Chamonix High Mountain Report: 9th December 2014

Without wanting to drive two hours to Cervinia the only option at the moment seems to be touring in the High Mountains. La Palud cable car just through the tunnel in Italy offers the same terrain that is accessed by the Aiguille du Midi but unlike its French equivalent it remains open throughout late November and December. Included in the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass and with free parking it is worth the trip for those who are craving turns. A discounted tunnel pass can be purchased from Montenvers ticket office.

Last Wednesday I went along with a few friends to check out conditions and we were pleasantly surprised. Cold powder and blue skies awaited us and we seemed to be the only people around. Heading towards the Tour Ronde we soon found out how unacclimatised we all were. We went up the East Face and then skied back down. It was well filled in and we only had to down climb over one big rock step.

Things have changed up high recently with no new snow and some high winds. Returning to La Palud on Sunday we once again left a grey and gloomy Chamonix to be greeted by Italian sunshine. Things felt different, as both car parks were full. Unknown to us, it was an Italian holiday, and thankfully most of the cars belonged to sightseers but there were definitely more people than last week on the Glacier.

There was a mix of climbers and skiers but as we left the lift station it was apparent that we were not the only three people heading towards the Gervasutti Couloir on the Tour Ronde. Upon arrival at the bottom we could see 7 people strung out along the boot pack. Undeterred we headed up and only bumped into 4 people who were going back down. One pair in ski-mo race suits shot down at high speed while the other pair side slipped the entire thing, this left us wondering what the snow on the descent would be like.

Side slipping through a few rocks at the top we had 250m of chalky but tracked out snow that was well worth the effort. The last 50m was very firm and with the very large open Bergschrund at the bottom a fall was not an option. Before we knew it we were back in the sun and heading back towards the Torino for a sandwich. The Italian holidaymakers made big queues on the way down, waiting for over half an hour to get to the bottom was the only downside of the day. You can’t have it all!

Overall the conditions in the high mountains are looking OK with the west, east and north faces of the Tour Ronde all being skied. Touring off the lifts is the only option until the Aiguille du Midi opens on the 20th of this month. Without more snow I don’t think its possible to ski the Vallee Blanche as there are countless open crevasses, which could mean more touring around.

This week looks like there will be some sunshine up high but it does come with some high winds which is not going to do the snow any favours.

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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.