My year in France

[rod9301]

Walking home by a XI century Cathar church.
So if you walk inside the church yard, there are bones sticking out from the ground.

Probably old monks.

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[abraham]

That ridge looks fun to explore, I'll be watching this thread. Got any couch space?

Cathar history is fascinating.

[rod9301]

3600 ft descent today. With only 100 ft up, going thru a natural tunnel in the crest.

Beautiful weather. Decent snow up high, but aventure skiing and Creek crossing down low.

Couloirs everywhere. North facing, South facing, west facing.

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[Danno]

Nice

[rod9301]

On my way to ski this couloir, untracked from yesterday's storm.

But i dug an extended column and 12 inches down, a hard thick layer.
The column failed AND propagate just by isolating it, so i decided it wasn't worth it.

Next time.

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[rod9301]

Couple of feet this week and snowing today.

Bad visibility, all above tree line, but decided to ski a couloir, rock walls hopefully providing contrast.

Skinning, couldn't see a thing.

So for the first time ever decided to listen to music.
And white room by cream seemed appropriate.

Before i got to the couloir, i dug a snow pit and didn't like the results a bit. Column propagated at 1 wrist tap.

Figured might as well love to ski another day.



Skiing was memorable, in fog all the way to the car!

And Creek crossing was interesting.

BUT, getting another meter by Friday night!

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[rod9301]

No skiing pictures, the foehn is here, raining at low elevation and 80mph winds.

So instead, a cathedral in Lourdes.

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[rod9301]

Wind is crazy today. Went up anyway and, guess what, found great snow in this couloir.

But wait, there's more. Just about when i think, what other stupid thing can i do today?

I'm in the process of putting my skis on, right after i took the last picture, and a gust of wind took me down, and there goes my ski!

So i downclimbed a 1000 ft couloir in perfect powder.

To steep to think about skiing it on one ski, and too pissed off at myself.

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[rod9301]

Too steep, not to steep.

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[stuckathuntermtn]

This is the Pyrenees not the Alps? Wow.

[rod9301]

This is the Pyrenees not the Alps? Wow.

I skied a lot in the Alps and i prefer the Pyrénées for steep couloir skiing.

Different rock, so the couloirs form much easier. On a ridge, you could have 10 couloirs, all lined up waiting.

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[rod9301]

Skied the middle couloir in the photo, in perfect dense powder. And this is right in the resort, and of course nobody skis it.
Not complaining.



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[stuckathuntermtn]

Incredible

[rod9301]

Better pictures, taken off course by my wife.

And neither one of us can ski now, we both hurt our backs, no idea how.

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[stuckathuntermtn]

Dealing with foot and back shit now too. I know mine would probably hurt after that stair stepper.
Getting old sucks.

[rod9301]

Skied East couloir on Pene det pouri today with Shelly.

After 3 weeks of skiing with the kids during the Christmas vacation, 3700 vertical felt tiring.
There's is a North couloir from the top, icy, narrow and over 50 degrees. In powder with more coverage i would consider it.

Anyway, the skiing was perfect corn. Shelly corrected me, not perfect but pretty good.

Bad news, on my second turn, a sharp pain at the top of my calf.

This has been bothering me s few years ago and this season. But not as bad as now. The adrenaline of skiing a steep, narrow couloir masked the pain a bit, but it was back in full force when we started walking to the car.
And check out how nearly stacked the fire wood is.

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[GooseOnSmallHill]

Looks fantastic - dream is to take a year out some day, ski the winter climb in the summer.

[rod9301]

Do it.
You'll be surprised how cheap it is to live here.

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[rod9301]

One more picture.

This couloir looked so good, snow nice and soft, I get Goosebumps thinking about it.

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[thefortrees]

Niiiice!!! Steep skiing looks fun

[rod9301]

Lower down, just after I hurt my calf.

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[up an down]

One more picture.

This couloir looked so good, snow nice and soft, I get Goosebumps thinking about it.

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Superbe

[meter-man]

Sick! Thanks for sharing. Will be following this thread...

Are you living at the resort? In town? Is the resort the town?

What other places did you consider before choosing this one?

[rod9301]

Sick! Thanks for sharing. Will be following this thread...

Are you living at the resort? In town? Is the resort the town?

What other places did you consider before choosing this one?

I'm living in Luz Saint sauveur, which is 15 minutes from the ski area.

The ski area is just a parking lot, restaurant and ticket office.

We skied a lot in the Alps, but my wife, who competed in 98- 2002 in the fwt, heard from a competitor friend from Andorra that skiing in the Pyrénées is awesome.

So we went there in 2015 for two years, loved it, came back to squaw for two years, bought a house in Luz and here we are.

If, like us, like couloir skiing, and stable snow, there is no better place.

Like the East side but with 30 minute approaches.

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[Emythe1]

Lower down, just after I hurt my calf.

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It looks great