Chamonix High Mountain Snow Report: 25th May 2015

There is however the small percentage of people that have their skis serviced and sharpened for the spring steep season that is waiting off the Aiguille du Midi.

This year I unfortunately have been away for a good chunk of the ‘steep’ season and have missed out on some good skiing. With many reports of big lines being skied in my absence. There have also been a couple of first descents. A new variant of the Pain du Sucre and a new line visible from the Aiguille du Midi cable car. A ski descent of the Fil a Plomb climb opened by a couple of friends Mikko and Jesper. Spotting new lines in Chamonix is a rarity in itself, let alone one visible by everyone on their way up the midi.

Taking a 6 week break from skiing has made me lose some confidence and getting straight back onto some steep lines may have to wait for now.

Returning to Chamonix after a big storm that saw snow falling on the valley floor I knew that some of the mixed routes on the Cosmiques ridge would be in condition. Spring and Autumn are the best times to get on these climbs and after bad weather they can usually be very fat with snow and ice. Getting on to an empty first bin last week we knew it would be quiet on the route. I have seen the bridge at the top in Autumn and it’s usually a fistfight to get to the abseil point first so you have no one climbing above you. This was not the case on this beautiful calm sunny day.

Our aim was the Profit Perroux and before we set off down the multiple abseils we had a quick look at the whole route from the midi viewing platform, it looked really good.

On our way down the couloir we saw a couple of groups skiing the Glacier Ronde in powder. The climbing was steep and sustained but with bomber ice we saw no real difficulties ahead. We had one group of two who were climbing behind us and only catching us on the belays, as the second was about to climb. They were happy to also have the route crowd free given the amazing conditions.

The Triangle du Tacul is in good condition for mixed climbing. Tim Oliver and myself went up yesterday for a variation of the Contamine-Grisolle. There was no wind and the sun was scorching down on us...which would explain my sun burnt neck today. We moved together for the whole route and encountered some tricky sections of thin ice and tricky, yet fun, mixed steps. Climbing with skis on your back is a little more engaging and sometimes you can knock yourself off balance when they collide with a rock, but it does however mean that the Tacul north face descent can be done in very little time and making powder turns in late May is always a privilege.

The weather has come back in today (Monday) but things are look up for later in the week, maybe good conditions for more mixed climbing, high alpine rock climbing or even skiing? Lets see what the rest of spring brings as we move closer towards the summer months here in 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.