Just back from Hintertux & my last bit of ski work for the winter - congratulations to everyone on the BASI Level 3 Mountain Safety course I was running - 6 passes out of 6, happy days!
Sadly the heavy snowfalls of the last 3 weeks have been followed by seriously strong Foehn winds (looks like our TV aerial is down...) so only time will tell whether anything is left in the high mountains for this spring.
Meanwhile, here is some great footage from Didier Lafond to help while away the bad weather:
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Cunningham Couloir & Glacier Rond
With a break in the weather finally due for today the alarm was set for 'early'o'clock' for the drive over to Chamonix. I met Ross & Dave at the Midi in time for first bin, with a lot of the usual suspects also out & about...
First up for the day was the Cunningham or Passerelle couloir which starts, as the name suggests, directly from the bridge linking the 2 halves of the Midi top station with a couple of long abseils to hit skiable snow.
Nice backdrop while waiting for Ross to ab down...
Dave high in the couloir - was the snow good? Oh yes..
Oooooh yes...
Ross gets stuck in:
There is a bit of angle in here!
A good few turns left before we join the crowds on the Glacier Rond:
Cunningham couloir viewed from the top of the Rond exit couloir:
The Rond exit couloir was in great condition despite a fair number of previous passages - more good powder turns on the way down:
We got back around to the mid station at 1130 and headed back up for more - with a cloud layer moving up the mountain slightly we opted to play it safe with a lap of the Glacier Rond - the entry to this is getting quite scraped off now - best have sharp edges if you are heading in there in the next day or two!
First up for the day was the Cunningham or Passerelle couloir which starts, as the name suggests, directly from the bridge linking the 2 halves of the Midi top station with a couple of long abseils to hit skiable snow.
Nice backdrop while waiting for Ross to ab down...
Dave high in the couloir - was the snow good? Oh yes..
Oooooh yes...
Ross gets stuck in:
There is a bit of angle in here!
A good few turns left before we join the crowds on the Glacier Rond:
Cunningham couloir viewed from the top of the Rond exit couloir:
The Rond exit couloir was in great condition despite a fair number of previous passages - more good powder turns on the way down:
We got back around to the mid station at 1130 and headed back up for more - with a cloud layer moving up the mountain slightly we opted to play it safe with a lap of the Glacier Rond - the entry to this is getting quite scraped off now - best have sharp edges if you are heading in there in the next day or two!
Friday, 13 April 2012
April Powder part 2
Another day another set of powder turns.
Despite a gloomy start in Meribel yesterday morning I was hopeful there would be a 'window' of opportunity mid-morning before the next set of precipitation came in and so it turned out. As we worked our way up high the skies brightened and we were treated to a good 3 hour spell of blue skies, linking up some great powder descents around the top of the Mottaret valley.
Nick:
Tom:
Jen:
Despite a gloomy start in Meribel yesterday morning I was hopeful there would be a 'window' of opportunity mid-morning before the next set of precipitation came in and so it turned out. As we worked our way up high the skies brightened and we were treated to a good 3 hour spell of blue skies, linking up some great powder descents around the top of the Mottaret valley.
Nick:
Tom:
Jen:
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Monday, 9 April 2012
Shaping up into a good spring?
Well, despite last weeks warm, muggy weather the mercury dropped over the weekend, and while it was raining down here in Bozel it was quite clearly snowing above 1500m...
Today was my first day back up in the 3 Valleys for 2 weeks, and after meeting up with Phil, Annette & Lorna who are staying in Reberty we found great powder on a good base up high above Mottaret:
As a rough guide the snow was definitely starting to get heavy below about 2200m in Mottaret, and about 2600m in Val Thorens. Pistes were in great shape even at the close of play. High and North is the current top tip!
Today was my first day back up in the 3 Valleys for 2 weeks, and after meeting up with Phil, Annette & Lorna who are staying in Reberty we found great powder on a good base up high above Mottaret:
As a rough guide the snow was definitely starting to get heavy below about 2200m in Mottaret, and about 2600m in Val Thorens. Pistes were in great shape even at the close of play. High and North is the current top tip!
Saturday, 7 April 2012
End of season sale!
I have a few items for sale - can post to UK or France (included in price) for other countries please contact me...:
Salomon AK Rocket skis + S914 Pilot bindings (DIN up to 14).
195cm, radius 'BIG'
Great freeride skis - the faster you go the better they are!
Good condition, occasional use, some scratches on base but no core shots, repairs or edge dings.
£150
Halti ski jacket size XL.
Worn 10 days, discreet BASI logo on right breast.
Detachable hood. Powder skirt. Medium weight insulation.
£120
Halti ski pants size XL.
New, still tagged.
Braces included (detachable).
£80
Fritschi binding leashes.
Brand new.
£10
Contact me at: simon offpisteskiing com for more info or photos.
Salomon AK Rocket skis + S914 Pilot bindings (DIN up to 14).
195cm, radius 'BIG'
Great freeride skis - the faster you go the better they are!
Good condition, occasional use, some scratches on base but no core shots, repairs or edge dings.
£150
Halti ski jacket size XL.
Worn 10 days, discreet BASI logo on right breast.
Detachable hood. Powder skirt. Medium weight insulation.
£120
Halti ski pants size XL.
New, still tagged.
Braces included (detachable).
£80
Fritschi binding leashes.
Brand new.
£10
Contact me at: simon
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