Steep Vanoise 2017

I am a few weeks behind schedule on the blog front... it is hard to believe it is over 2 weeks now since the 9th edition of the now-legendary Steep Vanoise week! Where last year we had 5 days of waist-deep powder, this year was a complete contrast with chalky snow on North faces and some sublime spring snow on the sunny sides:

Day 1:

Day 2: Steep, smooth spring snow you say? Oh go on then...

Day 3: Bellecote North face and a 'Brucie (or Simon) bonus':

Day 4 - perfect spring snow out behind Les Arcs:

Day 5 - a massed ascent & descent down to Le Col with both teams with some 5 star spring snow with not another track showing:

Many thanks to IFMGA Mountain Guide Dorian Labaeye who was assisting me on the coaching/guiding duties, and thanks to Jack, Amanda, Rod, Michael, Dan, Gavin, Mark, David and Pete for being 2 great teams!

See you in 2018 for the 10th birthday of Steep Vanoise - provisional dates are 12-18 March so pencil them in to your diary now!

Moyenne Face Nord - Bellecote

Today I had a quick day hit in Champagny with Nick. With a fresh snow on the ground and blue skies forecast it was always likely we would have a good day... and after some morning hiccups of various sorts that is how it turned out. We didn't get to the top of Traversee until about 1145, and seeing as all the tracks were heading to Cairn and Canadien couloirs I set about trenching a way up the waist deep snow to the ridge.

20 mins of hard graft gave us the reward of putting 1000m of fresh tracks down the Moyenne Face Nord - perfect!

One note of caution: the top layer of snow was very sluffy today and needed careful management, similarly there were a few patches of slabbier top layer in places. The brain definitely needs to stay switched on in here at the moment.

Steep coaching day 4

What better way to round off a week of steeps coaching in the Vanoise than a run down the North face of Bellecote.

Despite a delayed opening on the Bellecote telecabine (and a massive queue even for the ski school priority line) we had a great ski in Couloir Cairn, having first looked into a very loaded-looking Moyenne Face Nord and decided very quickly it wasn't on.

Andy P:

Jim:

Jon:

Some brave souls had ventured up to the Grande Face Nord and linked up (very cautiously) the traverses over to Grand Nant - looked like much clenching of buttocks had gone on judging by the ultra-cautious line & turns...

Meanwhile the Friolin slopes, Passage de Frete and Montagne de Bellecote runs were all seeing lots of traffic, as was the Petite Face Nord. Canadians couloir looked OK from below, but less soft than Cairn.

Off to La Grave next with a slightly challenging weather forecast... fingers crossed for some good snow!

Winter 2012 Slideshow

I have finally got around to sorting out a slideshow from the 11/12 season - are you in there?

Winter 2012 Slideshow from Simon Christy on Vimeo.

Steep Vanoise 2012

This week I was skiing with a small group from the Eagle Ski Club who had arranged a private 'Steep Vanoise' week basedin Bourg St Maurice. With no new snow for a week but perfect weather forecast conditions were just right for some exploration.

On Monday we were up in Les Arcs:

The team on the Aiguille Grive:



Aiguille Grive North couloir:



Dan:



Secret powder stash:



The views aren't bad!



On Tuesday we headed up to Tignes for some steep spring snow on the South side of the Grande Motte.

Perfect corn in Couloir 3500:







Day 3 was St Foy day, with a skin out to Couloir Doudou. We found good chalky snow in the couloir, followed by great spring snow all the way down to the Archeboc refuge. (Camera left at home so no pics!).

Day 4, La Plagne - still some powder to be found in Les Rodzins & more spring snow in the afternoon in the Friolin N couloir:









Incidentally, the main exit to the Bellecote North face is better filled in than I have ever seen it - the stream bed is completely banked out!

Last day - more great spring snow in Les Arcs with a run down Couloir Genepi, followed by a traverse of the Col de la Luge with 600m of fantastic snow down to the Mt Pourri refuge:






Thanks to Rob, Dan, Steve and Phil for a great week (and thanks to the weather & snow for playing ball!).