Finally, after four weeks we finally put the skis on.
As soon as I started climbing I thought this is going to be tough, breaking trail in the powder, but it was quite heavy as there was a layer of wind-blown powder, and on the flats, you'd hear mini whomps going on under you.
There had been quite a few slides and one was huge, and I'm not too sure if it was natural or not, being where there was a massive natural slide atop the Galibier road up from the Lautaret that nearly claimed a couple of kiters, and I think they have a gazex system up there?
Even on a traverse, it was a quiet slabby, so had me thinking all the time about route selection both up and down.
Ullr was finding the climb quite hard going and he was stopping and resting, and then we heard him crying at the back as he got himself into a snow-hole, so we decided to cut it short once we made it to the road.
Then had a long traverse back before I felt confident the descent would be safe, I never see cornices on the road like that!
So as you can see was pretty damn sublime, though not uber fine champagne powder, hoping that tonights clear sky might suck some moisture out, but I am being very fussy
And we had a couple of chamois make a guest appearance.
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@Weathercam, nice way to start the season!
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BobinCH wrote:
@Weathercam, nice way to start the season!
Don't think Ullr thought so!
It was amazing how he was knackered, it must have been the various layers, as we were on skis we were ok, but he must have been sinking right through them.
On the climb up he'd stop and rest and then cried when we carried on, you can imagine how the OH felt!
He's off games today; I'm going back up there, as too nice to waste, I'm also interested in what the very cold temps overnight have done to the snow-pack?
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Pictures look tremendous as always. Take great care on that dodgy snow- pack today.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@HammondR, thanks for that link
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Back up ther again today, without Ullr and OH - and headed off into the same sector as it was in the sunshine and still not too many people had been up there.
Great in that my tracks from yesterday were so much easier to skin in and a group of others has been along to, but they turned off to take another route*, then as I started to get more into the valley so mu skin track filled up with wind-blown, and what was 30cm deep yesterday I now skinned along the hard pack on top, so was not too bad but still a tough workout, some 3hrs and av hr 131.
Took a different route down and skied along that big slide I mentioned yesterday, basically, it started just to the right of my beanie (up on the ridge) and carried on a long way down.
Tracks covered up
And the slide
* as I was on my own I did a fair amount of filming & commenting on the terrain/snow-pack and route choice, just will take me a while to edit.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much on Tue 6-12-22 18:23; edited 1 time in total
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Weathercam, looks like a good base. Hoping this is the year for La Grave!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@BobinCH, I've never seen the snow-levels so low up there, whole wide open gulleys that still need a good meter +, ones that we ski without a pause for thought as to what's below us, having seen all the rocks today, does make you think how easy a shark attack is.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Weathercam, buy the dog a snorkel!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Wally quiver par excellence
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Dog down....
Unfortunately yesterday Ullr was crashed into by a mate, though could have well been Ullr's fault as well.
We'd just climbed 1,150 up towards the Cucumelle and were traversing across to get to some beautiful lines, when it happened.
My mate also has a dog, who was with us, so it was just a horrible accident. We then skied the piste line back down, which had sort of been bashed with my mate doing most of the carrying.
OH met us and we rushed to the vet, initial appraisal was not as bad as we thought it could be, but when we went back four hours later we were told that in fact his Achilles was severed
So he has a major dressing and splints to be in situ for six weeks, and then another two weeks after that, he can exercise freely.
The next few weeks he'll take some adjusting to his situation. We feel very down and my mate, not KenX, as you can imagine is traumatised, and as ever you ask yourself questions about the scenario and what could we have done to avoid it etc
But as the OH pointed out, the family and friends of the group that were caught in the avalanche two days ago near us, where there was one fatality are going through far far worse, and then a close friend has just found out he has terminal C
@Weathercam, a mate of mine did the same to his own dog ski touring. Severed Achilles. It was horrible at the time but the dog recovered quickly to full fitness. Atb
@zzz, thanks for that both my mate, OH & I need some encouragement etc
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Weathercam, hope for a quick recovery for the pooch and that you can get amongst that nice dump of fresh, cold pow to cheer you up!
After all it is free
After all it is free
In many respects the perfect thread to post too. Most people would think you would have to be a Wallie to contemplate "ski touring" in Scotland!
For those who look at Facebook find British Backcountry and be enthralled by pages of pictures, generally from Cairngorm of untracked powder fields.
Loads of the hardcore have put the skins on and climbed up through the ski area, bizarrely not operational.
One upload was from Glenshee with, again, fabulous conditions. Well worth a look.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Rogerdodger wrote:
In many respects the perfect thread to post too. Most people would think you would have to be a Wallie to contemplate "ski touring" in Scotland!
For those who look at Facebook find British Backcountry and be enthralled by pages of pictures, generally from Cairngorm of untracked powder fields.
Loads of the hardcore have put the skins on and climbed up through the ski area, bizarrely not operational.
One upload was from Glenshee with, again, fabulous conditions. Well worth a look.
A Scottish chap I’ve skied with posted this yesterday!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Nice @BobinCH, South side of Cairngorm, view down to loch Avon??
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Just as well mutley was off games*, or maybe that's why we saw them?
Local wildlife often put on a show up there, usually, it's boar, but I fear the hunters might have had a good season as I saw no tracks this time and usually their tracks are everywhere
Quite a technical tour and snow was not brilliant, plus weather was closing in and the OH was getting concerned......
*though think again he would have found it too deep & hard in places judging by the deer tracks
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Rogerdodger wrote:
Nice @BobinCH, South side of Cairngorm, view down to loch Avon??
I believe so! We were there in the Summer and some of those gullies looked like they’d be fun full of snow. Apparently you usually need to wait until March/April but conditions particularly good at the moment
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Pretty nice sortie today, as avy risk still 4/5 opted for two laps (550m each) in one of our favourite sectors, rather than a big climb into more exposed terrain.
That said we followed a track rather than breaking trail, and it went all over the place, into some very questionable terrain, which fortunately had already gone in the last day or two.
The descent(s) were very sweet, and I gave the GoPro 360 to a visiting Swede, and the smile on his face says it all.
He's also feckin fit, though as he says he's not in prime condition, but he and his mate I know are doing a two-day SkiMo race in Sweden, 3,000m a day, and then he added that it's quite technical at times, requiring ice-axe, crampons and rappelling, along with exposed ridges and glaciers!
He also has the SkiMo technique of taking his skins off without taking his skis off down to a T
There's a white halo around the skiers in much of that, maybe a tad too much "shadows / highlight" compensation in post processing, at a guess. I think the original video may be a bit underexposed too, or at least it looks like it could take a bit more positive compensation. The contrast there looks hard to deal with. Dark clothes are really hard to light in stills or video too.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@phil_w, very observant the trouble was I was filming over the course of four hours, and when the days are so short light becomes an issue.
We were talking about the route we took as did others, and how it was an example of a heuristic trap of following a trail (and it was all over the place) rather than breaking a trail as it went into dubious terrain. I'm not too sure what I would have done/suggested if the terrain we were going across had not already gone?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Having trashed my touring skis (and ankle) last season I now need to get some new touring equipment. Been out of the game (and not on here) for a while - any equipment threads or opinions on which touring skis, bindings and skins to get? (max. 95mm ski waist, circa 70 kg naked body weight).
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Weathercam, uplifting video thank you! Everybody looks confident in the base and it looks clean too. Great outing.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@BobinCH, currently weighing up similar question. Any reasons why? I had heard better things about the more recent iterations of the alpinist
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Timmaah wrote:
@BobinCH, currently weighing up similar question. Any reasons why? I had heard better things about the more recent iterations of the alpinist
ATK is super easy to click into, very confidence inspiring (never had a pre-release even with 110g racing binding), metal vs plastic, din adjustable vs U spring, minimalist, light and just works exactly as it should. The Alpinist was better than Fritschi Xenic and its cheaper than ATK but even if you just looked at ease of clicking in I would always go ATK now.
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Poster: A snowHead
