Chamonix blog – Page 2 – Ross Hewitt Guiding

Chamonix Ski Album 2014

11th Jun 2014by rosshewittguiding1 Comment

I’m just back from an amazing 5 week adventure skiing couloirs in the remote fiords on Baffin Island. Before I left I didn’t get a chance to post this collection of photos from the Chamonix season (which has only just ended – btw). The season went by quickly for me and my focus was more on skiing than photography but there are still some images worth sharing.

More on Baffin later but here you go, lots of diamond studded memories from the Chamonix season thanks to: Michelle Blaydon, Dave Searle, Liz Daley, Davide de Masi, Cedric Bernardini, Mikko Heimonen, Kirsti Lehtimaki, Minna Rihiimaki, Tom Grant, Luca Pandolfi, John Minogue, Dave Rosenbarger, Greg Roche, Bjarne Salen, Jeremy Bogen, Seth Morrison and many others.

Cedric Bernardini

Cedric Bernardini John Minogue John Minogue John Minogue Dave Searle Dave Searle Dave Searle Dave Searle and Liz Daley Davide de Masi Dave Searle Searle, De Masi and Daley Liz Daley, perma-stoked
Searle, De Masi, DaleyDave Searle and Liz Daley
Liz Daley Liz Daley Dave Searle Liz Daley Dave Searle Michelle Blaydon Michelle Blaydon, Caroline Gleich and Colin Haley

Greg Roche Dave Searle and Mikko Heimonen on Aiguille Verte

Dave Searle and Mikko Heimonen en route to Couturier

Me in the box

Michelle Blaydon after the Domenech Couloir

Michelle Blaydon

Mikko Heimonen

Mikko Heimonen, Kirsti Lehtimaki and Michelle BlaydonRoss Hewitt

Tom Grant Michelle Blaydon

Dave Rosenbarger

Spines in the Dolomites

RH in Holzer

Michelle Blaydon

Kirsti Lehtimaki

Minna Rihiimaki Waiting at the Midi

Courmayeur to myself

Liz Daley

Davide de Masi

Liz Daley

Davide de Masi

The powder panda attracting looks from the locals

Michelle Blaydon

Jeremy Bogen

Davide de Masi

Liz Daley

Davide de Masi

Jeremy Bogen

Davide de Masi

Michelle Blaydon before skiing

Dave Searle

Dave Searle, Bjarne Salen and John.

Bjarne Salen

Ross Hewitt – Couturier

Michelle Blaydon

Seth Morrison

Seth Morrison and Nate Wallace

RH

RH on Aiguille Verte

Minna Rihiimaki

RH, Whymper

Luca Pandolfi

RH in Whymper Dave Searle and Mikko Heimonen in Couturier Dave Searle in Couturier

Camping Time

1st Apr 2014by rosshewittguiding3 Comments

This week we Dave Searle and myself went back to the Miage Glacier under Mont Blanc’s Himalayan sized West Face with the idea to have a semi-rest day and camp on day 1 and then get and early start and ski a line mid-morning before it got too hot. I had some expedition kit to test out so this provided the perfect opportunity.

At the foot of the Miage. We soon got bored of load carrying in the heat and set up camp.

Chilling out in the evening.

My touring set up this season.

Dave’s disco tent

Our line for the day on looker’s right

Dave at the start of the 1100 m bootpack

The shrund was bottomless and we roped up

Sunrise

Upwards, on and on.

The snow deteriorated due to being worked by spindrift so we skied the good stuff

Friday’s Freeride

29th Mar 2014by rosshewittguidingLeave a comment

I headed into the neighbour’s back garden the other day with the usual suspects; Liz Daley (armed with her perma-stoke), Davide de Masi and Dave Searle. Our efforts were well rewarded and we found exceptional rip-able powder waiting for us in this long hallway. A fantastic day which was ended with a beer ontop of a mountain in the sun.

All quiet, the cirque to ourselves

Let the dance begin Perma-stoke Searler, Liz and de Masi wishing they had spanking paddles (snow plates) in the deep pow

This is going to be sick

Dave Searle

Liz Daley

Davide de Masi superstylinOur line
Heading to the bar for a well earned cold beer

Couturier-Whymper on La Verte

13th Mar 2014by rosshewittguidingLeave a comment

Dave Searle and myself have been wanting to do a traverse of the Verte for a couple of years now combining climbing Couturier and skiing Whymper onsight. After all the free-riding in January and February I was up for an alpine traverse trip like this which offers so much in the way of adventure, challenge, unknown, excitement and great training. The Aiguille Verte is an amazing mountain at 4122 m and all its routes are long and demanding. We were joined by Mikko Heimonen.
C0uturier

Aiguille Verte on the far right with the 1000 m Couturier Couloir descending direct from the summit.

The sunny side of Aiguille Verte, Whymper Couloir descends right of the summit.
Couturier Whymper La Verte Couturier Whymper La Verte Seale Heimonen-4

Nearing the top of the Couloir and the end of the neve with black ice and seracs looming. Couturier Whymper La Verte Seale Heimonen-6

We threaded the seracs along a ramp in the sun above the rock. Couturier Whymper La Verte Seale Heimonen-7 Mikko on the Verte for the first time.

Almost feeling Himalayan due to the cold, with 40 kph wind we were glad to get off the austere north side and into the sun.

Summit of the Verte for me!

Panorama Aiguille Leschaux to Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc and the Chamonix Aiguilles The wind tugged at our skis along the exposed ridge.
Couturier Whymper La Verte Seale Heimonen-15

The snow stayed pretty frozen with the wind.

Chute Central

10th Mar 2014by rosshewittguiding1 Comment

This week I headed back to the Miage area to ski some more of those massive 1000 m couloir lines with Michelle Blaydon, Kirsti Lehtimaki and Mikko Heimonen who had just landed in Chamonix. The powder has all been blown away leaving hard edge-able wind buff which made the boot pack a joy. First up was the line lookers left of the Bonatti which is reminiscent of a Domilimiti line with huge walls souring high above our heads. This line is overlooked since it doesn’t top out on the ridge but with 850 m vertical of skiing I don’t care. Probably the best couloir I have skied in the Mont Blanc Massif with a few hundred metres of 50 degrees at the top and an exciting ramp above some mixed ground. Second up was the 1200 m Domenech Couloir on the Aiguille de l’Aigle which we onsighted from the top. We arrived back at Zerotta in the Courmayeur ski area early afternoon and enjoyed relaxing in the sun and eating pizza and having a beer!