Mont Buet N Face & Pte. Alphonse Favre NW Couloir

I've just got back from the second of 2 awesome ski days up in the Aiguilles Rouges, both of which provided great views, powder snow and perfect weather. 

Yesterday I teamed up with Damien, Josh and Ally to go and have a look at the NW couloir on the Pte. Alphonse Favre (the peak from where the classic Glacier Mort ski tour begins). I'd never heard of the line but apparently it started right next to where the Mort starts, so we figured we'd be able to find it. The skin up to the Col Crochues was pretty sweaty, as was the bootpack up the Mort approach couloir, and it got even sweatier when a Chamois deer ran across the top of the couloir and Ally said "Wouldn't it be mad if that started an avalanche", and then it did!Luckily it was only sluff and we were able to just stand there as it washed past but I think that had we had a rifle then there would have been one less deer in the area! 

Looking across to the traverse after the Col Crochues

Ally, Damo and Josh on the bootpack, shortly before nearly being wiped out by a deer!

Josh and Damo nearly at the top of the bootpack.

Me at the summit, where it randomly went really windy.

Once at the start of the Mort we stuck skis on, descended about 20 metres, and the couloir appeared on the left. We were a bit worried about avalanches so Josh ski cut the slope, and it did indeed slide, but once it had gone the snow underneath was fine.The run itself is just awesome - steep but not too steep, and a good combination of open slopes and technical, tight sections. The crux section is around 50 degrees and could probably be skied easily in good conditions but there were some rocks showing when we were there so we opted for to sidestep. Once out of the couloir we joined the Berard Valley right underneath the Col Berard, and enjoyed perfect, untracked snow all the way down. Awesome day.

The NW Couloir is the obvious line in the middle, with our tracks just visible coming out of the bottom.

Looking down at the entrance

Josh skiing

Damo negotiating the crux section.

Damo below the crux

Josh in the lower section

Ally on the ski down the Berard Valley

Powder!

2 French guys skiing down behind us.

Today I joined up with Ally, Phil and Ross to go and ski Mont Buet's N face, a classic ski line from the top of the highest peak in the Aiguilles Rouges. Like yesterday, the lift up to Flegere was broken, so to access the Index chair we had to start at Brevent and then traverse the resorts, which added about an hour. Still, we were on our way up to the Col Crochues by 10 so not too bad at all. If anything, it was even hotter than yesterday, but we made good time round to the Col Berard, and then bootpacked up the ridge for a short while, skied down a bit and then got stuck into the long climb up to Buet.  

Phil and Ross on the bootpack

Ross a bit higher up

The approach isn't all uphill!

Normally I like to take my time on the way up, with lots of stops to look at the view and eat my lunch, but the lads just went and so it was a sweaty me who finally caught them on the summit! Joking aside, their speed meant that we were on top just 3hrs 30 after leaving the lifts at Flegere, and had plenty of time to find a good route down. 

The way in is apparently never very obvious, and it wasn't today, but Ross managed to find where he'd gone in last time, and we dropped in to skiers' left of the summit. The route down is not obvious at all and we had to ski short pitches and do plenty of route finding, and we gradually drifted rightwards most of the way, but we eventually found ourselves at the foot of the face and at the top of a really good little powder run, which got skied without a second thought! All that was left was a really fun but occasionally thin track through the forest and a beer in Le Buet. 

Ally on the summit

And me, with Mont Blanc behind.

Ally dropping in

And Phil doing the same

Half way down, with Phil skiing and Me, Ally and Ross chilling.

Ally on the powder field below the face

Skiing out, with the Chardonnay behind.

The track down isn't quite fully formed!

Heading for Le Buet.

Conditions on the face were generally OK - definitely skiable but pretty variable. If it was powder it would be unbelievable, but it's still pretty good right now. Thanks lads for a superb day.

Aiguille du Genepi Granite

 Winter 2012 seems to be falling into some sort of a pattern now, as for the second time this season a cold snap has been followed by incredibly warm temperatures. No sign of settled, average temperatures, it is feast or famine this year! 

For various reasons I ended up without a partner for Thursday, and so after a morning of admin I forced myself out of the door for a solo lap of the classic Crochues Berrard ski tour in the Aiguilles Rouges. Conditions are pretty good right now and whilst there's no powder left, there's some good cold snow high up and some really enjoyable spring snow low down. Best of all, the track into Le Buet is fully formed and easy to ski. 1hr 13mins from drag lift at Flegere to Le Buet for those who like timings, but no doubt the rando-men of the Valley do it in half that!

Friday was forecast to be baking hot so Peter, Jerome and I went up to climb on the Aiguille du Genepi above the Argentiere Hut. Damien and Martin had the same idea and it was great fun to climb 2 adjacent routes, making for a day of excellent patter. We went for "Mort de Rire", a 5 pitch 6b, and it was absolutely stunning. For a skier like myself, it takes a good route to make me think that rock climbing in March is a better idea than sliding round on the planks, but I was in no doubt that we made a good call today. As with so many routes in Cham, the belays are bolted, and the pitches have bolts where you can't get gear in, so there is pretty much zero stress. The skin up is about an hour (at a very leisurely pace), and the rock is the most perfect granite. The day was just topped off by the fact that we were bathed in sun from start to finish. Me like.All Photos Peter Riley.

Me awash in a sea of granite

Damien on the adjacent route

Jerome, Me, Martin & Damien on the summit

Happiness is a good belay

Jerome Seconding

The best and easiest form of descent

Cham in a nutshell

With a high pressure system blowing into Cham, people are getting out and doing plenty of climbing, and Tom and I were keen to join them. We hadn't heard about conditions on "Late to Say I'm Sorry", on the Grand Rocheuse, but it looked good and we were feeling confident and so caught the last bin up the Grand Montets on Monday night and settled into the toilets in preparation for an early start. 

Tom gets all the Grand Montets powder hounds excited - "60cm of fresh dude!"

Sunset views

Up and away by 4.30 we were soon over to the short skin up to the bergschrund, and were both slightly concerned at just how warm it was. I didn't even put my gloves on! Still, the route looked superb so we were quickly on our way up the bottom of the Couturier, when suddenly a fist sized rock fizzed pretty close to my head. There had been a steady trickle of small pebbles since we got over the 'schrund, but this was the first big rock, and it was followed not long after by 2 more. Rockfall wasn't really a hazard we had considered given that we were climbing a north face in early March, but the rocks were indeed falling and we were keener to get out of there than hang around considering where they were coming from. 2 abs and some down climbing got us back to the skis, and it now only being 8am, we were keen for a new plan. 

Tom downclimbing back towards the skis

The S Couloir of the Chardonnay seemed like a good idea, so we shot down to the Argentiere Glacier, ditched the climbing kit and began skinning. Tom beasted me up the skin track towards the Col du Chardonnet, and we were there pretty quickly and soon bootpacking up the couloir. Conditions were actually pretty good, but having got to the col which separates the lower and upper sections of the couloir, things looked pretty grim above. As ever, Tom was keen to check anyway, so I sat and took in the view while he went for a look.

Looking back at the Verte, where we'd been that morning

My view for most of the morning - Tom burning me off!

Chardonnay S Couloir

Looking across to the Matterhorn, Grand Combin and Aiguille d'Argentiere

Predictably enough it was pretty rubbish, and by the time Tom got back to me, the bottom section had re-frozen, so not a great ski all told! Still, today really encapsulated Cham in that we were able to get to a big north face in 20 minutes from the cable car station, try it and retreat, and then shoot across to a big ski objective and then finish in town by 4pm. You've got to love this place.

Lower section of the Chardonnay S Couloir 

Col du Plan N Couloir

After the debacle of a fortnight ago when Tom M and I tried to climb the Fil a Plomb, we decided that a return match was in order. As is tradition Tom managed to brain himself skiing yesterday, but he soldiered on with his injuries and we made good time into the route. Unfortunately we'd been beaten to it by people who had stayed in the hut, and not keen to have ice knocked down on us, and equally not keen to miss the last Midi bin (the inevitable consequence of getting stuck behind other people) we opted to climb the Col du Plan N couloir instead.

Pegleg Moores with the Col du Plan N face behind.

The lower couloir was all in good nick, but the pitch where you break out right was pretty testing, and I was glad that we were moving together instead of soloing. I'm pretty sure that the route has not been climbed since the snowfall last weekend and as such I had to do some major snow clearing and it all felt a bit insecure and unpleasant, although luckily enough there was sufficient gear to make it ok. Scottish IV, 5 I reckon, but more tenuous and a bit loose than actually "hard".

Tom battling a bit of sprindift in the lower couloir

Tom on the crux pitch having just left the main couloir

And a bit higher up

60 metres or so after leaving the main couloir you find yourself on the long snow slope up to the col and conditions were again pretty tough. There was a huge amount of very loose snow on top of blue ice, and we decided to keep moving together instead of soloing as there were occasional screw placements. After wallowing in deep snow for a while, we were relieved to find that the final, steeper section to the col was good neve and we were soon on top in the sunshine. Now that we've put a track in, things should be much easier too.

Looking across at the seracs of the Midi N face

Boulder high on the Midi N face. How has this not fallen down the ice?!?

Tom far below, taken from the Col du Plan.

Overall we felt that although the climbing on the route is not amazing, it feels pretty "big" overall and makes for a really good day hit. One bit of beta - from the top of the route, the Midi is not quite as close as it looks, so having sat taking in the view and eating Mars Bars at the end of the route, we were reduced to hauling ourselves up the Midi arete JUST in time for the last bin! Once a punter....!

Final slog up to the Midi, which was far more rushed than it needed to be!