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01-25-2013, 07:55 AM #1
TR: Y Couloir, Aiguille d'Argentiere CHAMONIX
The Freeride World Tour has taken over Chamonix/Courmayeur and I've been working for Epic TV, here in Cham, interviewing athletes and such and not getting to take advantage of the sick, stable pow and nice sunny but cold weather. http://daily.epictv.com/blog/2013/01...er-courmayeur/ BUT yesterday was the day. No one I had talked to had been in the Argentiere Basin yet this winter and didn't know what conditions were like so Dave Searle (local Chamonix bad-ass: www.davesearle.me, CHECK HIM OUT!) and I decided to go check out some rad lines I hadn't snowboarded yet. We decided to climb the Milieu Glacier on the Aiguille d'Argentiere and look in the Y couloir. If it looked good, we'd shred it, if not we'd shred back down the Milieu. We had no idea it was about to be one of the most epic descents either of us had ever had!
This is our route up the Milieu. It's a bigger climb than I remembered, from the Argentiere Glacier to the top of the Aiguille d'Argentiere at 3877m.
I took this picture from Luca Pandolfi's website from when he shredded it two years ago. This ain't no LCC Y...
The view from down here never gets old.
Dave Searle getting to the top of the headwall. "It feels like we're climbing a 8000 m peak!" -Dave. Indeed, it did.
Climbing down from the summit to get a look into the Y.
After some hesitant, thoughtful banter about conditions and whatnot we threw a couple boulders into the Y and seeing nothing but powder explosions we decided to drop in. It looked really steep, I was kind of scared.
Searle sends!
I carefully made my way down the steepest part at the top, making turns here and there then Searle sends again.
The pitch mellowed out a bit and got really enjoyable.
We thought the snow in the sun might be sun crusted as we approached it... but no. It was rip-able blower.
RIP-ABLE! But we keep in mind there is a 30m rappel at the bottom.
After the rappel we shredded down the Amethyst Glacier and the mountains lit up in the sunset. The day didn't come to an end until I skated across a slightly uphill, rolling glacier for an hour and a half. Dave Searle waited patiently giving nice words of encouragement. We finally got through the broken glacier to the Grandes Montets piste and shredded down 2,500 ft of soft piste in a total white-out fog, in the dark... Could've done without the fog fo sho.
Last edited by BettyDee; 01-25-2013 at 10:02 AM.
www.lizdaley.us
@liz_daley
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01-25-2013, 07:59 AM #2Boyah
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Very nice!!
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01-25-2013, 08:06 AM #3
Well done, TFP.
www.apriliaforum.com
"If the road You followed brought you to this,of what use was the road"?
"I have no idea what I am talking about but would be happy to share my biased opinions as fact on the matter. "
Ottime
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01-25-2013, 08:13 AM #4
Nicely done. However, I'm surprised you guys neither skied or snowboarded at all... Only shredding, sending, and ripping...
TRs, photos, videos, and building skis (2 pairs so far...):
http://wasatchprotocol.wordpress.com/
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01-25-2013, 08:31 AM #5
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01-25-2013, 08:35 AM #6
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01-25-2013, 09:36 AM #7
Right call, Liz!
Way to sniff out the goods.
Where's Dave?
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01-25-2013, 09:39 AM #8
Props! Great line.
'waxman is correct, and so far with 40+ days of tasting them there is no way my tongue can tell the difference between wood, and plastic made to taste like wood...but i'm a weirdo and lick my gear...' -kidwoo
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01-25-2013, 09:47 AM #9
Are you wearing girls pants Dave?
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01-25-2013, 10:05 AM #10www.lizdaley.us
@liz_daley
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01-25-2013, 10:25 AM #11
could you have found a more gnar day trip ???
I don't know how you can top this ...
only in france ...We, the RATBAGGERS, formally axcept our duty is to trigger avalaches on all skiers ...
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01-25-2013, 10:35 AM #12Alp Rausch
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- Dec 2010
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- Schweiz
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Way to rep the stoke! Hmm i need to get off my ass more.... Nice work guys
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01-25-2013, 11:03 AM #13observing free range rude
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very cool TR, impressive stuff.
Just for fun it would be cool to see a totally aggro face while sending an ice axe into ice or whatever. Just to get that dramatic feel
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01-25-2013, 11:59 AM #14Registered User
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- Oct 2006
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- denver
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spectacular line
I can't believe you are a rando racer because I look so much better in Lycra than you.
People who don't think the Earth is flat haven't skied Vail.
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01-25-2013, 12:07 PM #15
Way too rad Liz!
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01-25-2013, 12:08 PM #16
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01-25-2013, 01:22 PM #17
Way to rip a great line...I enjoyed that TR.
I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...iscariot
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01-25-2013, 01:37 PM #18
i love seeing this stuff. it's something i'm not skilled or in-shape enough to do. thanks for posting rad lines!
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01-25-2013, 02:52 PM #19
that was pretty okay, i guess.
seriously, i could die happy after skiing something like that in those conditions. sick tr as usual.We heard you in our twilight caves, one hundred fathom deep below, for notes of joy can pierce the waves, that drown each sound of war and woe.
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01-25-2013, 04:24 PM #20
Excellent. Thank you.
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01-25-2013, 04:50 PM #21
Awesome TR.
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01-25-2013, 06:10 PM #22
Very nice!
To hit something like that in those conditions - my envy knows no bounds....Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain...
"I enjoy skinny skiing, bullfights on acid..." - Lacy Underalls
The problems we face will not be solved by the minds that created them.
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01-25-2013, 06:52 PM #23Registered User
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- Sep 2005
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great stuff, super bad ass!
really enjoying the interviews for the FWT too!
thanks for sharing!
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01-25-2013, 08:01 PM #24
Way to bring it, Miss Daley
_______________________________________________
"Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.
I'll be there." ... Andy Campbell
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01-25-2013, 08:08 PM #25Registered User
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- Aug 2009
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respect!!!!
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