TR: A brief return to winter (La Grave and surroundings, March 2014)

[horizon]

[cross-posted on snowheads]

High pressure had been reigning over Europe for three weeks. Ice was turning to slush by 10am, skiers were wearing T-shirts, and we had been unreliably informed that marmots were sipping umbrella cocktails while sunning themselves on the pistes.

But when five of us, coming from Brussels, Amsterdam, Bucharest, London and Salt Lake City, converged on La Grave, the rain started. This quickly turned to snow, and more than 16 inches fell overnight.

Like this:

photo by Tri-Ungulate. other pics below by me, irbis, Chowdahridah, alexoffroad and Tri-Ungulate again, if he sends them to me

So the next day looked grey and uninviting:



(we use telemarkers when we want to show how deep the powder is – that knee bend really adds a few optical inches of snow depth. Thanks to Tri-Ungulate for helping out on the shot above!)

The sun came out on Monday- time for the compulsory Telepherique shot, complete with a nice line:



and of course that of La Meije:


We wanted to ski down to St Christophe but our guide (Pierre Rizzardo - excellent chap) turned around after checking out the slope. Since he's one of the guys who decide whether the La Grave lift opens in the morning after new snowfalls, we thought he knew what he was on about:
This is where he's telling me "no go":


A run on the glacier was nice though. Tri-Ungulate again:


…and Alexoffroad:



Too bad irbis fell on the easiest run of the whole week and semi-crocked his knee. He managed to ski out…we were afraid things would turn out bad but he managed to re-join us after sitting out two days.

Couloir Patou was tracked but still fun (Tri-U again. Telemarking is just so damn sexy)



Next day we headed out to Monetier, where after skiing Couloir des Filles in interesting snow, Pierre scoped out this cool line:


(we entered at the top right of the photo - check out the tracks on viewer's right - and then we skied the big “Y” and negotiated the cliff band underneath.

Doesn't look quite as steep when Chowdahridah is in there:


…but he did ski that whole day with one boot blocked in walk mode. So had irbis, the first day and half of his previous holiday. Ski mode is for pussies.

Next day we headed to Alpe d'Huez. After half hour of skinning from Pic Blanc, we had a much better than expected run down to Vaujany:

Pierre:


Getting back up… "the road to heaven may not be a road after all":



The day ended up with a run down Grand Sablon and a traverse of about 10 miles (*) to get out.
(*) exaggerating only slightly

===end of part 1===

[summit]

Good stuff! Looking forward to part 2!

[horizon]

Part 2.

I know I said "TR - La Grave" but today Pierre decides to go to Montgenevre. We get there and find more than 10 inches of completely unexpected fresh snow at altitude. So we climb a bit:


This is where Pierre gets the place wrong by about 200 yards and he berates himself in choice French for about 10 minutes. He should have just stayed quiet - in that soupish light we could have been in Chamonix and none of us would have had a clue.

We get to a big untouched face - "La Plane":

Me:




Chowdahridah:


Alexoffroad:


irbis:


… in the afternoon we go to La Plane again (climbing in the right place this time), only to find out that another group had followed our earlier tracks, and hence had been delayed by a few minutes, just enough that we made it ahead of them for a second helping of powder laps. By now we think that Pierre did it on purpose.

Look out later for outtakes of Alexoffroad attempting a McConkey turn.


Next day - Montgenevre again. There's a platoon of French soldiers where we start our skin track. Insert compulsory French army joke here (we did):


Army installations are everywhere - here's an old fort:


We get to the top of Mont Janus, to ski Couloir des Tourelles: - (I think the Tourelles, or turrets, date from the 2nd world war)




Chowdahridah commits to the line, 80s style


Pierre, and then Alexoffroad:




irbis has rejoined us by now:


Our tracks:


Then comes lunch at the excellent Golf restaurant in Claviere, run by a very cool cigar-smoking Italian:


…and then skinning into the sunset:


and the Couloir de l'Ombilique:






=== end of part 2 ===

[nc_slater]

So much chow

[horizon]

Last day but not least - the return to La Grave, and to the back-of-the mountain run to St Christophe which we had attempted earlier (about two thousand pics ago)

…Except that we decide to do a two-hour skin and get to a valley that ends up in La Berarde. Pierre later told us about a guy who never moved from the village - he went on living there for several years when he was alone all winter.

Some skinning pics:

Starting out:


Heading to the col in the background:


Queueing up:




Pierre to the others: are you coming or what?


The entry to the valley


Pierre doesn't trust us without a rope:


So much to ski…




…so much to skin up to (spot the two skiers on the other side of the valley)


oh, you haven't spotted them yet? look closer


…and the ending in La Berarde. Say a prayer for ending the holiday with all limbs and ligaments intact (or almost, in irbis's case)


…and thanks for the patience:


===THE END===

[hoarhey]

great tr, cedric!
quite the plethora of images
of big terrain and fun skinning and skiing

jealous!

[Mike Pow]

Fabulous.

Great pics, great snow.

[klar]

well done making the most of the late snow

[peds]

Excellent stuff dude. Looks like an incredible trip.

[Buster Highmen]

Well wrought.

This brings back memories:


I smile when people say the Milky Way is flat.

[cuseo]

Very cool!
Post low, stoke high.

[whipski]

Deserves nothing less than FKNA!

[subtle plague]

nice. a TR from the west side

[plugboots]

Great pics. I had almost the same vacation the week of March 10th, even having lunch at the Golf Club. Such a great area.