Chamonix High Mountain Report: 27th February 2015

With thin snow cover in most of the south facing tree areas it is best to aim towards north facing aspects between 1200-2300 metres, this is where some of the best snow can be found. On Tuesday I headed up to the Plan d’Aiguille and rode deep fresh snow with Tim Oliver and Soren Rickards. Sometimes it pays to go up with a great photographer!

The Vallee Blanche is seeing more and more traffic now the Z is equipped with a rope down the arête. They have started using ticket numbers for the cable car on the busier days so best to get there early if it’s a sunny Saturday. It is slowly getting more filled in, not quite so many crevasses visible,  but the 'salle a manger' is still quite open and does require some clever thinking to work your way through; always hire a guide if you are not comfortable or trained in negotiating crevassed terrain. Thankfully it is still possible to ski the James Bond track all the way back to Chamonix, so you can avoid a busy train ride.

Skiing off the midi I have noticed that people have started touring towards the Breche Puiseux and Col du Tacul, these have been the only tracks visible and I have no idea how the glacier is looking or skiing on the other side, I best go and find out this week!

Leaving the Chamonix Valley I headed over to the Loriaz area (behind Buet & Vallorcine) with Tim Oliver last week and skied a very aesthetic line in great cold powder over a week after the previous snowfall. Inspired by the area after seeing the Chamlines video we set off from Chamonix at 7am! An early start just in case we were not the only ones inspired by the video and joined by others heading in the same direction. The Cornes de Loriaz, Couloir NE is a 600m 40/45’ couloir with some exposed sections. Other than this gem of a line there are lots of great touring opportunities above Buet and around the Chalets de Loriaz, so head over on a sunny day and escape the crowded half term slopes.

The Aiguille Rouges have once again proved fruitful for the masses of ski tourers heading for the classics such as Crouches-Berrard and the Keyhole. With deep snow and lots of fresh being reported, coupled with a bomber skin track on all tours its definitely a must for anyone interested in exploring more of the mountains and looking to get started ski touring.

The Argentiere basin is looking better with every new snow storm. A few weeks ago I headed up with Tim Oliver and we skied most of the Y Couloir on the Aiguille d’Argentiere. We turned around due to the intense solar radiation affecting the snow but we had over 400m of 45’ spring corn, it was amazing to get these conditions on the steeps when there was not much else to ski at the time.

With the weekends forecast bringing more snow things could shape up to be amazing next time the sun comes out. Get out there and enjoy the snow everyone and play safe!

To read more about what Joel has been up to check out his blog - Joel Evans Chamonix.

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NB: Off piste skiing and mountaineering are dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional mountaineering training and/or the individual's own back country decision making.