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12-28-2016, 10:05 AM #1
Aiguilles Rouges du Dolent, South Face. Chamonix 27/12/2016
I don't know if I've mentioned it lately: there hasn't been any new snow here in Chamonix for five weeks. If you want to ski the good stuff, you have to be creative in your route choice, and enthusiastic enough to go and find it. There aren't many skiers in the valley as enthusiastic as Ross Hewitt, Jesper Petersson, and Mikko Heimonen, and it was a real treat to go looking for an adventure with them.
Ross, Mikko, and Jesper on a quest. Our route passes around the buttress in the centre of the photo to the right, before cutting up to the broken sunny slopes and up to the skyline. Somehow.
Once we'd scrambled through sugar-coated rocks we got to some decent slopes. A little crisp in places on the way up, but we expected them to be perfectly sun-softened by the time we came back down them.
The line winds its way through rocky bottlenecks and sections of mixed, opening out every now and then into small couloirs and mini-faces.
Finally, we reach the top: an obvious steep-sided breche with views down into Switzerland. End of the line, time to go skiing.
A lot of the line turned out to be downhill rock climbing, but there were some great turns too. A few steep couloirs, and a few less-steep faces.
Ross squeezing through one of the narrow points. Seemed a shame to get the rope out, so we wrestled our way through instead.
As well as some nice and spicy dry skiing, we got some pretty great snow skiing too. A little sun-softened, a few patches of compact pow, some recycled pow donated by the wind... and a little grippy chalk. Hardly any crust, not a single square inch of boilerplate. Cannot complain in the slightest.
Ross on another rocky traverse.
Surprisingly good snow, despite the rocks!
Getting involved with some primo dry skiing...
...but even Mikko and Jesper, huge dry skiing aficionados, weren't keen to try it here. Time to get the rope out, ski the sunsoft approach slopes, and rattle our way down the pinball machine glacier to the crowded pistes of the Grands Montets.
I also have a short documentary about the outing, if anyone wants to give it a glance:
Still no snow on the horizon. Even some of my slightly-deranged ski buddies have started to switch back to trail running now. I don't know how much longer I can hold out before I join them... good snow is getting harder and harder to find!
Anyway, cheers chaps. Until the next time.
Short stories about snow and rock, and pictures, too
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12-28-2016, 10:23 AM #2
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12-28-2016, 10:25 AM #3Registered User
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- Oct 2015
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Well done!
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12-28-2016, 11:12 AM #4Registered User
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- Nov 2006
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- idaho panhandle!
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- 9,952
Sporty! Well done.
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12-28-2016, 12:24 PM #5
But did you ski to the base of the tram?
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12-28-2016, 12:57 PM #6Registered User
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- Dec 2009
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- 343
Peds mate you are seriously bringing it! Absolutely fantastic and a great inspiration for getting after it! Loving it
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12-28-2016, 02:33 PM #7
Cheers dude, appreciated. I'm just trying to make the most of the time off that I have, as I'll be working pretty solidly from early-January to mid-March. I'll get the odd day here and there, but December is kind of all the winter season I'll have this year! And it hasn't snowed once...
From March onwards I might not have much free time either, as my wife and I are expecting a baby girl. But I've heard that the father's role is pretty minimal for the first few months anyway, so it shouldn't impact steep skiing season too much, right?
...right?
Funny stuff
But in all seriousness, no, we didn't. We skied to the midstation and joined the queue to download like every other poor sod. Bad times in the valley, yo.Short stories about snow and rock, and pictures, too
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12-28-2016, 08:45 PM #8
Awesome.
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12-28-2016, 08:49 PM #9
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12-29-2016, 05:55 PM #10
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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12-29-2016, 08:45 PM #11Registered User
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- Sep 2010
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- SW CO
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- 5,588
Amazing, as always. One of my favorites of the recent TRs you've posted. Looks like you guys are having a ton of fun despite the lack of recent snow.
Last edited by auvgeek; 12-30-2016 at 09:37 AM.
"Alpine rock and steep, deep powder are what I seek, and I will always find solace there." - Bean Bowers
photos
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12-29-2016, 09:15 PM #12
Spicy
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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12-30-2016, 09:21 AM #13
Haha, tricky to say, to be honest. There were definitely some places where you really didn't want to fuck up, but because the snow (what little of it we had...) was so soft, it really didn't feel that threatening.
Thanks for the kind words, and of course: the primary main objective of every outing is to come home with as many legs as you started with. Anything on top, like skiing or a summit, is nothing but a bonus.Short stories about snow and rock, and pictures, too
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12-31-2016, 08:42 AM #14
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12-31-2016, 01:46 PM #15
Amazing TR. Thanks.
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01-29-2017, 12:04 PM #16
Awesome TR. Your video edit conveyed the spirit of the trip in an engaging way. That's no mean feat, considering that job #1 involves staying safe!
... ThomGalibier Designcrafting technology in service of music
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01-31-2017, 02:26 PM #17
It's been awhile since I checked out the TRs on here. This one is impressive! Way to get after it and return safe.
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02-11-2017, 10:53 PM #18
Kick ass TR . More of these please !
License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations
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03-21-2017, 12:28 PM #19Registered User
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- Mar 2017
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- 25
Now that's earning it for the goods. Great TR!
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03-22-2017, 12:11 AM #20
Damn dood! Some of those turns. Holy f well done
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