Chamonix High Mountain Report: 28th December 2014

Hiking, trail running, ice climbing and dry tooling were just a few of the things available to satisfy itchy feet and prepare for the season ahead. This was by no means a chore and I spent a great few days enjoying fair weather in crevasses on Mer der Glace, the trails in Les Bois, and the steep dry tooling venue ‘The Zoo’, found down near Passy.

There was a brief but much needed snow fall on Wednesday night –Thursday (17th=18th), providing 15-30cm of very skiable snow! Although slightly wind affected, fresh tracks were a welcome sight from the top of the Grand Montets lift and spirits (and skis) were lifted.

Sunday and Monday were also fantastic and managed to smooth the furrowed brows that loitered upon the faces of expectant skiers around town. Friends Pete and Dan skied a great line in the Argentiere Basin (Breche 3159m) and reported good coverage and a fun descent after swimming up the couloir.

Sadly this spell was short lived, with another high pressure and mild temperatures resuming over the weekend followed by some very high winds, limiting the skiing somewhat. Friends did report however of fantastic (PH) ‘fat’ ice/mixed climbing conditions off the Aiguille du Midi, especially with regard to the easily accessible routes on the Triangle du Tacul, Pointe Lachenal and the Cosmiques ice fall.

The tail end of that week I set out on an AIARE Level 1 Avalanche course. We spent the first day developing skills and knowledge in Chamonix before heading over to the Simplon Pass (Switzerland). It is a fantastic course, especially for those looking to venture into the back country, and was delivered by Danny Uhlman (UIAGM Chamonix based Guide) with First Light Mountain Guides. The importance of calculated terrain choice was brought to life when a solo skier triggered a huge slab avalanche ~50m wide by ~150m long. The skier was swept down all the way and was luckily spat out on top of the debris having only to sheepishly rummage around for his skis. This persistent slab was not predicted and was/is a lesson to us all that you can never be 100% sure when off piste skiing. Visit First Light Mountain Guides website for more information and courses.

This week I went to check out the water fall ice at Rive Gauche in Argentiere. The routes are almost in good condition. We climbed Deferlante (WI4) which was fairly well formed but stubbornly refused to take ice screws without putting up a draining fight. I also had a short two days in Verbier where the pistes were in better condition than Chamonix at the time, allowing me to earn some leg-burning ski miles.

I was picking through my pictures over the last two weeks when suddenly the snow gods bore down on Chamonix valley and dumped over 50cm in the town, and more higher up. This will allow most of the resort to be open and full skiing to commence! Areas like Le Tour and Grand Montets will be the best places to ski this week, and thanks to the new lift at Grand Montets the queues should be a little less than previous years over this popular period. There is however, strong winds and extremely cold temperatures forecast up high, so attention to wind loaded slopes and northerly aspects should be considered when planning your day.

Enjoy the buckets of fresh snow out there, stay safe and ski you in the New Year!

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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.