we enjoyed plenty of good turns, and only the odd bit of crust.

Phil and Stan at the bottom of the steep section, about to commence shredding!

Tom Daley getting introduced to combat skiing. This was the route we took to get around the icy section that we'd climbed up.

Overall the whole day is awesome, but it is a lot of effort due to all the bootpacking so you need to be keen! 

Finally, huge thanks to Tom, Stan and Phil for their efforts. I had a mild dose of the lurgy that is sweeping through Cham and so contributed absolutely nothing in trail breaking, and felt as weak as a kitten all day. All I got from the team was some mild banter, which was very kind of them given how pathetic I was! Thanks for your efforts and definitely my turn to break trail next time.

Grand Envers & Col de Beaugent

After some rain in town on Tuesday night, Andy, Jack, Phil and I figured that there might be some good snow high up, but we weren't expecting much more than a few inches of powder. Imagine our surprise then when we got to the top of the Midi and found the lightest, deepest snow I've ever seen. We decided to go for the Grand Envers and ended up doing 2 laps. But enough of words...

The following day we figured that we should see how conditions were elsewhere and went for a ski tour over the Col de Beaugent, behind Flegere. People kept joining the group, and we ended up in a team of 8! Still, it made for a sociable day. The views were amazing as ever, and the snow was perfect, so a superb day all round. The one slight low point was when Sharon's ski came off and the brakes failed to stop it, resulting in some one-ski-skiing until we relocated it!

Nora and Sharon on the skin up

Sharon finishing the bootpack just before the Col

The reward

A guide to 2013...

With the New Year here, I thought I'd bring in 2013 with a post outlining a typical year in Chamonix, and explain what to expect from any given month. I get a lot of people emailing me with questions about what conditions will be like in a few months time, and hopefully this post will provide a bit of an idea, and increase the already high psych for a big year!

January

Tom Grant skiing below the Grand Montets mid station, January 2012.

The powder month! January invariably brings cold temperatures, a lot of snow, and fresh powder is usually available straight off a lift. The ice climbing might be good too, but I'm not the person to ask to be honest. One of my top 3 months of the year, and definitely the one with the highest fun to effort ratio given that you rarely need to plod uphill during the whole month!

February

Col du Bonhomme, Les Contamines, February 2011.

Another good skiing month, February is only spoiled by the crowds of people filling every piste and lift in the Alps. A bit of effort and local knowledge usually provides some peace and quiet (not to mention good snow) but if you're skiing the lifts, expect a busy time. Peak ice climbing season, apparently.

March

Modica Noury, Mont Blanc du Tacul. March 2010.

A great month, March marks the end of deepest, darkest winter and heralds the start of spring. Depending on conditions, you may be able to ski powder, climb ice or rock, and have a sunny BBQ all in the same day in March. 

April

Breche Puiseaux ski tour, April 2011.

My favourite month in Cham, April is all about variety. The ski touring conditions can be fantastic, but in the Valley it is often warm enough to rock climb in a T-shirt. So many options, so little time...

May

Reaching the top of the Mallory route on the Aiguille du Midi N face, May 2011.

A funny one. May has potential to be amazing, but in my opinion it never quite delivers. If we've had some late season sticky snow, then conditions on the high altitude steep descents can be amazing, and if we get some sun then alpine climbing conditions may be good, but the weather always seems to change so fast that I've never been a huge fan of May. It's not exactly rubbish though (see above), and does occasionally provide an unexpected great day.

June 

Pitch 24 of "Le Soleil Rendez-Vous avec la Lune", June 2012. Photo Peter Riley.

Summer! Sometimes it is possible to scrape a few more days of skiing from the season when June arrives, but generally it is time to turn the attention towards climbing. There can still be a lot of snow on the ground so route choice is important, but the long daylight hours mean that it can be a great month for getting long routes done (provided they're in condition). 

July

Summit of the Aiguille de Chardonnay, July 2010. Photo Peter Riley.

Often hit and miss, July can be epic, or a washout. If the winter snowpack has all gone, and the early summer thunderstorms finished, then July provides long days, chilly nights and fantastic alpinism. If it rains, then head down to Provence for some sun and stay out of the hills. A bit of an "Inshallah" month, but amazing when it delivers.

August

La Meije, Ecrins, August 2011.

The height of summer! Much like February, August would be one of the best months of the year if it wasn't for the crowds. Every man and his dog seems to be in the Alps in August, so a bit of cunning is required to find some peace and quiet. If you manage it then August is amazing, but if you don't, be ready to queue...

September

Cordier Pillar, September 2010. Photo Peter Riley.

The final one of my top 3 months of the year, September is my favourite summer month.Slightly colder temperatures mean that the weather is often more stable, and the snow better frozen. What's more, there are usually plenty of routes in condition ranging from long rock climbs through to snowy ridges, and not many people about. Bliss.

October

Summit of the Aiguille Verte, October 2011.

Often a superb month, October usually brings half decent weather, and very good alpine climbing conditions. The one downside is that the lifts are often shut, so you end up doing a fair bit of walking. It's generally worth the effort though, and the reward is empty mountains and excellent conditions.

November

Pain de Sucre N face, Switzerland. November 2012.

Frankly, November is often a bit of a washout. The weather can be turning from summer to winter, and Cham usually receives a lot of rain and not a huge amount of sun. That said, if you are lucky with the weather and pick a good objective, you can be rewarded with some fantastic days.

December

Dry tooling at Le Fayet, December 2009

In anything other than an exceptionally dry year, the start of December usually marks the start of "proper" winter, and sees the first snowfalls in the Valley. There aren't many lifts open until later in the month, so December usually consists of ski touring when it's sunny, and training (or tea drinking) when it's not.

So in summary - January, April and September are amazing, and the rest is pretty good too :)

One final thing, there are still spaces available on a trip I'm running to climb Bolivia's highest mountain (Sajama, 6542m) in July/August. If anyone is interested then give me a shout.

More info here - 

http://www.mountainworldltd.com/bolivian-summits