Xmas Couloir, Chamonix 22/12/16

[peds]

The original plan was to try for the Aiguille du Chardonnet and do a kind of loop-de-loop sort of route, but every single way up or down it was either gravel or grey ice, so we went for a look at the Aiguille d'Argentiere instead. Given the way of the wind, we though there might be some nice snow on the Whymper Glacier and the X-Couloir.
After wrestling our way through facet holes, crumbling moraine, and barely-covered granite slabs, w skinned across the Glacier du Chardonnet and then made a right turn onto the Whymper. Once we'd reached the top of the X-Couloir to find an impenetrable barrier of grey ice on the north face, the final slopes up to the summit, the decision to turn around was already made for us, armed as we were with only a single decent axe and one aluminium toy axe each. No matter, time to ski what we've worked for. The couloir had around 30cm of pof on a remarkably sharky base (sorry, left ski), and the Whymper Glacier below gave us 5cm of soft on an old base, but this was soon followed by the inevitable crud, granite, and bare blue ice of the the lower slopes.

We made around 1300m of ascent and got about 700m of great skiing in return. The rest wasn't quite so good. But given how scarce good snow is these days in Chamonix, I consider the day to be a total success. Top day out.



Me and friend Jack, who joined us up to the junction between the Whymper route and the Col du Chardonnet, but then peeled off back down to go to work. Notice the shitty (lack of) snow on the glacier behind us, and the same on the lower end of the back of the Grands Montets. More snow, please!


Skinning finished, we switch to crampons. Traversing above the bergschrund below the X Couloir.


Booting up the couloir in unbelievably good snow, shame about a couple of rocks poking through, and a few more that aren't.


Looking onto the north face of the Argentiere, time to turn around.


Grant having a ski.


Getting a bit dry lower down again.


Merry Christmas!

[summit]

Like

[grinch]

Fine looking ski. Pow turns 4 xmas

[hutash]

Nice. Sounds like a limited number of turns for a significant effort, but looks like a beautiful day in the mountains.

I recently spent near eight hours of hiking, post holing and bushwhacking for two pitches of ice climbing. Still, it was a beautiful day in the mountains.

[peds]

Nice. Sounds like a limited number of turns for a significant effort, but looks like a beautiful day in the mountains.

Welcome to December 2016 in Chamonix! It hasn't snowed for five weeks now. If you want to ski good snow, you have to work for it.

[hutash]

Thanks for putting in the effort, the TRS are worth a read.

[klar]

I've said it before, but it's still a nice hat.

[alpinevibes]

Getting a bit dry lower down again.


Merry Christmas!

So does Santa rap down the chimneys in Cham to deliver gifts?



Thanks for the stoke