There’s no such thing as bad snow… just bad skiers…

A Doug Coombs quote seems an apt way to end my time in the Alps…

Hey folks… so my blog updating has been crap I’m sorry. But I thought it time to write an update and also because this will be my last post. I’m actually back home now so my two feet are firmly not in La Grave (or Deux Alpes) but back on ‘home’ ground.

So the last month or so has been awesome. I’ve lost track of exactly what I’ve been up to so I’m just going to pop up some pictures and let them do the talking. Needless to say though I’ve had the most amazing time here and this part of the Alps will forever be very special to me. They have transformed my skiing from (in hindsight) a distinctly average (old skool!) British skier to something that I hope is far more respectable! In 5 moths I’ve also managed to add a whole 9 centimetres and how many people can say that… big skis man, I’ll never ski shorties again!

And I’ve met some amazing people on the way… you know who you are and thank you for the fun times that you given me. But to name just a few, I have to say special thanks to Floss and Susie for being such all round good eggs (and Floss for the countless hours of instruction that she no doubt gave me), Sarah for just being ‘fuckin A man’, Asefeh for being an all round gorgeous girl and Grigor and the La Grave crew for letting me into their fantastic little community. I hope to see everyone again in the not too distant future.

And as for La Grave itself… there’s no doubt that this place changes your perspective on skiing forever. I’m not even sure you can really just call it skiing… it’s not what most people would define skiing as being! Yeah, there ain’t no ordinary skiing here… not if you know where you’re going and thanks again to the ‘locals’ for showing me. I hope I proved that I’m a safe hand in the mountains… I didn’t kill anyone at least!

And I’m pleased to say that I finished on such a high… last week I skied the Pan de Rideau… an awesome route that has you dropping into a really tight couloir (ski width wide) and then traversing for 50 metres across a 55 degree slope with a whopping great couloir below you. The general adage is ‘fall and you die’… in fact I think only one person has ever survived a fall there and many more have been less lucky. Then it’s onto a 50 degree face that narrows down into a rocky couloir with a bergshrund at the bottom (the general adage again being ‘fall and you die’). We had to jump that (not an elegant landing… broke my binding) and then you’re on the loveliest of powder fields snaking your way across a beautiful but somewhat daunting crevasse ridden glacier for another 600 metres or so of descent. So pleased that I can say that I’ve skied this and I think it definitely ticks the ‘extreme’ skiing box.

So it’s goodbye La Grave and Deux Alpes for now… I should emphasise ‘for now’ because I will be back for sure I just need to work out in exactly what capacity! I’m proud to be a skier and feel so lucky to have had this chance to spend so much time in the mountains… anyone who doesn’t ski doesn’t know what they’re missing out on… But back home know to await my fate… if anyone knows what that will be then answers on a postcard please!

The Cone gets P.O.W.

I get P.O.W.

This was a week after the snow had fallen… you just gotta know where to look (Girose Right)

Hiking the ridge… we went all the way to the couloir at the top

Negotiating the ridge

On top of the ridge

Top of the ridge, dropping the couloir. Sweet turns.

Free the heel and free the mind… epic powder (and a small avalanche!)

Cock de la neige

‘Old skool is beautiful’… F*ckin A Sarah

Just after argument with liftie telling me that La Grave was ‘shut’. No mate, the mountains always open it’s just the lifts that are shut. Freshies all to ourselves just a big hike to get them.

Checkout the view in my glasses…

Nice turns

Anki dropping potential second rappel… who needs a rope

Mill breaking the golden rule of couloir skiing… don’t fall dude. Such a brilliant picture though we were all a bit concerned for his welfare at the time.

Entrance to the Pan de Rideau

Entrance to the Pan de Rideau

Good bye… for now

Useless…

That’s what I’ve been with the blog. My apologies. I seem to have been here there and everywhere and not done that much skiing inbetween over the last couple of weeks. And I’ve managed to get ill twice in three weeks which is making me think that having no fixed address might really be starting to take its toll now!

So what have I been up to? It’s all a bit of a blur but I will try and summarise:

• Got another ice route done with a mate called Adrian from New Zealand. The next day we set off to try and ski a couloir behind La Grave… nice tour up but the snow was dire so we gave up on any couloir attempt.
• Took a trip to Morzine to see good friends. I had to put all my ski snobbery to one side and dress up as a giant penguin. It was lovely to see everyone though – thanks loads guys.
• Then I drove to Geneva and took a plane to Brussells for a few days. Lovely city it is too. Drank far to much strong (but incredibly nice) beer and managed to take only 2 pictures the whole time I was there… I’m not a very good tourist! I did learn though that some of Belgian’s favourite food is made by a company called ‘Cock’s fresh’. Of course me being as mature as I am… this had me in stitches. Begged the question at the breakfast table… ‘fresh cock anyone?’

Now I’m back in La Grave and realising that I have only one proper month left. Wow! Where’s it gone?! And to make it even worse I’ve been able to do nothing all week as I’ve had tonsillitis… this is something you really don’t want to have when you live in a van in the mountains! I spent 36 hours in the van in the car park and no one even knew I was there… Low point! Anyway lots of plans for the last month not least to get some good mountaineering done – the season for that has arrived. Will keep you posted!

 

Plan was to ski the couloir lookers left but we gave up on that – snow was rock hard!

Asefeh and her expert homemade quiche (I whisked the eggs)

 

 

 

In lighter news…

Here is a picture of Tom clearly not understanding what the cornflake box game is supposed to be about…

 

 

 

 

 

And here is what happens when an avalanche airbag goes off…Hopefully!

http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/1043-rowdy-airbag-save-caught-on-film/

 

Oh no…

Sometimes you read stuff and it literally makes your stomach curl… two people died in La Grave yesterday skiing La Voute, a guide and his client. According to the news report one of them fell in the couloir and took the other with them. The snow conditions are hard at the moment and they couldnt stop their fall down the couloir…

The police were in the car park yesterday and the helicopter was buzzing around. From the look on the emergency crews faces it was clear something was up but shit, this is horrific news. I dont really know what else to say… Thoughts and prayers…

I haven’t frozen to death…

Just in case you were wondering I thought I’d just reassure you that I am still very much alive and well! Sh*t me though it’s been cold the last few weeks! And it still is. It was all a bit too much for Collymore unfortunately who gave up soon after the mercury dived. Luckily I have some very understanding friends who have looked after me and I also bit the bullet and checked into the hotel in La Grave.

So what have I been up to? I’m trying to remember but the highlights have definitely been visiting friends firstly Jarv and then the gang. It’s been a pretty hectic few weeks actually so I’m just going to summarise it with pictures but I can say that life continues to be pretty damn good…!!

A buried Collymore

Tourist!

Markku getting into Trifide couloir

Alpe d’Huez off piste

Spotted in LG car park – I want this car (well the contents of the roof box at least)

It’s fun to stay in the Y M C A

Tom on lead – 1st pitch Promenade du Matheysin

David just after the sniper got him

Grrrrrrrr….

Can’t really be taken seriously with that mo…

C’est moi…. on lead 2nd pitch Prom du Matheysin

follow my lead!

See you at the bottom

Ahhhh…

My legs seem to be going in different directions!

No holiday would be complete without the cornflake box game!

The gang!

Umbrella Bar I love you!

Skiing Le Patou… La Grave

The best ski route ever (fact)

On Tuesday I skied the route La Voute (the vault) in La Grave… the best run that I have ever skied and I suspect it will take some time before I ski something that beats it. I had in my head that I would work my way up to skiing it probably some time in March. But yesterday the conditions were good and my trusty partner Markku was confident that he knew his way into it… So off we went. There’s a 40 metre abseil into a crazy couloir (probably 600 metres descent) that leads you back to the road. There’s chained bolts at the top so it’s just a case of threading the rope through and knotting it; putting your skis on your pack; making sure your harness is done up and then finally ensuring your pants aren’t full. After that you’re good to go…

In the morning we also skied Les freaux couloir another c. 600 metres of bliss but without any rappel so it all feels a bit easy now I’ve done La Voute (it isn’t!) Didn’t get any pics of Les freaux but there’s some of La Voute below.

We also did a ski tour the day before (16th Jan) starting from the Col du Lauteret and heading up the north face of the Combeynot (the route is called Versant Nord in the Sebastien Constant guidebook). After about 800 metres of ascent we had to drop the skis onto the pack and boot pack up through some really deep snow. We attempted to get to the summit col and then onto the summit but time was running short so we stopped about 80 metres short of the summit col. About 1000 metres of ascent in total and we were up and down in 4 3/4 hours so with that and the magic in La Grave I’m feeling pretty whacked.

As a boring note for some but potentially helpful for others… there was serious depth hoar just under the surface at around half height on the Combeynot touring route (so between 2200m and 2600m). Watch out when the new snow arrives – I won’t be going anywhere near those slopes for a while as they will be ripe for a big slide.

Apart from that life continues to be sweet! It was bloody freezing last night (-18deg) but the van continues to excel and the heater is fully firing… turns out the exhaust pipe was blocked before so that is why it wouldn’t start. But I’m loving life in the van and have already turned down 3 offers to stay in people’s flat’s this week – though that decision could be swayed depending upon who was offering of course (no offence to those that did!!!) But I am really starting to get the impression that I must be starting to look and smell somewhat alternative now to the general passer by – I’ve passed 2 months of van living now!!

What else can I tell you… lots but you’d be even more bored! We need more snow but there’s maybe a bit coming this way towards the weekend though I don’t think loads is forecast. Oh and there’s hardly any ice – I seem to have chosen one of the worst seasons for ice climbing in a long time.

Combeynot (Versant Nord) – I wanna ski that couloir…

Combeynot (Versant Nord) – bootpacking up…

Combeynot (Versant Nord) – nice little (steep) coulior down…

LG – La Voute – it’s why you don’t fall… (and this is before we even got in the couloir)

LG – La Voute – hoping the bolts are done up tight…

LG – La Voute – see you at the bottom…

LG – La Voute – Markku on his way down

LG – La Voute – still best not to fall

LG – La Voute – ripping up the couloir

Comprehensive update!

Right then been a bit lame on the blog front recently with the exception of the La Grave update… which had to be done! So in an effort to capture everything here is a bit of a summary:

• After the Sommet de Quarlie on 2nd Jan we hit La Grave for a day on the 3rd skiing the itineraires – Chancel and Vallon. A great powder day and it was there that we met Marcus the crazy finnish dude who that day took us down the Banana Couloir.
• 8th Jan  travelled an hour and a bit down the road to just south of Briancon to a place called Ceillac. Climbed ‘Holiday on Ice – Right Hand’ with my new buddy Morgan from Oz..
• 10th Jan was the mega day in LG skiing Girose and Orciere.
• On the 13th headed for a ski tour starting just a kilometre east of the Col du Lauteret (at 1988m) and heading up the Pic Blanc du Galibier (2955m). We started at 945 and were at the summit by 1230 so that’s under 3 hours for approximately 1000m of ascent – good to see the fitness is coming back! It was a lovely ski descent as well on nice snow all the way back to the van.

But it’s been the last few days that have been the absolute highlight… floss invited me to head out race training with her and some instructor friends as they all have their ‘Eurotest’ in a few weeks time – a timed Giant Slalom run that they must do within a pre-determined (and not too shabby) time in order to get their full license to work in france. Anyway as if that wasn’t enough of an honour we were also training with a girl called Isabelle who is an exceptional racer… I’m told she has 23 fis points which = very good (if you are in the World Cup you have none and the highest number of is points you can have is around 200). To top it all off her father then arrived to train us and it turns out he is one of the best trainers in the area… he has his own office in which we have been watching videos of ourselves and according to one of the many articles about him on the wall his name is ‘Il Guru’! How awesome is that… not only am I know a wanna be ski racer (I hired GS skis and everything) but I am also being trained by a genuine guru – I’ve never even met a guru before!

Gorka in the Banana couloir

floss coming down Le Banane…

Just posin’ in LG

Holiday on Ice – Morgan leading the 3rd pitch

Holiday on Ice – hold on tight

Holiday on Ice – attentive belayer

Pic Blanc du Galibier – view back down valley

Pic Blanc du Galibier – Markku (anyone else think he looks like Dave Rickaby!?)

Pic Blanc du Galibier – at the col just before the summit (Barre des Ecrins right of my head)

Pic Blanc du Galibier – another party heading from the col to the summit

Pic Blanc du Galibier – me just arriving at the top

Pic Blanc du Galibier – Morgan on the summit with Mont Blanc in the background

Pic Blanc du Galibier – Markku descending

Race training – how to start

Race training – I think that’s called a schuss

Race training – clearing the course

Race training (Il Guru on the left)

Learning to service the planks…

Taking it seriously of course!

My first car was one of these but there’s no way it would have made it up an Alp in winter – check out the flames!

So all in all life is very good! Just feel like I’m running out of time to do everything… not sure whether to ski piste; freeride; race or tour… maybe do a little ice climbing or get down to the bouldering wall for some indoor training (I am joining the local climbing club!) But tomorrow the plan is for a tour with my finnish friend Markku with a bit of mountaineering to a summit then maybe ski La Grave on Tuesday. Hopefully I might be race training again on Thursday and friday – got some serious work to do on my technique to get me out of the old skool and into the new… but with floss and the guru on my side it’s coming on well!

Mom… don’t read this post (seriously don’t!)

What to say… I skied La Grave yesterday by a couple of non-itineraire routes. One of the best days in the mountains that I have ever had without a doubt. We skied the Girose and the Orciere… a total of 2.4 kilometres of descent. Things I learnt:

• Ski with crazy finnish guys… especially one’s who know the route. You seriously cannot get lost in LG… you have to know exactly where you are going otherwise you can disappear off down a couloir that looks really good but has a 100 metre cliff drop at the end. The location of numerous deaths was pointed out to me on occasions! As we set out across the top of the glacier we were laughing at 2 guys who were a few hundred metres ahead of us… one of them didn’t have a backpack so clearly had no avalanche gear and he fell over twice. Apparently the helicopter picked them up an hour later because they were lost and had no rope! Serious idiots obviously.
• Drink Elixir before and after each run. It’s 69% and gives you much needed Dutch courage (or perhaps that should be finnish courage)
• Don’t fall over. At all. And make sure you’re edges are sharp as there’s a lot of slide slipping in areas  where you just can’t get a turn in and you really don’t want to fall as you’re probably not gonna stop for a while and you’ll be pretty battered up by the rocks!
• Have fun. The place is sensational and the skiing out of this world. Everyone is really friendly as well – a sharing of passions like no where else.

You know you’re skiing properly when you have to ab bits of the route!

The Elixir of life

If you’re walking over this bridge then you’ve just skied a LG road route… a deeply satisfying feeling!

Doesn’t look it but this bit was scary as shit!!

Been a bit crap at updating the blog recently – just been too busy skiing; ski touring and ice climbing! Will get the pics of all that up shortly but the pub is calling me now for a bit of hair off the dog… too many Leffe’s last night in celebration of still being alive.

Digging deep…

Ski touring today… up at 630 to get the weather window. One way to well and truly get rid of the NY hangover.

Drove to Besse, about 20 mins from Deux Alpes, and toured up to the Sommet de la Quarlie, about 850 metres of ascent in ever worsening conditions. The ski down was fun as the snow was never great given yesterday’s warm conditions which meant rain on the snow followed by a refreeze, so a hardish crust. Felt a lot better watching the UIAGM guide, who was guiding another group, fall over twice.

Snowing heavily now so hopefully a powder day tomorrow.

Hungover in Deux Alpes

Well we survived the riot in Deux Alpes… it was a war zone on the streets of Deux Alpes and the Gendarmes didn’t seem to give a flying wotsit. Anyway we managed to avoid the battling Italians and Frenchies and ski toured up the mountain to bring in NY with a bottle of champers and some homemade french onion soup (thanks Susie). Bliss.

Conditions wise… it’s dumped but the weather’s warmed and the powder was gloopy as anything yesterday – hard on the legs! It’s a beautiful day here today but sadly I am hungover and knackered! Weather’s due to come in again tomorrow then brighten up for a few days. The base is pretty good now on the mountain.

Not loving the new Line Prophets unfortunately… too wide for me and my skiing style which favours shorter turns with a pop. The Line’s are more for bigger GS style turns and are just too heavy to get any pop with especially when I’ve got the Snowpulse on my back as well. On the lookout for some new ones I think (funds permitting) so if anyone is after some new Lines then let me know! They’ve a got a few chunks out the bottom from hitting some rocks but I’ll patch that up otherwise they’ve only be skied for about 8 days in total.