Tag: Snow conditions
Camping Time
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
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 superstylin
Our line
Heading to the bar for a well earned cold beer
Couturier-Whymper on La Verte
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.
Nearing the top of the Couloir and the end of the neve with black ice and seracs looming.
We threaded the seracs along a ramp in the sun above the rock.
Mikko on the Verte for the first time.
Panorama Aiguille Leschaux to Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc and the Chamonix Aiguilles
The wind tugged at our skis along the exposed ridge.
Chute Central
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!
Kirsti on the changing lines pitch.
Kirsti skiing the lower couloir.
Time to relax!
