Snow for the Euros.

**Orash111** · 02-14-2013, 07:05 AM

Apart from wind drifts forming slabs in spots, I'd say till christmas time the avy danger was quite low considering the amount of snowfall. This damn crust layer though we've had from january is the problem now. Goes without saying, but now more than before we should all use our own assessment to judge terrain. SLF is only good for widespread avy danger. The alps are so big that danger can really vary from one spot to the next. Also read the avy forecast every day, even if you are not skiing that day, helps get a good jist of the snowpack developement.

**subtle plague** · 02-14-2013, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by verbier61

This winter the avi risk means nothing.

yeah, right.

LC · 02-14-2013, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by Orash111

2 cosmiques today possible with fast G-turns and a para face the 2nd run. Just stupidly good.

How is the Cosmiques entrance at the moment? 2 x 30m abseils?

**Alkares** · 02-14-2013, 12:12 PM

Forecast calling for another 20cm in Vorarlberg tomorrow, stoked for a recharge. Things are pretty settled out right now, north faces have nice boot deep fluff, everything else has been pretty fucked by the sun from semi-brekable to fully supportable on full W aspects. Saw some surface hoar also today on N aspects, hope this next round plays nice...

**powtario** · 02-14-2013, 01:17 PM

Playing hooky last week was the best call I've made in a long time.

Chamonix with Orash Sunday, ripped pow. Cour on Monday, ripped. Lazy ass on Tuesday giving my legs a break. Verbier with 30cm fresh on Wednesday with Orash, ripped till I couldn't walk. Orash was keeping the stoke high, wouldn't let me quit till last chair. Verbier with 30cm (more) fresh on Thursday, ripped with the better half. Verbier with 30cm (more) fresh on Friday....empty tour at Champex on Saturday.....Aiguille de Berard on Sunday.

Verbier blew my mind, so much available so close to the lifts, and Thursday the vis down low kept people away, and Friday there just didn't seem to be anybody there (compared to North America anyways). Unfuckingbelievable trip, so stoked, best snow of my life. Choked on snow in Verbier for 3 days, a crust down deep the first day, legitimately bottomless the next 2. FKNA

**Orash111** · 02-14-2013, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by LC

How is the Cosmiques entrance at the moment? 2 x 30m abseils?

Almost, one 70m rap will do it.

**Orash111** · 02-14-2013, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by powtario

... Verbier with 30cm fresh on Wednesday with Orash, ripped till I couldn't walk. Orash was keeping the stoke high, wouldn't let me quit till last chair. ...

That's how it goes when you ski with me.

**verbier61** · 02-14-2013, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Incompetent Boob

Seems 4 Swiss caught in the Bec de Etages, all alive but 2 badly hurt. The Swede was killed on Plan du Fou in a separate slide.
So much for avy 2. Stay safe out there. There's also a nasty surface hoar building.

http://genevalunch.com/2013/02/13/up...ve-2-critical/

Sent from my ST18i using TGR Forums

Sadly one of those cought at bec has passed :-(

**Foggy_Goggles** · 02-14-2013, 04:38 PM

Cham has been good the last few days. Been leading my posse down the AM which has been fun. The cosmiques sounds a little spicy for me. Starting to snow now. We'll see what the weather does.

**Ripzalot** · 02-15-2013, 02:18 AM

another avy death this time in zinal:

http://www.thelocal.ch/page/view/ava...t#.UR3tiR2Udxs

fyi the season thus far:

http://www.slf.ch/praevention/lawine...tuell/index_EN

**subtle plague** · 02-15-2013, 03:40 AM

except those three in the northern alps they all slid on the weak layers the bulletin mentions in graubünden /valais .

and considering we are only 4 weeks from true spring 10 deaths is right on the long term average per season. taking into the equation that about one gazillion times more pople ski the backcountry and especially slopes of 35°+, I'd say that is "statistically" safer out there than a few years back. Maybe because of skier compaction and better education. People push the limits ...sure, but more of them know what tehy are doing.

**Marius** · 02-16-2013, 02:15 AM

i dont get what the photographer intends to say with this one...

**jumpturn** · 02-16-2013, 09:42 AM

The AM went off for a couple hours before being tracked out! The goods sure don't last long on bluebird weekends. Cosmiques was nice to down to town, even if variable on top, and the vrai still held some fresh tracks after lunch.

**klar** · 02-16-2013, 09:58 AM

Marius, I don't get what the fotographer is doing in front of the camera here.

And my personal favourite from yesterday:

**subtle plague** · 02-16-2013, 10:20 AM

ski boot bouldering IS the future.

I had a really nice day in the obscure today.

**freak** · 02-16-2013, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Marius

i dont get what the photographer intends to say with this one...

i has wide angle lens?

freak~[

&

]

**klar** · 02-16-2013, 11:18 AM

soulcountry tYrOl !!!11

**subtle plague** · 02-16-2013, 11:29 AM

too much soul for me.

I like the porn aspect of skiing. (nah just kidding.. nice pics as usual.) How much do you have to skin up for that? the whole way or is it some sort of win win thing?

btw. I did have a face shot or two today at 1400m above sea level. which amazes me 7 days after the last decent snow....not a bad winter at all.

**Marius** · 02-16-2013, 11:33 AM

^^it doesnt matter how far it is, it's just about how much soul are willing to give...!!!

**subtle plague** · 02-16-2013, 11:34 AM

btw. are you back in Alpistan ? I thought you were skiing the Jihad?

**freak** · 02-16-2013, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by subtle plague

How much do you have to skin up for that? the whole way or is it some sort of win win thing?

about half. so if you sking 1000m you probably get 2000m of descent. sometimes a bit more, sometimes way less. it isnt too great up high atm, so were doing thing with 3 or 4 shorter descents.

Originally Posted by subtle plague

btw. I did have a face shot or two today at 1400m above sea level. which amazes me 7 days after the last decent snow....not a bad winter at all.

it actually snowed quite a bit here during the last two days. not much, maybe 20cm. but it snowed on a soft base, easily enough for faceshots. skinnig is a bit exhausting though^^
and yes, nice winter. not as great as last season but still pretty nice.

freak~[

&

]

**klar** · 02-16-2013, 11:52 AM

Marius is constantly fighting soulless infidels, no matter where he is.

And that place subtle asked about is so obscure it has been getting tracked by old men on racecarvers without backpacks for at least 20 years.

**subtle plague** · 02-16-2013, 12:00 PM

I kind of had the idea of howto get to your version of obscure, i just wasn't sure how much soul you'd had to invest from there.

3 or four runs? that still looks like 400m each. I'd be dead after run two. Tomorrow I'll head to another obscure thing where i can reap 600m down with 200m up; untracked, I hope. (Unfortunately, the direct 600m access is "Wildschutz" and kind of unskiable because of dense forest, so I have to traverse up and ski the "Alpgondel" line of the one which does not run in wintertime. Interestingly enough those open couloirs do not seem to have any protecable animals altough it is on the same face. just 1.5km up the valley.

Today I farmed the lift accessed 15-20ish fresh close to the stuff we tracked on Wednesday.
One thing I learned about track followers today: If you look dedicated enough and head into zones which seem steep (well ok they are) and seem to funnel out into bare couloirs/gullies with cliff bands in them, they don't follow you anymore and stick to the terrain we skied a few days ago.