Col Des Cristaux

I have been wanting to ski this line on the north wall of the Argentiere basin for years now, but finding people to go with who haven’t yet skied it or who have the motivation to climb its big face is hard.  So it was on a beautiful April sunny morning with my partner that we had planned to ski something bigger and steeper on the same wall.  When we arrived at out the base of our intended ascent with blue ice showing it was obvious we were not going to achieve our first objective.  Time for plan B, the Cristaux.  I was secretly hoping that this would happen;).

The boot pack was steady and we found our rhythm pretty quickly reaching the right summit route at the same time as the lead team on the direct route. The angle of the slope is a nice 45 degrees only ramping up to 50 degrees on its top section.  As we changed from crampons to skis the snow was perfect spring conditions and we got down the steepest section quickly.

It was at this point, just before skiing over to the main face that adrenaline surged through my body, giving rise to crippling fear as I heard screams coming from below. A quick check for my own safety I stopped securing myself into a safe spot to check out what was going on below.

A second large team of climbers had decided to ascend the face a good 2 hours after the lead team on the direct route.  As the lead team started to ski down they were knocking large volumes of snow over the late climbers just in front of me.  I turned away not being able to watch as one of the climbers got swept off his feet and hanging onto his axes and his life as his team screamed for the people above to stop skiing.  The climber was lucky, he was strong enough to hold on and we managed to mediate a conversation with those above to allow time for the climbers to get out of the way.

I have always been taught that if there are teams above I must seriously consider the risk of climbing under them.  I have always had the philosophy that if I am not there first, or can’t ascend safely then I don’t get to go.  This team got lucky, but I don’t think they made the right decisions that that day.

I quickly gathered my head together and skied down really quickly after that – I wanted to get out of the area and off the face fast before anything else could happen.  Luckily the ski down was wonderful powder and we were down within 10 minutes.  This is a route I know I will go back for again and again but I will always make sure I am out of bed early to get there first,  and may be a bit a bit more choosy about the days I pick to make sure it is not quite to busy.

Climbing up the main face

The view from below.

The top of the direct route.  Can you spot the skier about to descend?

Nice powder on the descent

Dome De Miage – Skiing the Armancettes Loop

This is not a hard route but it is a bit of a long schlepp (especially at this time of year in Mid may) making this journey a bit of a challenge. I went with a couple of good friends on this two-day tour and in spite of being long and not getting the soft spring snow conditions we were looking for it was great fun.  This area is also so beautiful and holds really exciting potential for ski mountaineering.  I have vowed to go back next year to explore more.

The LONG walk in………..

Early morning start and skin up to the summit ridge of the Dome De Miage……..

The Ski down……..

The LONG walk home…….

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This was a lovely day out on a fantastic ski tour that I can’t recommend enough.  There is nothing I like more than exploring a new area for me.  Coupled with a good group of friends who have also not been on the tour before creates an element of anticipation and team cohesion that I really enjoy.

The route took to the Col de la Cicle from the Contamines and then along the beautiful ridge to the Col Des Chasseurs.  This ridgeline makes the tour so worthwhile with dramatic cornices and cliffs to navigate on one side and sweeping views across the National Parc and Lac Jolie on the other.

The ski down from the col was beautiful.  Alongside smiles and giggles, we each put in our own ski tracks like a personal signature confirming the wonderful snow conditions as the day’s anticipation evolved into a sense of achievement.  I love it when a plan works out well.

Nonne Eveque Couloir

Without fresh snowfall for a couple of weeks, the lower level ski tours in the Chamonix Valley were getting tracked out so we decided to pack some provisions and head out into the high mountains for a couple of days in the hunt for some good snow. The plan was to head up to the Couvercle refuge in the stunning Telefre basin. After dumping our food and stove in the hut to get rid of some weight, we planned to explore some of the steep terrain and snow filled couloirs around the basin.

The Nonne-Eveque marked in red.  Its steep narrow couloir makes this one of the hardest ski routes along this face.

As we reached the top of the Valley Blanche that morning a vicious cold wind was already doing its damage on the snow and exposed skin and it didn’t let up as we approached the refuge.  After taking shelter and getting some heat into our cold hands through a jet-boiled cup of tea, we waited to see if the wind would retreat so we could carry on with our plans.  After a couple of hours it seemed the wind was getting stronger and the snow that we had come to seek out was fast disappearing or becoming polished and wind slabbed.  There certainly wasn’t going to be any good skiing for a few days in the Telefre basin.

With rapidly deteriorating conditions we decided to pack all our kit and head home.  It seemed a shame to go all that way and not ski anything so we decided to return via the Moine/Vert ridge and ski the steep southwest couloir from the Breche Nonne Eveque.  We hoped this would be sheltered, have nice snow and bring us back onto the Valley Blanche via the Chapoura basin whilst avoiding all the crusty and wind slabbed snow via the normal route down.

Me skiing down in the last bit of powder before the icy choke at the bottom of the couloir.

Whenever I agree to ski something really steep and new to me, apprehension weighs heavy in my mind as a fall can have consequences that you don’t really want to be thinking about.  Menacing doubt about my own abilities started to plague my thoughts on the skin up to the col.  But I really didn’t want to ski back down the Telefre glacier with the slabbed snow building so I got my head together and made my way up to the top of the couloir with some strong words with myself and a positive mantra repeating over and over in my mind.  It was with utter relief when I reached the top that we stepped onto deep soft snow on the other side and a steepness that wasn’t too stressful to manage. Phew!!!

After the initial nervous turns on the narrow top section, the rest of the couloir held nice snow and we steadily made our way down to a narrow icy cliff at the bottom that we abseiled down to get onto the snowy moraine of the Valley Blanche.  Sheltered from the wind in the couloir, the vicious icy wind greeted us as we reached the exit that was so cold it froze my insulated water bottle within the ten minute transition from getting our crampons off and skis on. It was time to go home to a warm shower, a hot meal and a cozy warm bed. I didn’t miss staying out in the mountains this day one single bit!

The sun was setting as we got down from the Couloir. The plume of snow blowing off the ridge in the distance gives the only hint to the conditions.

Looking back towards the Nonne Eveque Couloir.  You can just see my partner Ross about to ski down from the exit on the right.

Some of my favorite pictures from the Winter

My passion is to ski tour, climb and explore the high mountains in the winter and I am lucky enough to have been able to enjoy the whole winter season here in the Alps being busy doing just that.  Whilst I have spent a lot of my winter this year touring through the alps, the incredible snow conditions has meant that I have also spent a fair few days just skiing deeeeeeeeeeep snow. FUN!!

When the weather is not so good but the snow is fresh and cold it is always good fun to get to the trees and powder pillows for some hopping and jumping!

And when the sun comes out we can finally get to climb some of the bigger mountains to find the good snow….

Me climbing the Midi Plan Traverse Chamonix:

My best ski buddies celebrating after an epic powder day in the trees.  The photo makes me smile as it reminds me of the fun I had but I also think it sums up my 2013 ski season quite well.

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The following posts are some of my best adventures over the last two months.

The Marbree Couloir

With 2100 meters of sustained skiing against the backdrop of the Dent du Geant, the Marbree Couloir is one of those must do classic ski descents on the Italian side of the massif.  I have skied this quite a few times now but with the current conditions, we just kept going back for more!

It was cold boot-packing up from the top of the lift station (in the background). I had my down jacket on the whole way up keeping me nice and warm.

South West Couloir, Tour Ronde

I have had the La Tour Ronde  and Brenva Glacier ski in my tick list for a few years now but this route is not always possible and rarely in condition from top to bottom. With the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif seeing unprecedented levels of snow and sustained cold to keep conditions exceptional we knew we were in for a long ski from summit to road but, with a few days of wind and sun, we were unsure of the conditions that would ultimately predict how much fun we would have on the decent.  I don’t ski crusty snow well so I was a little nervous about what might greet us on the ski down.

The mixed climb up La Tour Ronde to get to the Brenva was a little tricky in places, especially with skis on our backs. But, once we were at the summit, the views across Italy meant the climb was worth every huff and puff.  From the ridge at the top of the climb we could see the snow conditions were looking pretty good. Rather than skiing the normal South West route we decided to take an untracked line to its left. This will probably go down as one of my all time favorite days.  With 2400 meters of untracked powder from top to bottom and not an inch of crust in sight I can confirm it doesn’t get much better than that!!!!

The start of the long skin up to La Tour Ronde from the top of the Hellbronner

Climbing the mixed line on La Tour Ronde

Getting through the tricky mixed section just below the summit ridge.  This is pretty easy climbing but made tricky with skis on the back

Finally making it to ridge 100m below the summit

First turns on the South West Couloir of La Tour Ronde before traversing over to the Brenva Glacier

The final section of the Brenva on beautiful cold powder in the shadow of the Peuterey and Mont Blanc

With a strong wind forecast to make its assault on all the north faces that day, a plan developed to climb and ski the Croulante Couloir on the South side of Les Courtes.  In order to avoid the wind from the north we decided to go the long way and approach directly from the South.

To make things even more interesting, rather than taking the preferred and easier overnight stay in the hut, we planned to try and complete the climb and ski in a day.  This entailed getting the first bin to the Aiguille Du Midi, skiing the Vallee Blanche, crossing the Les Chaux Glacier to the base of the Talefre basin and then skinning 1000m up to the furthest point on Les Courtes.  From here we would then have to boot pack the 700m to the top of the Croulante  – a long long way for a day hit on heavy ski touring kit!

Although I was excited about the plans, I was also nervous.  Les Courtes is the crucible of steep skiing and although the Croulante is one of its easiest ski lines, it can still be intimidating in poor conditions. We were also going to have to work really hard in order to ensure we summited and were down before the poor weather and sunset arrived.

The impressive South face of the Les Courtes and The Croutlante Couloir marked in red. This entire ridgeline offers many steep ski descents ranging in difficulty and exposure.

I woke that morning feeling tired form the previous days adventures and still a little apprehensive as to what I had committed to.  My apprehension and dread grew further as I skied down the Vallee Blanche with chronic lactic acid burn in my legs and feet.  But, as the sun came around, I found a steady rhythm against the increasing altitude and slowly begun to settle in my mind and body to enable me to start enjoying the adventure in the shadow of the most inspiring mountains in the world.

After 4 hours of hard skinning we finally reached the base of the Couloir!  I was pretty happy for the rest and bite to eat before the hard boot-pack began.

Halfway up the Couloir.  Being so early in the season I was really struggling with the altitude.   I had to count steps to try and keep my mind focused and break down the goal into smaller more manageable chunks.  I allowed myself a rest every 50 steps!

The view from the top of the Couloir, looking down the ski-line.  The first two turns are the hardest as the muscles and mind try to quickly adjust from climbing to skiing, made even harder at altitude.  I try and spend 5 minutes jumping on the spot and getting my balance muscles back before I set off skiing.

The ski down was mainly firm but had pockets of soft manageable snow that we could rip down – fun!  The predicted 65% sun forecast was more like 90%, which was really lucky for us.  But, with increasing cloud cover building towards the evening, we rushed back to Chamonix before the light got too flat and the sun faded completely.

I had been looking at this line for the last two years wondering if I could ski its steep face. I was so happy that I finally managed to ski it, but to do this route in a day was an even bigger achievement for me.  It did take me quite a few days to recover from this adventure.  I am not sure I would go the long way around again in a hurry!

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We missed much of the powder fun seen in early December, but with some good open weather windows at the start of Jan we were able to get some good ski mountaineering adventures in on some of the higher mountain routes normally only reserved for later in the season………

The Glacier de Mort (2700m) Aiguilles Rouge

Climbing up the Ridgeline before dropping off the back to Ski the soft powder snow often found on the Glacier

And later back in town, feeling tired and hungry, we ordered pizzas in The Tunnel restaurant – famous for serving the biggest pizzas I have ever seen

Switzerland. Col De La Dent Jaune. Northwest Couloir (3004)

We have been talking about touring and skiing some lines over this mountain for a couple of years now but never got around to it.  So with Chamonix crowded during the holiday period we decided to seek some space and solitude in the beautiful Chablais region.

We started our ski adventure from the picturesque ski resort of Marrecottes, Switzerland, and skinned 1300m to the Dent du Midi hut where we cooked up some well-needed food and rest for the night.  The following morning we hiked the short way to the Col for the beautiful ski down through the atmospheric Northwest Couloir.  This is a beautiful ski tour with really varied terrain and skiing. With the snow line still really high the walk down to the nearest train station was long and complicated in places, especially in ski boots, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of reward when we looked back at the impressively beautiful mountain where we had just skied from.

Angry Birds team on Tour; Le Col De Beugeant, Aiguilles Rouge, Chamonix

I always love meeting up with the girls (no boys allowed!!!) and heading out into the mountains.  This was a fab day catching up with friends I had not seen for a while so lots of stopping to talk and gossip was done….the boys definitely would not have enjoyed it.  My friend Betony has just moved the valley so it was a great chance to take her on one of the best short tours in the valley that offers an introduction to ski mountaineering.

The other side always offers interesting and varied terrain to ski down and (almost) always, cold soft snow

My first ever Rando Race

My Good friend Leanne Callaghan is one of Britain’s best female mountaineers and also happens to be on the British team for Ski Alpinism racing.  As this sport does not really exist in the UK, Leanne is often over in the Alps racing and training which gives me the perfect opportunity to catch up with her for a ski when she is in town.  January saw Leanne pop into the area for some training and to compete in some of the French international events.  Over an Apres ski Coffee, Leanne managed to talk me into trying a small team event that was to take place in Chamonix.

I have to say I was a little more than terrified when I turned up to find it was a little more serious than just a little local event and found myself standing next to some of the best racers in the world….yikes!!! I am also not sure swapping my fat skis for the first time in a race to the matchsticks used in this sport was the best idea I have ever had. With only a little warm-up allowed to get used the skinny kit, I decided that I would try to push really hard on the up hill sections to make up time for my sheepish and careful descents. My tactics paid off and with an amazing teammate, Leanne and myself found ourselves winners of our female category.  Not bad for the first try – not sure I am ready to give up my fat skis yet though!!!

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You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Below I’m straddling the muddy trails!!

I have therefore shifted much of my training focus to road running to try and create a base for next year’s adventures.

I don’t really enjoy road running as my motivation comes from the adventure of the trails and countryside, but I have actually found pounding the pavement kinda fun.  I have also joined the local road-runners club for some extra encouragement and motivation.  And whilst painful and not always fun, the structured tempo runs have made me feel a lot stronger than normal for this time of year and more importantly,  really motivated to get out more.

The one thing that is important about road running, especially in the winter, is making sure you are visible to the traffic.  As I don’t normally run on the road so I don’t actually own any high visibility clothing other than a head torch.  So there has been some amusing improvisations………

The high visibility worker vest from my ‘car; ‘incase of break-down box’ made to fit snugly for running with duct tape wrapped around the waist several times. As you can see on my running buddy Rhi this proved to be quite effective

And my personal favorite, a ‘walk to school’ high visibility vest. Kindly lent to me from Rhi’s (My friend) daughter.  Mine was especially fun. I was a little depressed to know that a 7 year old’s chest vest fitted me but at least I lit up like a star when the car lights shone on me.

The rest of the month has been about getting out on the trails as much as I can.  Here catching up with friends for an adventure run around Dorking

The sun finally came out last week whilst out on the North Downs

And finally back on the trails….as the frost has arrived, the trails are passable again…phew.  Woop woop

I was blown away by the range and variety of climbing on the island.

Apart from being incredibly beautiful the island is laid back, tranquil and relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered after some busy months at work – although I am not sure the doctor would approve of the Greek fried cheese that I got totally addicted to.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some of my photos from the trip.

Berghaus Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, women’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.
You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.