Tag: snow
Pillows, Spines & the Freeride World Tour Boys
I went for one run after work, solo, no pack, beeps or kit. Ipod and tunes. In the lift I met curent Freeride World Tour leader Drew Tabke, competitor Kevin O’Meara and Chamonix locals Dave Searle and Davide de Masi. A 10 turn warm up took us to the pillow field of justice. A 100 foot vertical drop over a ten pillow at roughly 60 degrees. Time to send.
Shame I just had a phone camera and not the 5d but the rest of the fast skiing made me glad not to have the weight with me. With all the big mountain skiing I do nowadays, always keeping in control, I’d forgotten how much fun it is to go fast.
Drew Tabke on a fall line sending mission.
Blower
Cold Smoke
Today I wanted to get out and put some miles in my legs. On the back of the pre-Christmas Scottish Winter Climbing season and very little road biking this summer they are even more spindly than normal and we started the ski season with a fair bit of touring. So with great snow conditions I have the chance to get some strength back. I left the SLR at home in order to go light and enjoy the skiing more but had a little point and shoot.
I was joined by Max Turgeon and we kicked off on Brevent to take advantage of the fresh snow on the lowers. Cold, sluffy blower was lying in wait and we had a lot of fun playing with sluff.
The plan praz couloir. Max skiing below.
And again here.
Me ready to open Bellachat after pushing off a bit of cornice and watching the sluff go airborne.
Max skiing.
After Brevent started to warm up I switched to the darkside and had some sweet runs off the Plan going flat out. Then as the sun came round I decided to head up the Midi and do a Rond or Cosmique. For a change I went for the Cosmiques which is always lush in the afternoon sun, all to yourself, no one trying to kill you with rocks from above, and overhead blower so cold I wished I had a gimp mask.
Only 2 or 3 tracks today.
Me enjoying the warmth of the sun after the cold on the Midi. My leg muscles were well warmed up by the time the para came round and it felt good to finish the day on such a good slope arcing out the GS turns.
Helbronner
Today I went to the Helbronner which is one of my favourite places to ski with big faces, arretes and long couloirs. We started off with a run under the cables with Cedric Bernardini, Luca Pandolfi and Tom Grant and found good sluffing snow. After another couple of laps there we were joined by Dave Searle and Ally Fulton and went for a team social ski down the Marbree to finish.
Dave Searle enjoying the powder in the Marbree.
Michelle below the Marbree.
Ross Hewitt Guiding 
