The Haute Route on Skis
Posted on | April 24, 2012 | No Comments
Variable weather had me wondering where we would end-up for our Haute Route. As it worked out, the fluctuating cumulus clouds lead us to heavenly climbs and descents. This kept the crowds at bay most days, leaving us tranquil in the huts. 80cm of fresh snow was deposited as we started, giving us fabulous runs to the valley floors. The climb over the Pigne d’Arolla was done under perfect blue skies. Wednesday, we skied cool powder then corn to Arolla, then skinned up to the Bertol Hut. The clouds were thick at times, cooling us for the climbs, but breaking enough to let us enjoy the downhill runs. The preparation for the PDG was apparent in bit and pieces. The Swiss Army was setting up the high altitude posts for this prestigious race. Download the App to follow your favorite team. Jamie and his two friends, Bill and Andrew, made for super companions for this Alpine traverse. Thanks so much you guys!
And I have this great urge to thank my sponsors for everything they have done for me these past few years. Mammut has been with me since I started selling their gear in my shop 15 years ago! Their colection has exploded into a vast array of Gor, polypro and wool. Handling a Mammut rope is a climber’s dream.
My first pair of skis were K2, and I still get super excited to feel the wind in this team’s sails, year after year. The energy I get from each turn of these skis, makes me convinced I am flying, not skiing, trough these fabulous Alps.
Scarpa has pushed the limits for so many years with their telmark and randonnée gear. The idea of putting baffels into a plastic boot, completely made it for me. The lightness one has, moving up and down through these hills, is a feeling not attainable by any other boot. I often forget to take my F1′s off at the end of the day becaues they feel like a pair of runnng shoes.
Thank you so much, you happy skiers who skied with me, for a wonderful winter season. Here comes sumer time!!! (And just a few more Alpine ski decsents…)
The Mont Velan
Posted on | March 24, 2012 | 1 Comment
A classic, and apparently quite “a la mode” now, the Mont Velan makes a great day (or two) of ski mountaineering. We climbed a SW facing couloir from the col d’Hannibal to reach the summit. Then skied a sweet couloir into Italy. 2200 meters of skinning and cramponing made it a full day in these hills. I’m looking forward to more days like this, this spring. Come join the fun!
Balmhorn
Posted on | March 18, 2012 | No Comments
Searching for a big face on a large mountain, we found the Balmhorn, smack dab in the middle of the Bern-Valais border I love to ski. Though I wanted to ski more spring snow, we decided to go here because of the strong Foehn forecasted. Spring snow would probably remain frozen all day (it was), but powder at altitude is still good. I’ve wanted to ski this face for years, so it was a blast for me to finally get on it! On the map, it looks steep, rolling off the flat summit towards the elbow of the Schwarzgeltscher. It’s a good long climb of 1800 meters from Spittelmatte, and good steep skiing on a north face. This climb can be a bit technical, requiring some crampon use on the upper glacier, and ski crampons, after the freeze/thaw cycles in spring. We got to use all of our cool alpine gear, making it a proper alpine, ski mountaineering summit, in a day. And the ski descent was superb!
April snows will certainly add the alpine snowpack, creating great conditions for alpine ski ascents like these this Spring. We will climb some of these peaks in a day, and others over two days. People should be able to skin for 4-6 hours and be comfortable skiing down steep slopes. Send me a note if you would like to join in fun. Prices will start at around SFr.170.00. Details can be found on the new page I have created for Alpine Ski Mountaineering.
Three Country Heliski Safari
Posted on | March 4, 2012 | No Comments
Winter bloomed into Spring this week as I prepared for another five day heliski safari. Though in the past, I’ve traveled far and wide looking for adventure, this week I chose to stay close to home. We flip flopped between Switzerland, Italy and France, riding lifts, helicopters and skinning to get to mature, spring snow. We started with a traverse across the head of our very own Val du Bagnes, from the summit of the Pigne d’Arolla, down the Otemma Glacier, then skinning up through the Fenêtre de Durand. The ski down on the Italian side was a trip to the Moon- it was so wind blasted. But with a supreme descent into the belly of Val d’Isere, back to the back-side of the Mont Blanc, then down the 8km long Tré La Tête glacier to Contamines, with a savage return to Bagnes, even *my* head was spinning. I’ve tried to whittle the photos down to a manageable number, but failed miserably. I hope they demonstrate that sense of adventure we all experienced, right here in my back yard.
Skiing with Chris
Posted on | February 2, 2012 | 2 Comments
I’m kinda at a loss for words at this point. The days are blending into a (very) cold smoothy, filled with wild fruit and adventures. Skiing off piste with Chris these past two days heightened my being on these slopes, who chose on day one to ski from Bruson, all the way to the Val Ferret, then through herds of Ibex and Chamois on day two. I’m glad I took these photos to share with us and keep these mind’s images alive…
The Avi danger is down to level 2. There really are no bad layers in the snow pack to speak of. The warm ground is our only concern now. These creep and glide avalanches can go at any time of the day and night. And since the whole snow pack slides, it is very impressionable. Swiss Meteo is forecasting temperatures to drop even more by Saturday. Expect temperatures to go below -25 @ 3000 meters with NE winds blowing at 55km/hr. Get those mittens ready!
Reflection
Posted on | January 15, 2012 | 3 Comments
After 30 days of non-stop skiing, I’m given the chance to reflect on all the wondrous adventures we’ve had together. Verbier has been blessed with the most memorable skiing in many,many years. Every run was in such great shape, alpine and treeline. I very nearly never left the valley. I wandered the ridges and combes, above and below tree line in search of good light and deep snow. Storm after storm hit us, driving us back into the light of the forest.
The most memorable was just last Tuesday, when Fi and I skinned up the Rosablanche and off the back. We skied down virgin couloirs filled with boot-top fluff, the 2.5 meters of accumulated snow, now compacted into the softest blanket of easy powder. We toured up another glacier, through another high pass, and skied down the most magnificent decent into the Bagnes valley in perfect conditions.
It has been blue-bird since that day. It’s cold, but the sun is intense. The wind has blasted the high peaks, revealing ice and rock. But the skiing is still stellar.
Meteo Blue is forecasting 5mm each day from Thursday through Saturday evening. We could get a fresh dusting to soften things up by the time I am back on my feet!
Skiing Verbier in Hurricane Andrea
Posted on | January 9, 2012 | No Comments
I’ve posted a few photos of the skiing during the Andrea storm on January 6th. (Please like this page of mine!) This is the second storm to hit us hard this season, leaving fallen trees everywhere on forest trails. I’ve added a small hand saw to the pack, along with the shovel, probe and everything else.
I awoke this morning to see a small orb rising. What is it? Thank Thor, I think it’s the sun, not seen in these parts for quite some time. Blue bird days ahead says Swiss Meteo. We are over 200% of normal snowfall this early January. The skiing has been very good even though the winds have been howling. It seems our valleys are well enough sheltered from the winds that the snow is still wonderfull to ski. Though visibility has been low, the tree skiing has been very good. I almost skied right over a car the other day!!!
Perfect mid-winter Freeride conditions in Verbier
Posted on | December 29, 2011 | No Comments
With the avalanche hazard down to level 2, freeride conditions in Verbier are outstanding. Every day has delivered new and exciting descents down hidden valleys and deserted towns. The snow is layered thick on chalet roofs. Rock, stumps, cliff bands and glaciers are all blanketed with a wonderfull thick coating of frosty snow. Launching off little jumps to help change ski direcetion is de rigueur right now. It’s mid winter in December!
Here are a few shots of the past week…
Winter starts with a bang!
Posted on | December 18, 2011 | 1 Comment
Well over a meter of snow has fallen in this western part of Switzerland. Winter in Verbier has started with the biggest snowfall we have seen in years. The ground is now well insulated from the cold air. This will encourage a healthy snowpack for the rest of the winter. A shallow snowpack does not insulate the relatively warm ground from the cold air at higher elevations. This high “temperature gradient” promotes a rapid growth of faceted crystals, seriously weakening that layer’s ability to support the new snow on top. This is one of the most common origins of avalanches.
The avalanche danger level for the past two days has been at 4. That is quite rare to see. It dropped to level 3 today. Because we have had so much snow at once, the avalanche level increases to a high level quickly. But because there is so much weight, that danger comes down quickly. If we don’t get much wind this next week, the level may drop quite quickly to level 2.
I created a short video showing the conditions we have this weekend.
Zinal Freeride
Posted on | December 9, 2011 | No Comments
Yesterday was the first clear day after 4 days of snowfall. What a feeling it was to be outside. The atmosphere was vibrant with freshness, giving energy to each turn in the first fresh powder of the season. Today, we went to Zinal, riding little half pipes and contouring the avalanche danger. It’s a moderate level 3, having settled a bit from Wednesday, when the last storm dropped half a meter + of new snow all over the Alps. What a nice scene it was in Zinal in the early season. There were very few people venturing off-piste, leaving us small side valleys to play alone in.
The forecast for next week is uncertain. It looked like more snow, but now the word Foehn is mentioned for mid-week… Fingers crossed for another few systems of unsettled weather.
