TR: Euro Sampler January 2009

**jumpturn** · 02-17-2010, 07:16 PM

This is a sampler of the highlights of January 2009 in Europe. These were culled from stealth posts to "Snow for the Euros" on TGR.

01-01-2009
some good skiing in Cham today. 20-40 cm. Generally, dust over crust, unless you hit the right places where there was no bottom.

Plenty of crowds too.

No photos.

01-03-2009
did the grand envers today to check things out. Sporty bershrund up top and sketchy hardpack on the first two drops. Even though it was pretty well tracked, pow was to be had on day three. Lower sections were moguled. Some sporty bits on the return. More snow needed.

A skier cut loose the top pitch exposing the underlying ice.

Guide with client on a sporty section on the exit, which illustrates the impact of high winds on the Vallée Blanche.

01-05-2009
Did another Envers du Plan variation yesterday. The main line down the VB is more irritating with lots of exposed crevasses to navigate. pics to come.

Some fresh turns on the Petit Envers du Plan descent.

Irritating crevasse navigation on the Vallée Blanche return, which was exposed by earlier high winds.

Grand Envers Exit Couloirs with skier about to huck a rock band.

01-09-2009
For the record, flingle and I got bouted by chest deep wallowing trying get up one of his couloirs at Ceillac. It continued snowing all day yesterday. Please send a boot packing team!!!

Flingle approaching the 350m North Couloir, Ceillac, France, January 8, 2009.

More photos and description available at http://alpinebreak.com/2009/photo/fo...ntral-couloir/ and http://alpinebreak.com/2009/photo/ceillac/

01-10-2009
Slogged out many kms to the Escreins valley with flingle to avoid the crowds of the Ice Fest in Argentiere. No problem. This areas sees a handful of visits per season.

Leading Profession Homme in my new Zzeus ski boots (!), a good Canadian 4+ (meaning harder than any 5+).

01-11-2009
Skied Abriès today with 460 cm on top (60 cm last dump). Some hero POW runs were to be had even though people had been hammering away at it for four days. Some La Grave refugees were on hand. Kind of sore today after a huge approach and a warm up bit of ice with flingle.

Abriès' few pistes are surrounded by interesting woods skiing. January 13, 2009.

01-14-2009
Went to Crévoux yesterday at flingle's suggestion and even found some fresh snow in bowls and in the forest.

Off-piste at Crévoux, France, January 13, 2009.

Interesting opportunites off the back side of Crévoux, France. January 13, 2009.

01-17-2009
Climbed Les Formes du Chaos yesterday to test out my new ice boots, and then, skied around Ceillac for the afternoon. Lots of fresh snow if you want to hike a little, or a lot. Skinned up to the Tête de Gramusat today to check out some radder lines.

The Hautes Alpes classic Les Formes du Chaos, 4, 300m, Ceillac, France, January 16, 2009.

Fonte Sancte couloirs behind Ceillac, France, January 16,2009.

LesRecines du ciel 6+/6b/A2, 300m, touches down for a pure and ill ice climb, Vallée de Freissinières, France, January 17, 2009.

Climbers (topping out the free-hanger upper left of big hole) on Déconnexion, 6+, 180m on the 320m Tête de Gramusat, Vallée de Freissinières, France, January 17, 2009.

01-19-2009
Went tree skiing today in the storm at Puy Saint-Vicente in Les Hautes Alpes at flingle's suggestion. His anglo locals never turned up, but it was easy enough to ski fresh 900-1100m vd lines all day. It snowed all day and freshened up the already considerable base. Pretty fun flying off stuff and landing on deep pillows. Here are several photos to give a feeling for the place. There are some couloirs as well but the visibility was poor.

**jumpturn** · 02-17-2010, 07:17 PM

01-20-2009
I rolled out of bed about 10 and headed off to Crévoux for more tree skiing. Got there about 11 and reached the top at about 11:30. There were fresh tracks everywhere all day in the 20-40 cm received atop an ample base. Snow quality was excellent on top (500m) but a little heavy at the bottom (300m). Fortunately, they closed the left side due to level 4 avi risk, so probably not all of the 20 people there tracked up that side. The black piste remained a fresh powder run all day! Only the 40º stuff way left was sloughing hard, but everything else was stable. My legs are now officially cooked after turning my 183 Bros into tree skis (nothing like a 33m turn radius to get you in shape!). I managed to get a few photos but motivation was tapped as the day wore on, the clouds rolled in, and it snowed harder. Plus, we were too busy schralping and dodging slough in the higher angle trees!

Looking at the right side about 11:30

Looking straight down at some hero pow.

A nice run down a gully for a warm-up.

The black piste wasn't getting much traffic due to avi closure so it made for a fine second run, and remained a pow run all day!

Neither was the woods!

Killer right side tree skiing is pretty fun. Both those tracks are mine!

More snow rolled in and reduced visibility for good photos as we focused on the higher angle trees.

Not even working for freshies...

01-18-2009
flingle and I climbed Cousin Hubert today while waiting for some snow accumulation. Ice conditions in les Hautes Alpes are excellent after a couple lack luster years.

Cousin Hubert, 5+, 130m is the thin center ice line with the forming Cigar des Violins, 6, 150m on the left and Les Visiteurs, 5, 160m on the right, Freissiniéres, France, January 17, 2009.

flingle leading the 1st pitch of Cousin Hubert, 5+, 130m, Secteur Cascade des Violins, Freissiniéres, France, January 18, 2009.

jumpturn leading the 2nd pitch

flingle following the 2nd pitch.

flingle rapping off.

01-23-2009
Did the Grand Envers and the Cosmiques yesterday with bluebird skies. There was nice POW on top of the Grand Envers but things were a little tracked down lower. The return involved considerable walking and some modest up hill. The Cosmiques was tracked but nevertheless good in the afternoon. There was lots of avalanche debris on the Bossons and a 3m huck to get through the seracs. Kind of rocky on the return. Some pics will follow, but the conditions will change dramatically with the dumpage that is occurring now.

A key point to note is that there is a hard sun baked layer under the newer snow that provides a surface for sliding skiers or snow. When people scrape off the surface you get this layer to ski. Where the wind has hit, the hard layer can be exposed as well. It was exposed in spots on the Grand Envers as well as on the Cosmiques.

A first-bin snowboarder being rescued from a crevasse on the Col du Plan. He went in about 3m but was OK and surfed out.

Dropping into the Gand Envers. Note old surface exposed by only three previous skiers.

A nice bergshrund to jump on the second drop of the Grand Envers.

Surfing the lower Cosmiques.

01-24-2009
Went over to Courmayeur today and bumbled around the trees in bottomless POW -- like probably 1m or more because it didn't rain. We were slacking when they opened the lift, so we only got a couple pow runs on the piste, but we were happy in the trees with sometimes too deep fresh. What that means is falling in way too deep standing on your skis or submarining a tip and having to struggle out with bottomless poles from time to time!!!

After lunch, we bumbled onto a nice steep tree gully system leading down to town, and we knew we had the goods when the pro skiers zoomed down the exit. In the context of a major shark frenzy by the cham and Courmayeur locals with only the lower mountain open, we did quite well without the line and timing beta. Photos tend to suffer in these circumstances, but we got a couple.

Telemarking in bottomless POW found on every run.

Jumpturn emerging from the woods in bottomless POW.

Dropping out from the steep trees onto the exit and the zone of death (major couloirs and snow fields above and right).

Moving right along in the monster runout zone.

01-25-2009
Skied the Grands Montets today. Got the first run down the Pendant in awesome conditions. Did a couple more fresh runs and then met up with some friends for the Couloir Rectiligne. We got first tracks on it in great conditions. The top was kind of slidy and needed some careful cutting, but then the couloir skied fine one at a time. An underlying rain crust kicked in about half way down the moraine to the raps. The usual rap was skiable and the exit couloir had good, if somewhat variable, coverage. Because the train was close, we were obliged to ski down to Chamonix for a 2300m (1300 +1000) descent. Another fantastic POW day with euro terrain!

Crowds racing down behind Dan and Valerie from the Grands Montets for the already tracked Pas de Chevre.

Upper Rectiligne with Valerie in the foreground.

The lower Rectiligne. Note nice run from cleaning up the top!

Yum, fresh and steep!!

Jumpturn conducting stability tests in the mid couloir.

Exiting the couloir and crossing the bergshrund (by the rock).

Negotiating crevasses to get onto the Glacier Nant Blanc.

Dan and Valerie telemarking the Glacier Nant Blanc.

Jumpturn route finding on the Glacier Nant Blanc.

Traversing off the glacier onto the moraine with the Couloir Rectiligne in the background.

Telemarking below the Dru on the moraine. An irritating rain crust kicked in at the bottom of this.

Tracking the day's activities.

**jumpturn** · 02-17-2010, 07:25 PM

Recovered a TR lost on the PMGear forum. The [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180620"]2010 TR[/ame] includes an index of euro stoke up front.