Les Contamines, Les Houches and Le Tour

It's been a funny last few days weather wise and the forecasters had been calling for a big dump of snow since the middle of last week. It finally arrived on Saturday night and there is more forecast to come but given how unreliable the forecasts have been this year, I'll believe it when I see it.

Whether the forecasters are doing a good job or not, I've had a great few days checking out a few different spots. First up was a day at Les Contamines. The plan was just to shred the pistes from start to finish but we actually managed to find some nice off piste in amongst screaming down red runs. Overall a great day, and yet another reminder that a day in Contamines is rarely a bad idea. 

The girls at Les Contamines, Mont Blanc behind.

Shredding terrain!

Sophie seeking out the powder.

Caroline loving it.

Near the end of the day, Caroline and I went exploring and she had the AUDACITY to question my route finding!!!!

Next up was an excellent afternoon at Les Houches with Sharon. We skied just about everywhere and found some great snow, the highlights being a run under the Prarion cables and then one under the Bellevue lift. A word of warning with the Bellevue though - the snow needs to be stable and plentiful or things can get pretty spicy. If you get it in good conditions, however, it is awesome. I'd say we were somewhere in between spicy and awesome :)

Atmospheric skiing at Les Houches.

Sharon under the Bellevue cables.

Today (Monday) I headed up to Le Tour with Tom Moores and we ended up having a superb afternoon blasting around in some good powder. The back bowls of Le Tour are pretty sketchy avalanche wise so we stuck to very conservative terrain and spent most of the day grinning from ear to ear.

Tom in the back bowls.

The sun even popped out occasionally.

Headed home.

The forecast is now for very changeable weather for the foreseeable so let's see how it pans out. It's been a really funny winter so far so my best guess would be to stay flexible and go with the flow as things develop. I've no doubt I'll be getting out so stay tuned for updates.

ENSA Couloir

After nearly a week off my skis (I've been over at ISPO Munich so check out all the latest kit reviews here), I finally got out today for a quick hit with Tom Moores. Time was tight due to various work constraints so we knew we'd have to get our fix of adventure in a couple of hours return trip. The ENSA Couloir at the top of Brevent has seen a lot of action recently and I had a sneaky feeling that although there would be no powder left, it could still give us a decent run. 

The entrance requires an abseil right now and someone has handily installed an anchor that you ski right up to, so you don't have to traverse across the Couloir to use the normal anchor. There is a fixed rope in place that you could just about hand over hand down in order to avoid abseiling, but it is absolutely wrecked and it would take a braver man than me to trust it. The spot you put skis on is actually about 40m down the abseil but with 30m ropes we abseiled and then down-climbed the final 10m easily enough.

Tom pulling the ropes.

Looking into the Couloir from where you put skis on. 

Once we started skiing, life was very good. Perfect chalky snow, albeit a bit bumpy, led us onto the front face of Brevent and some "amusing" combat skiing. The final track out is actually OK and not nearly as rocky as I feared.

Amazing views from the Couloir.

Mooresy loving it.

Further loving it.

Snow on the way tomorrow so it's all about the change again. Stay tuned!

VB, Plan de L'Aiguille, GM and Les Houches

All in one day! Busy times in the Valley today but with this being the first day of good weather for a while and the first day I was free to ski for nearly a week, I had to make the most of it.

First up was a trip up the Midi to do a lap on the classic Vallee Blanche. As ever the views were incredible and we got some amazing powder followed by some superb, steep chalk underneath the Requin Hut so an excellent morning by any measure.

Next up was a lap down the Plan de L'Aiguille which was fun but not classic powder. At the top it's basically dust on crust but still rippable and it makes for good sport. The stuff lower down was pretty similar and not nearly as bad as I expected, plus I only took my skis off for about 10 metres, so pretty good all round. It's not really worthwhile right now but if we get some fresh snow it will be amazing.

The lower section of the Plan de L'Aiguille.

By now it was still only lunchtime so I headed to Grands Montets and did a really fun lap off the top bin with some friends up there. As if that wasn't enough, I ended the day with an hour of ripping the Les Houches pistes just to finish the legs off. 

Boom! More snow on the way tomorrow and Friday....

The beginning of winter....?

We haven't really had a winter yet but it snowed Monday/Tuesday and there is more forecast to come so we could be in for a bit of fresh stuff. Temperatures are forecast to stay higher than the seasonal average but anything other than baking sun would be good right now and it looks like we're finally in for something approaching winter weather.

The avalanche risk remains high and many N facing slopes are going to be no-go areas for the rest of winter. That hasn't stopped people skiing some of them but it says a lot when many of the best known slopes in Cham, such as the Para face (under the Midi N face) remain untouched by ski or board this season. Patience and reasoning aren't 2 qualities you often see in this Valley but everyone is pretty intimidated right now and rightly so.

Despite the risk in many areas, there is good, safe lift served skiing to be found elsewhere in the Valley so I've been out enjoying it.

While I've been out I've got really into these. They're a healthy option for a snack and taste better than the unhealthy option! You've got to love the name "Chamball" too. Check them out at www.norasnoms.com.

Eeny, meeny, miney...

Mo. It is a powder day after all. 

Enjoying some low angled freshies at the Grand Montets.

And again. Thanks Tom Moores for the pictures.

And one more time. Photo Peter Riley.

Peter dwarfed by it all.

Matt getting a bit of it for himself.

It looks like we've had our good weather for this week and now things look unstable and unpredictable. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as changeable and weird weather gave us the snowiest winter for half a century last year! I'll be updating on here as things evolve so stay tuned.

Drought! Time to do something productive...

Well, after 2 epic winters it looks like we are on for a lean one. It hasn't snowed for a couple of weeks now and the temperatures are sky high. As if that wasn't enough, there's no sign of it getting much colder and the predicted snowfall is pretty minimal. The high glacier routes are skiable and it is possible to find good skiing but the endless powder days of 2012 and 2013 seem a long time ago.

Dave Searle summed it up eloquently on his blog, found here.

Despite this I've had some good days out and found some decent chalky snow up at Grand Montets the other day. Right now I'm mid way through the superb AIARE Level 1 course and I'm starting Level 2 on Friday and quite glad that I'm not missing any epic powder days! It's been great to get some formal avalanche education and things are pretty dodgy off piste right now so we should be in for some interesting snowpack analysis. Matt and I discussed ruefully today how stupid it is that it took the death of 2 friends last year to make us sign up for a course, but sometimes you just need a boot up the backside and I got one last winter. Through various training, reading books, studying snow and talking to experts (and of course, skiing through the Chamonix hills for 6 years) I feel I have a reasonable grasp of practical avalanche awareness but you can't beat proper training. We're only a couple of days in but I'd already recommend the course so get on it!

Zoning in on a "victim" (a transceiver in a rucksack) at  the Plan de L'Aiguille. 

Photo Jack Geldard.

Testing the snowpack near Brevent.

Matt LOVING it!

There's some snow due to arrive starting tomorrow but things look pretty unpredictable right now. If there is any good skiing to be had, I'll be trying my very best to find it so stay tuned.

Courmayeur Powder

Well, I finally got my first big powder day yesterday :) 

Courmayeur under fresh snow. Is there anything finer in life?

Phil toking a big doobie on the lift.

First run off the Youla. I was amazed they got it open given the avalanche risk but it had been heavily blasted and people were skiing all over the place up there. We stuck to the safe lines though and had some amazing skiing.

A nice feeling after a lean winter so far.

Heading out from the top of the Arp.

Yet more powder!

Unfortunately the weather is once again very mild here and there are reports that most areas are either wind affected and/or have high avalanche danger. It sounds like all hell has been breaking loose over in Switzerland, with yet another fatal avalanche yesterday. Overall things are pretty sketchy across the Alps so while there is good skiing to be had, you need to exercise extreme caution right now. 

It seems that Italy has had the best of the snow but with the winds swirling around as they have been the best stuff may be pretty dangerous right now. I would say that if you're looking for good snow then tree skiing in Italy is the best bet right now, but there are still slides going off in the trees so stay alert. 

Overall, it's scary times right now so enjoy the mellow stuff and save the bigger, steeper lines for when the snowpack has solidified a bit.

This photo has been doing the rounds on Facebook today. If this doesn't make you think twice about where you ski, nothing will. Stay safe out there.

Kit for sale

We keep getting promised snow here in Cham but it still hasn't quite arrived. We keep getting the odd dusting, and it snowed for a couple of hours yesterday, but we're still waiting for that first big January powder day. According to the forecast Sunday could be the day so here's hoping. 

 In the meantime I had an afternoon up at les Houches yesterday and it was pretty good, but still with thin coverage in many areas. The Vallee Blanche is said to be good now too, but there will be some big creavsses near the bottom so watch out.

While we're waiting for the snow, I've got some kit for sale so get in touch if you're interested in any of the following. My email is info@mountainworldltd.com and it's collection only I'm afraid but I can put things aside for anyone coming out later in the season.

K2 Sidestash 181cm. Unmounted, never used, straight out of the packaging. 400 Euros (600 in Snell!!!).

http://www.backcountry.com/k2-sidestash-alpine-ski

Volkl Mantra, 2012 model, 177cm, plus a set of Black Diamond Glidelite Mohair STS Skins pre-cut to the ski. 1 season of use, in good condition. 250 Euros.

http://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/volkl-mantra-2012

Dynafit Titan ski boots. Size 28.5, sole length 322mm, plus a pair of Palau "soft" liners with 2 months use. 3 seasons use but still plenty of life in them. 50 Euros.

http://www.backcountry.com/dynafit-titan-tf-x-ski-boot-mens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwpRsxk-ZTM

Col du Bonhomme

Having just got back from Christmas in the UK, I was half expecting my house to have been avalanched, such were the dire warnings on the internet of how unstable the snowpack is. Luckily it was still standing but it's clear that things are pretty dodgy right now, with fresh snow having landed on a pretty weak layer. With this in mind I wanted to ease into it and go touring somewhere relatively safe which would allow me to have a look around and start trying to figure out what's going on right now.

Les Contamines fit the bill, in particular the ever enjoyable Col du Bonhomme. The tour is about as mellow as it gets and save for the final section up to the Col, the terrain is low angled enough to be fairly safe. Best of all, the views are great the tour takes you past some bigger terrain without ever putting you in too much danger. 

It's always a bit longer than you think from the end of the road up to the Balme refuge but from there the scenery is amazing and you get to have a good look around at various slope aspects and altitudes.  Generally things look pretty sketchy and there was evidence of numerous spontaneously released avalanches in places you wouldn't normally think of as dodgy. It also said a lot that the Col des Chassuers, a tour so popular that it can become a mogul field, was completely untouched. Ditto several other nice looking slopes on Mont Jovets and the surrounding area. 

Heading up Lacs du Jovet.

Beautiful snowy views.

Trying to work it out.

The final skin up to the Col is about the only bit that I thought might cause us problems but it felt stable and had had plenty of traffic so we shot up and were soon soaking up the sun and views. 

Final section to the top

After a leisurely lunch at the Col we headed down and got some superb powder, the odd bit of crust and then the final icy run down to the car. All in all, an excellent day.

Phil likes.

Despite the numerous people who'd gone before and the avalanche danger, we managed to find a short little untracked couloir which felt nice and solid - always a good thing. 

Boom!

Sharon just below Lacs du Jovet.

Looking up towards the Tete des Fours.

One final look up the Valley before the icy path begins...!

Overall things feel scary right now in the Alps. I certainly don't feel like pushing the boat out and I'm sticking to low angled terrain for the foreseeable future. The weather forecast is calling for some very unsettled weather over the next few days so things are about to change again. My advice is - if in doubt, go for the mellow option and stay safe - there's plenty of good skiing to be had without doing anything too "out there."

Snow on the way, but be careful...

After an incredibly dry month in the Alps it seems that winter may well be on the way back, albeit temporarily. The snow is due to start tomorrow and last into Friday but it will then be followed by mild temperatures and unpredictable weather. All in all, the great start to winter has stalled somewhat and even when the snow does come back things will be pretty sketchy out there after this recent weather has created a very weak layer in the snowpack. It was a bad year for avalanches last year and this year looks like it might be no different so stay safe out there and keep a close eye on the avalanche bulletins.

http://pistehors.com/most-unstable-snowpack-for-a-decade-in-alps-23122007.htm

Mont Lachat

The sun just keeps on shining here in Cham so although there's been no snow for a while, I've kept myself skiing and training in preparation for the next storm. I skinned up to the top of Les Houches on Friday and Saturday but that wears thin pretty quickly so on Sunday Sharon and I nipped up Mont Lachat, above Bellevue. 

With the Prarion being the only lift open at Les Houches, we took that up, skied down to Col de Voza and then skinned 500m vertical up to the summit. There wasn't much snow about but the views were superb and the ski down the Tramway du Mont Blanc track was entertaining, to say the least.

Me lining up that first turn from the summit.

Nice but thin powder once back into Les Houches ski area.

Basically the story here in France is that we need some snow pretty urgently. However, there is none forecast for the foreseeable future and the sun is apparently going to keep coming so we may have to wait a while. Things are definitely at the stage where I think resorts will be struggling to open on time, so winter seems to be on hold for now. Best thing for it now is to do some skinning and get some fitness in preparation for the snow which will inevitably arrive before too long.

Despite the pessimistic outlook, I do have a few touring ideas up my sleeve for the next week...