TR: Glacier de Toule, Italy, Jan 5 2010

[CarveMan]

EDIT: Feb 11 My web host borked my photos but I have reproduced the TR on my blog:

http://aussieskier.com/index.php/201...e-toule-italy/



As you all know I'm not usually the one to post heaps of photos and document in intimate detail every run of a ski day, however we only did 2 runs this day so it shouldn't be too hard.

We met with our guide Jerome at the Compagnie des Guides in Chamonix, which is conveniently next to our hotel in the morning, to find him on the net looking up the weather and snow conditions and finding out what was open. The top of the Grands Montets is still shut so Pas de Chevre wasn't possible, but Punta Helbronner did open so he said 'On y va a l'Italia!'

30 minutes later we were in Courmayeur via the Mont Blanc tunnel - 11km underground and after the horrific accident there many years ago the safety precautions are amazing.

In the car park he started filling his back pack with Ice Axe, Crampons, Ropes, Ice Screws and various other hardware to haul people out of crevasses. The then handed us climbing harnesses which we duly donned, and started feeling incredibly hardcore, until we saw everyone in the car park doing the same.

We were in the shadows of Mont Blanc de Courmayer, and Mont Blanc itself fleetingly revealing themselves through the clouds:




So with the Ice Screws jangling off his belt off we went to the first of three trams to get us to the top:



Didn't get photos of the other two but they were increasingly smaller, crappier and scarier!!!! Once we reached the top we walked down a walkway with an automative Avie Beacon tester, and once we made it out on the snow we caught our first view of the Dent du Geant:



We then went for a 10 minute walk/sidestep to the top of the Glacier de Toule which was our objective for the day. Towering over us was Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Blanc de Courmayer and of course Mont Blanc itself:



Don't fall in the hole!:



Jerome and I working our way to the Glacier:



An icefall/seracs off tour our RHS:



L'Aiguille du Midi as seen from across Le Vallee Blanche. Poubelle looks pretty sketch so no Blizzard of Aahhs imitations this trip:



The goods. Looking down the Glacier de Toule:



The first obstacle - a massive staircase to get us on to safe ground:





Me descending the final ladder:



The stairs again:



Finally we get down on to the snow and it's time to rip it up. Jerome is very strict with his instructions on certain parts of the glacier, saying to follow closely to his tracks on the more dangerous parts, but let us open it up wherever possible. His routefinding skills were fantastic, we crossed precious few tracks all day.

CarveGirl having fun:



Me smiling:



Big powder 8's in the middle are me and Jerome's handiwork:



After 1300m vert of virgin powder we decided to head back up again. This time the views over to the Vallee Blanche and the Aiguilles de Chamonix were much better.

Dent du Geant again:



Aiguille du Midi:



Mont Maudit:



The upper reaches of the Vallee Blanche and variations:



The middle section of Vallee Blanche and variations:



This time instead of taking the stairs we decided to ski a couloir that would get us on to the glacier. 45-50deg, firm snow but unfortunately the top half had been sideslipped by so many people that it left quite a trench that would have been difficult to ski so we had to side slip too, followed by jump turns below with a sharp turn to the right to avoid the bergschrund:







Back on the glacier with the Couloir in the upper middle of shot:



Little skier amongst the big seracs: (This may be the best ski picture I have of myself)



CarveGirl:



Our handiwork in the middle of shot:



After another 1300m of largely virgin snow it was time for a fabulous Italian lunch:



This was followed by a ski down to the Valley floor - a mix of light fluffy pow in the trees, to light fluffy pow on top of avvie debris.

Here's one of the locals:



So in my usual fashion there are precious few action shots, but honestly when the skiing's that good, life's too short to break up the day with poses etc. So you'll just need to take my word for it that it was without question the most unique day I have ever had on skis, and may well be the finest as well.

Here's some Youtube footage of the day:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKwoJo60l7s"]YouTube- Richard, Glacier de Toule, Italy[/ame]

I am painfully slowly uploading another vid and will post ASAP.

[CarveMan]

Second YouTube vid of CarveGirl and Myself:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZbR5L0xc8w"]YouTube- Richard and Nicole, Glacier de Toule, Italy[/ame]

[bobrmr]

awesome pix man, looked to be a perfect day in the mountains.

[PulverSchwein]

beautiful pictures, those mountains are simply stunning in so many ways

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Nice pictures, thanks. Reason [Fill in High Number] that I need to get over there.

One question: Interesting that your guide gave you beacons put did not also provide shovels, probes, bags..... What happens if he triggers something and it caught?

[hop]

Lots of familiar places in those pics. Well done!

[Keith Wigdor]

thanks for sharing that sweet stoke!!!

[noparking]

that looks amazing

[comish]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing! Never made it to the Italian side... Add one to the list.

[str8line]

Looks like a stellar day. Really nice photos. What kind of camera did you use?

[panchosdad]

Excellent. Great views of the Aiguille du Midi, you can really see how exposed the arete from the top of the lift is.

Brings back great memories.

[BigDaddy]

Great pics and tour. I did the same thing a couple years ago and was stunned by the beauty. Pictures don't do it justice. If you've never been, go... It's amazing.

[jskierpx]

having spent a couple seasons in the alps, I can honestly say that, those runs you had, my friend, are as good as it gets...!!!

[skibum93]

Nice pictures. Those powder runs looked epic.

[goldenboy]

gotta get back there some day, thanks for the top-notch TR.

[born2snowboard99]

Those pictures are incredible, thanks for sharing the stoke.

[madturtle]

You guys scored a stellar day and pics.
Pretty sweet you got to ski all the way back to the valley floor too.

[thin cover]

excellent pics, conditions looked great. I skied the poubelle last year in the same side stepped trenched chalk, makes for a more interesting ride.

[The Gnarwhale]

wow, beautiful terrain. thanks for the great photos.

[jumpturn]

Nice work stopping for photos. Just pointing the camera in any directions gets poster quality material!

You're hooked now! Give Jerome a tip!

Plus, he got you into the zone on perhaps one of the few sunny breaks this week!

Quite a few tracks for the first bin....but tracks are good in crevasse zones.

Note the absence of tracks on the normal vallée blanche.

here's a clue....

The only missing photos are the ones looking up at the vast avy slide zones hanging over the glacier toule .... I always find it kind of spooky as you cut over to Pavillon.

[steven hatcher]

Don't the Italians now require everyone to at least wear a harness on the glaciers? I remember eating lunch at the same place you pictured last spring after coming over the top of the Hellbrunner from the Agille du Midi. Kind of fun watching upper-middle-aged men and women negotiate their harnesses in their one-pieces and trays full of pasta.

Thanks for sharing.

[subtle plague]

so so so....
the cham people came over and skied OUR pow. stay in your valley blanche or on the rond and leave the Punta to the courmayeur tourons like me!

and btw. the couloir is no way near 50°...

40 maybe... a bit more. I doubt it even hits 45°... we skied it when i tried to find the ladder thing and thought "oh well i hate ladders anyway". ( i still don't know where the ladder is ). Or maybe it IS that steep i have become Mr. Extremo.

The direct entry couloir from the top station looked tasty as well yesterday , but we had to leave and I'm not generally someone who likes to test avie conditions.
Considering the Italians: skiing a glacier without a harness is not such a big deal. The chances of falling into a crevasse while skiing (ok ok... not picknicking ) are quite slim. But since we are talking italo crazyness: you should see what they do in steep powder over in courmayeur. even whole groups with a guide..... They ski and fall down slideable coulis all 4 at once with the guide in between. Wearing shovel and stuff? Is for touristi, eh? and i thought I was reckless no wonder they closed down the plan du gaba. It is "fobidden by law", according to a sign, to ski there now because morons like them kept having trouble (and probably kept dieing) there..

[jumpturn]

Second YouTube vid of CarveGirl and Myself:

YouTube- Richard and Nicole, Glacier de Toule, Italy

Now there is a vast slide zone!: eek:

[steven hatcher]

It is "fobidden by law", according to a sign, to ski there now because morons like them kept having trouble (and probably kept dieing) there..

Law? An Italian law? Italians don't need no stinking laws. Those are for the Swiss.

[Misty_Fly]

such a sweet run, just a shame in my view they have upgraded the steps and ladder- thing used to be a few metal hoops and a knotted rope! much more fun! v jealous you got that in pow though, i've only had it in spring snow and skiing to valley floor was totally out of the question. sick day!