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Tag: ski conditions alps

Col des Cristaux

3rd May 2019 by rosshewittguiding Leave a comment

Posted in skiingTagged argentiere basin, argentiere glacier, col des cristaux, guiding, mountain guide, piotr badowski, powder, ross hewitt, Ross Hewitt Guiding, ski alpinism, ski conditions alps, ski guide, ski mountaineering, ski touring, skiing, steep

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It’s the equivalent of Northern hemisphere mid May down in New Zealand and it’s dumping down to 700 m! @blackcrows_skis @scarpa_uk @plum_officiel

17 years since I stood at this point in the Hooker Valley of Aoraki / Mt Cook Range. It’s astonishing to witness first hand the level of glacial recession and how tricky access has become with the collapse of the trail on the moraine bench into the lake. Still stunningly beautiful, rugged and savage and great to be here with @searlerdave @bfredlund Fingers crossed for a weather window so we can get amongst it soon. And yes that’s an iceberg in the lake. @blackcrows_skis @plum_officiel @scarpa_uk @petzl_officiel

Those iconic green skis...I’ve had so many awesome adventures around the planet and they have given me a whole bunch of good times without ever letting me down -Matterhorn, Mont Blanc West Face, Baffin 2014, New Zealand 2015, Baffin 2016, Lofoten, Lyngen...the list goes on.

Went skiing. Good for the soul. Unbelievably warm with stick slow snow and a fair number of slabs and whoomps! @milessmartguide

When life gives you lemons 🍋 keep going forward. Today I left for NZ, a trip that I’ve been training for all year skiing and rad lines in Chamonix and taking my biking to new endurance levels and taking the knowledge of prior trips. I approached the flight check in with the usual apprehension you get when trying to sneak all the kit for some of the World’s biggest steep lines in a meager baggage allowance only to be sidetracked with ‘can I have your visa?’ ‘I don’t need one a UK passport holder, I checked when I bought the ticket in September’. ‘Yes you do, new rules from 1st October’ Shit, but I’ve got two hours and normally you can get visa for the US immediately so don’t stress yet. I get busy with buying my visa and watching the clock ⏰ tick away. ‘Surely I can fly to Dubai and by then I will have my visa?’ ‘No’ Tick tock, too late. My flight closes. Now began the real nightmare of phoning the Travelgenio agent in Spain to move my flight. 7 calls with hours on hold and and phone bill in the hundreds and they assure me they have a ticket for the 12th for a mere 1900. I’m all in at this point and make the transaction. Then they say the ticket has been suspended and I need the airline to release it. The airline tells me the travel agent has to instruct them. Another call to Spain for 30 minutes mainly on hold and the travel agent concedes they will speak to the airline. FUCK! They phone me back to say the 12ths no longer available but 13th is. They tell me they will issue the ticket by email and then nothing, it’s after hours, I’m stressed, tired and haven’t eaten or drunk anything all day and go home. I still don’t know. Probably one of the worst financial days in my life, I’m a bit dumbfounded that after traveling the World as an engineer for so long I’ve made such a blunder, cynical about the travel agencies and systems designed to wear you into submission and gutted all the hard work and training was for nothing. 2 years ago I didn’t make it to NZ due to an injury the week before and now things hang in the balance of some faceless person with no responsibility in a call center.

My copy of The Ski Journal just came through in the post which features an article about how climate change is impacting the Mont Blanc range and how users are adapting. Always a privilege to ride alongside the likes of Tof, Bird, Berger, Grant, Heimonen, Peterson, an honor to be interviewed alongside them and great to see @cedric_cyrenaicphotos work in print. A big thanks to The Ski Journal for the inclusion. Go buy it!

Lush sunny day skiing with good friends off the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc du Tacul. Always an adventure putting your skis 🎿 on in the ice cave and sliding out through the portal in the magical world of sunny 😎 alpine mountains. One minute you are all cost asked in bed 🛌, and less than an hour later boom 💥 @searlerdave @milessmartguide Good to see fellow Chamlads @joelevans @digitalsteak @olly_alkema #blackcrows #scarpa #plum #julboeyewear #petzl #helmetup #sapaudiabrewingco #lenz #skiing #freeride #skitouring #steepskiing #offpiste #backcountry #adventure #outdoors #outside #nature #mountains #winter #powder #fitness #training #health #chamonix #chamlive #aiguilledumidi #valleeblanche #montblanc #montblancdutacul

Riding on the Wild side today. 35 cm of powder with only moderate wind last night. Getting back into the swing of ski sauvage ⛷ with @searlerdave ready for whatever NZ can throw at us. Psyched. Thanks to the guys and girls @plum_officiel for mounting my skis with Oazo’s this morning. #skiing #freeride #powder #chamonix #aiguilledumidi #skitouring #training #nutrition #health #fun #adventures #outdoors #outside #mountains #weareifmaga #ifmaga #mountainguide #britishmountainguides #julboathlete #blackcrows #petzl #plum #scarpa #chamlive

Instagram

It’s the equivalent of Northern hemisphere mid May down in New Zealand and it’s dumping down to 700 m! @blackcrows_skis @scarpa_uk @plum_officiel

17 years since I stood at this point in the Hooker Valley of Aoraki / Mt Cook Range. It’s astonishing to witness first hand the level of glacial recession and how tricky access has become with the collapse of the trail on the moraine bench into the lake. Still stunningly beautiful, rugged and savage and great to be here with @searlerdave @bfredlund Fingers crossed for a weather window so we can get amongst it soon. And yes that’s an iceberg in the lake. @blackcrows_skis @plum_officiel @scarpa_uk @petzl_officiel

Those iconic green skis...I’ve had so many awesome adventures around the planet and they have given me a whole bunch of good times without ever letting me down -Matterhorn, Mont Blanc West Face, Baffin 2014, New Zealand 2015, Baffin 2016, Lofoten, Lyngen...the list goes on.

Went skiing. Good for the soul. Unbelievably warm with stick slow snow and a fair number of slabs and whoomps! @milessmartguide

When life gives you lemons 🍋 keep going forward. Today I left for NZ, a trip that I’ve been training for all year skiing and rad lines in Chamonix and taking my biking to new endurance levels and taking the knowledge of prior trips. I approached the flight check in with the usual apprehension you get when trying to sneak all the kit for some of the World’s biggest steep lines in a meager baggage allowance only to be sidetracked with ‘can I have your visa?’ ‘I don’t need one a UK passport holder, I checked when I bought the ticket in September’. ‘Yes you do, new rules from 1st October’ Shit, but I’ve got two hours and normally you can get visa for the US immediately so don’t stress yet. I get busy with buying my visa and watching the clock ⏰ tick away. ‘Surely I can fly to Dubai and by then I will have my visa?’ ‘No’ Tick tock, too late. My flight closes. Now began the real nightmare of phoning the Travelgenio agent in Spain to move my flight. 7 calls with hours on hold and and phone bill in the hundreds and they assure me they have a ticket for the 12th for a mere 1900. I’m all in at this point and make the transaction. Then they say the ticket has been suspended and I need the airline to release it. The airline tells me the travel agent has to instruct them. Another call to Spain for 30 minutes mainly on hold and the travel agent concedes they will speak to the airline. FUCK! They phone me back to say the 12ths no longer available but 13th is. They tell me they will issue the ticket by email and then nothing, it’s after hours, I’m stressed, tired and haven’t eaten or drunk anything all day and go home. I still don’t know. Probably one of the worst financial days in my life, I’m a bit dumbfounded that after traveling the World as an engineer for so long I’ve made such a blunder, cynical about the travel agencies and systems designed to wear you into submission and gutted all the hard work and training was for nothing. 2 years ago I didn’t make it to NZ due to an injury the week before and now things hang in the balance of some faceless person with no responsibility in a call center.

My copy of The Ski Journal just came through in the post which features an article about how climate change is impacting the Mont Blanc range and how users are adapting. Always a privilege to ride alongside the likes of Tof, Bird, Berger, Grant, Heimonen, Peterson, an honor to be interviewed alongside them and great to see @cedric_cyrenaicphotos work in print. A big thanks to The Ski Journal for the inclusion. Go buy it!

Lush sunny day skiing with good friends off the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc du Tacul. Always an adventure putting your skis 🎿 on in the ice cave and sliding out through the portal in the magical world of sunny 😎 alpine mountains. One minute you are all cost asked in bed 🛌, and less than an hour later boom 💥 @searlerdave @milessmartguide Good to see fellow Chamlads @joelevans @digitalsteak @olly_alkema #blackcrows #scarpa #plum #julboeyewear #petzl #helmetup #sapaudiabrewingco #lenz #skiing #freeride #skitouring #steepskiing #offpiste #backcountry #adventure #outdoors #outside #nature #mountains #winter #powder #fitness #training #health #chamonix #chamlive #aiguilledumidi #valleeblanche #montblanc #montblancdutacul

Riding on the Wild side today. 35 cm of powder with only moderate wind last night. Getting back into the swing of ski sauvage ⛷ with @searlerdave ready for whatever NZ can throw at us. Psyched. Thanks to the guys and girls @plum_officiel for mounting my skis with Oazo’s this morning. #skiing #freeride #powder #chamonix #aiguilledumidi #skitouring #training #nutrition #health #fun #adventures #outdoors #outside #mountains #weareifmaga #ifmaga #mountainguide #britishmountainguides #julboathlete #blackcrows #petzl #plum #scarpa #chamlive

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