Rond

Yesterdays powder at Grands Montets was fun and a chance to get out the big skis and go fast as you can with not a care in the world and no mountain backpack weighing you down. With the stickier snow and good weather forecast, today was a chance to get back up the Midi anticipating one of those multi-run days that have been so elusive since before XMAS. Its been a strange season, one of extremes, lots of snow, warmth, Siberian cold, sun and heat, no snow, and so far a shortage of mileage Midi days that leave my legs toasted. In comparison to last season which was dubbed the ‘no snow season’, I had clocked up 17000 m powder days at Courmayeur, speeder biked through trees until my brain couldnt take it any more, and done a lot of high mountain touring.

Today our group went round to the top of the Rond and found crusty snow on the aspects that saw the sun yesterday afternoon.Since everything else would be crap we went in and I really enjoyed the upper pitch to the exit couloir. Dont get me wrong, this was still considered skiing on the arrete but afterwards out right under the buttress there was alot of sluff accumulated which offered sweetness. The exit couloir had off course been baked yesterday afternoon and I expected the worst but in the end enjoyed the variety of conditions it through in. After the snow in the Angelique and Chardonnet it seemed fairly normal skiing to me. However my friends didnt really see it that way and were not up for a second lap. So I went bouldering instead and the big mileage ski day remains as ever elusive.