Snow for the Euros.

[Rossymcg]

Thanks.
I'm going to try and type something up over the next few days, partly just to order everything for myself, but just briefly...

I couldn't really have climbed back out, I had skied one of a whole bunch of couloirs that funnel down into this single exit couloir. Only when I was about a third of the way into the exit couloir did I find out that it had slid out overnight, after I had eyes on it at around sundown the previous evening, and the nice level cone at the bottom of my line, pure white and skiable when I'd seen it through binoculars from the other side of the valley yesterday afternoon, was splayed out in a messy debris pile a hundred metres long, and the guts of the couloir were scraped bare. I had aimed to ski the top couloir in sun-softened spring snow, and needed the lower couloir to be clean skiing to get out of the way in time before the upper couloirs and faces all started sluffing stuff off.
So, I had already lost a hell of a lot of time sidestepping down with my axe out, over ice, bare rocks, polished slide runnels, etc... and I decided to switch to crampons and start downclimbing, which was a lot quicker, but then a few minutes later I decided that I quite literally didn't have time for this, so I climbed sideways out of the couloir and onto a small rocky buttress below a cliff, overlooking the couloir. I knew from photomaps that I'd taken of the area over the years that it gave access to an alternative descent slope on the edge of a moraine, but unfortunately I found that the bottom of this crumbling moraine was already shitting rocks away in the heat of the day. Just a few minutes later, whilst I was looking around at my options, I heard the unmistakable hissing noise over my left shoulder, which grew to a loud roar as the first avalanche tore down the bottom of the couloir. I had brought up the idea of calling a helicopter in my mind about fifteen minutes earlier, and that made the final decision for me.

I anchored myself to a handy flake of rock that I'd stopped next to, took my phone off airplane mode, and phoned my wife to check in (I was already late home by this point) ask her to contact mountain rescue, as I didn't know how much battery I had left. They phoned me back a few minutes later and got a more detailed location from me, asked if I was in any immediate danger and anchored safely, and told me that I was in the queue. They phoned back another ten minutes later and asked, because there were other more serious cases going on ("You are sure you are in total security?"), if I minded hanging on for a while as they took care of business. I'm not sure about the timings of the Chapeau Couloir tragedy, but I assume they were managing that episode whilst I waited. So I sat for the next two and a half hours watching slide after slide rip down my exit couloir thirty metres to my left, and the moraine wall crumble away in machinegun fire beneath me. Fun times!
Eventually, the chopper arrived, the pilot phoned me and asked me to guide them towards my location, they spotted me, a dude lowered out the side of the chopper on a winch, clipped to my harness, I grabbed my sling off of the rock anchor and away we flew. They dropped me off at the Grands Montets ski area.

with out stating the obvious things could have been a lot different. I bet you were doing some 5p 10p. glad to be able to hear you telling us the story

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[peds]

with out stating the obvious things could have been a lot different.

You have no idea how grateful I am for the hand I was dealt, in the grand scheme of things. The window between life and not life was only around ten to fifteen minutes long.

I'll upload a picture or two later to better describe the spot I was in.

[Rossymcg]

You have no idea how grateful I am for the hand I was dealt, in the grand scheme of things. The window between life and not life was only around ten to fifteen minutes long.

I'll upload a picture or two later to better describe the spot I was in.

there was something/someone looking out for you, 10 mins either way I don't want or need to say the out come. you're an experience mountain guy, I think it would have been a different ending had someone without your experience been in there.

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[ClarkleberryFinn]

You have no idea how grateful I am for the hand I was dealt, in the grand scheme of things. The window between life and not life was only around ten to fifteen minutes long.

I'll upload a picture or two later to better describe the spot I was in.

I guess you must be doing a lot of what if/should have/etc, but it sounds like you made solid and intelligent decisions to deal with and extricate yourself from the situation - respect.

[peds]

Cheers dudes, I appreciate your kind words. I didn't do much yesterday except sit and hug my daughter and go back out into the woods to look at the line through the binoculars some more. A lot of what ifs and everything, but there's only so much pondering you can do before it stops being productive.

Here's some pictures.

View from across the valley the day before, exit filled with snow, all looking good.


View from across the glacier post-rescue, note position of red box, my little bastion of rock. Alternative exit slope down and left of red box blocked by crumbling moraine. Green line is the route skied, and the entrance to the exit couloir, but the body of the couloir is hidden behind the cliffs obviously.


View from up on the side of the couloir, inside red box in photo2. Note the new position of that nice cone of snow in photo1, splayed out across the glacier at the bottom. Damn.


Of course, the eagle-eyed among you might notice that there's a pretty simple way out between the main line in the upper cliffs and that lower exit couloir... just traverse out and skin back up to the main glacier. This is the way that me and my partner took last year when we skied the same upper line, the south west couloir of the Becs Rouges, when the exit couloir definitely wasn't in condition, in one of the worst snow years in living memory. When I had this as an option, I was still under the impression that the final slopes were intact and safe to ski. I only realised what condition the lower couloir was in when I was already a few hundred metres down into it.

[~mikey b]

Wow peds. Hug that baby again.

[Ripzalot]

gripping write-up! glad you're ok peds.

[Ripzalot]

And again this proves this is the best thread on TGR. Good to hear you are ok Peds

brings back memories of our galtis adventure.

[conan the librarian]

Fuck that's seriously hairy. Really interesting read and pics.

[hafjell]

My monitor at work is garbage so excuse the low-rez question. What are you anchored into? Looks like a bush.

[peds]

My monitor at work is garbage so excuse the low-rez question. What are you anchored into? Looks like a bush.

Yep, it's a bush, if the stalk is thicker than your thumb it'll probably take your weight. Best not to shock load them though.

Haa, no, the horn of rock just behind the bush was good and solid, it went down deep and didn't wobble when smacked with an axe. There is a sling around that. I was looking around for a crack to slot a nut into as well, more to kill time than anything else, but I didn't need anything more than that horn, really.

[Zeedashbo]

So burly. Glad you're ok

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[hafjell]

Yep, it's a bush, if the stalk is thicker than your thumb it'll probably take your weight. Best not to shock load them though.

Haa, no, the horn of rock just behind the bush was good and solid, it went down deep and didn't wobble when smacked with an axe. There is a sling around that. I was looking around for a crack to slot a nut into as well, more to kill time than anything else, but I didn't need anything more than that horn, really.

Wow. I'm glad I read your second paragraph. I wasn't sure how to respond to the first.
Sorry if these questions are tedious, but I ski solo a lot and am always interested in what people carry for emergency. You were wearing a harness and had a few slings and a small rack of stoppers/nuts and carabiners in your bag? Did you have a rope? If not, is that something you're considering adding to your everyday kit?

[nortonwhis]

thanks for sharing

[peds]

Sorry if these questions are tedious, but I ski solo a lot and am always interested in what people carry for emergency. You were wearing a harness and had a few slings and a small rack of stoppers/nuts and carabiners in your bag? Did you have a rope? If not, is that something you're considering adding to your everyday kit?

Don't worry about it dude, I'm happy to answer whatever questions I can.
Yes, I was wearing a harness as I knew I'd be doing at least 2 rappels in the higher couloir, and there were several glaciers to cross at various points of the day. I brought 4 nuts of various sizes, and 10m of 5mm cord just in case I needed to repair or replace the anchors that I already knew were there. As it was I managed to keep all 4 nuts, but I did leave a couple of meters of cord behind. On my harness that day were 3 slings (1 big, 1 medium, 1 small), crevasse rescue kit, ice screw, belay device, prussik, 4 nuts, and two spare carabiners. I had 60m of rope with me, made up of 2x30m glacier ropes.

Except for when I go ski touring with my daughter in her babybackpack or a couple of times that I've just gone for a quick sprint mission ski tour with the dog, I honestly don't remember the last time I went skiing without a rope stuffed into the bottom of my bag, but it has to be said I only ever go ski touring, I don't ride pistes or lift served off piste that much any more. A rope really doesn't weight anything compared to how useful they are, and I've found it to be a great tool if you find yourself in the wrong place. I do a lot of exploring in the woods above my house, and there are quite a few very short cliffs and rock bands scattered about the place. Sometimes it's easier to just throw a rope around a tree and "angel wings" your way off a rock than it is to side step back up and find a new route around.

[hafjell]

Don't worry about it dude, I'm happy to answer whatever questions I can.
Yes, I was wearing a harness as I knew I'd be doing at least 2 rappels in the higher couloir, and there were several glaciers to cross at various points of the day. I brought 4 nuts of various sizes, and 10m of 5mm cord just in case I needed to repair or replace the anchors that I already knew were there. As it was I managed to keep all 4 nuts, but I did leave a couple of meters of cord behind. On my harness that day were 3 slings (1 big, 1 medium, 1 small), crevasse rescue kit, ice screw, belay device, prussik, 4 nuts, and two spare carabiners. I had 60m of rope with me, made up of 2x30m glacier ropes.

Except for when I go ski touring with my daughter in her babybackpack or a couple of times that I've just gone for a quick sprint mission ski tour with the dog, I honestly don't remember the last time I went skiing without a rope stuffed into the bottom of my bag, but it has to be said I only ever go ski touring, I don't ride pistes or lift served off piste that much any more. A rope really doesn't weight anything compared to how useful they are, and I've found it to be a great tool if you find yourself in the wrong place. I do a lot of exploring in the woods above my house, and there are quite a few very short cliffs and rock bands scattered about the place. Sometimes it's easier to just throw a rope around a tree and "angel wings" your way off a rock than it is to side step back up and find a new route around.

Ok, safe to say you were as prepared for this as is reasonable. The 10m of cord for rap anchors confirms that. Sounds like you really did just get hosed by the exit snow cone ripping out overnight.
To continue the gear nerdery, as I'm about to make a purchase, what harness are you using, and which ropes? Although you didn't mention them, which axes do you carry?

[LeoK]

follow up question:

2x30m rope ist your standard always in the pack or did you bring more because of the rappels or both as you rappel always when you ski ;-) How do you feel about super light rap lines for crevasse rescue / rappel etc.

I'm sure this has been discussed elsewhere, so if somebody can redirect me I would appreciate this as well.

[peds]

Ok, safe to say you were as prepared for this as is reasonable. The 10m of cord for rap anchors confirms that. Sounds like you really did just get hosed by the exit snow cone ripping out overnight.
To continue the gear nerdery, as I'm about to make a purchase, what harness are you using, and which ropes? Although you didn't mention them, which axes do you carry?

The harness I use is a lightweight Cilao thing, it's comfortable enough to rappel in but you wouldn't want to be dangling around in it for hours on end. If there's lots of hard climbing or a bit of free-hanging rappeling to do, I bring my Petzl rock climbing harness instead.
Axes, I have a Climbing Technology Agile 45, a Grivel AirTech Evo, and a pair of DMM Apex. They weigh, in turn, 200g, 500g, and 650g each, so I mix and match according to what I'll need, depending on what the route requires. Often I'll just bring the Grivel or the CT Agile, sometimes the two, occasionally I'll bring one of the Apex and the Grivel, very rarely I'll bring both Apex. I'd happily recommend a pair of Grivel AirTech Evos as a do-it-all setup, light enough but very capable.

follow up question:
2x30m rope ist your standard always in the pack or did you bring more because of the rappels or both as you rappel always when you ski ;-) How do you feel about super light rap lines for crevasse rescue / rappel etc.

A single 30 lives in my bag, I brought a second one that day because one of the rappels was at least 20m long. A friend and I skied the first half of the line last year, so I knew it would be easiest to bring more string.
Those super light 6mm lines are great up to a point, but a) I can't afford one, and b) it's scary enough watching your 7.6mm rope rubbing around on granite, let alone something even thinner. I prefer fatter ropes in general, really, and I'm happy to just put up with the additional weight.

[JRainey]

Don't want to break the flow too much, haven't checked into this post in a while. Glad everything turned out ok. I've got a 22month old and a 4 week old, so I can imagine the emotional stress of all this. Here's a little low consequence stoke:

[bobinch]

Over in the US and hoping to get to Jackson Hole for a weekend. Anyone on here from that neck of the woods or got any local contacts?

[philippeR]

I'm late to this thread. Thanks for sharing, Peds. Honest write up and sobering story.
My tax € put to some good use...

[beer30]

Over in the US and hoping to get to Jackson Hole for a weekend. Anyone on here from that neck of the woods or got any local contacts?

Whatcha got questions about?

[Hicks]

@Peds:
glad you are ok, surely the right call in your situation.

Thursday's mini storm still was a game changer in the Valais (Verbier) from rotten snow back to prime conditions with up to 2 feet high up and still a foot down to 2200 m.

[mcwatt]

American checking in from Engelberg here. Anyone around that wants to do some shredding and/or grab a beer? PM me! I'll be around for the next week.

[bobinch]

Whatcha got questions about?

Thanks! Got sorted out by the JH crew.

Peds, glad your adventure ended safely. We got picked up a few years back after getting in trouble on the way down from Mont Blanc. Those heli guys were awesome!