My year in France

[rod9301]

sweet! headed out in 4 weeks, loving reading the stories and seeing the pictures you are posting Rod!

Where are you going?

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[rod9301]

Got about 2 ft of snow, and of course rain last night.

Went to ski a couloir this morning. About 30 cm of wet snow, on top of dry powder.

Dug a pit, easy shear but no propagation. Ok, moving on.

A couple of hundred feet higher, the wet snow became much less supportive, easier column collapse, fog moved in, so i called it a day.

Skiing was interesting at best. In the steep couloir, ok, but unpredictable. Back seat pretty much all the time.

When it opened up, with the fog, and lower angle, scary.

80 new cm predicted by Saturday morning, cold temps, so we will see.

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[Jack Burton]

Our trip is based around 7 days in/around La Grave/Ecrins Alps starting on April 12 with a guide we skied with at a hut last year in Revelstoke area, a few days on around La Grave and then a hut trip through the Ecrins finishing up 4/18/20. We're flying into Geneva on 3.31.20 so have 10 days to ski where the snow is best, would love to ski Cham but are totally open to conditions :-) A friend that's a stronger mountaineer, my wife and I are the crew, STOKED

[rod9301]

Our trip is based around 7 days in/around La Grave/Ecrins Alps starting on April 12 with a guide we skied with at a hut last year in Revelstoke area, a few days on around La Grave and then a hut trip through the Ecrins finishing up 4/18/20. We're flying into Geneva on 3.31.20 so have 10 days to ski where the snow is best, would love to ski Cham but are totally open to conditions :-) A friend that's a stronger mountaineer, my wife and I are the crew, STOKED

Nice trip, have fun.

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[mr. hankey]

Rod, this thread is awesome! great work man Looks like you're livin' the dream.

[rod9301]

Rod, this thread is awesome! great work man Looks like you're livin' the dream.

Thanks, Abe.

Having fun.

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[rod9301]

And it looks like you have more time to ski, now that the kid is older.

You had some great trips last year.

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[rod9301]

After we got about a meter of snow, Shelly and i skied three couloirs today. Great hot pow, first tracks in all of them.

It got pretty warm though, and tomorrow it's supposed to be warmer. We have a North facing couloir on the schedule.

Then more snow on the way for the next 7 days, starting this weekend.

The fourth picture shows the two couloirs we skied at the end of the day. Dropped in at the top of the one on the right, skied it and skinned and hiked the one on the left.

Not too steep, 40 or so, but lots of fun.

And all of it was lift accessed, with a 10 minute hike for the first, and an hour skin for the second.

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[rod9301]

We tried to do this couloir yesterday late afternoon, but it was frozen, and with dinner nasty breakable crust.

Will be back.

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[rod9301]

Skied this short couloir this morning. We thought that maybe it would be frozen, but you can't get lucky unless you're in a position to get lucky.

Snow was pretty good, wet powder on a firm base.

But first, look at the possibilities, i marked a couple of couloirs.

Good week so far, and kids have races this weekend, u10 and u12


Of course, woke up to news that Europeans can't fly to the us, and it probably means that if we fly home, we'll be quarantined.

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[rod9301]

Decided to ski a West facing couloir today. Not really motivated to start early or go fast.

Hiked up the snowfield, and the plan was to drop in the couloir from the top.

It was pretty firm on top, even though in the sun.

Then in the middle it was in the shade, which probably meant it was like cement, not wet cement, but month old.

So i skied what i climbed, after a careful downclimb.

Snow was pretty good, and i was playing with my turns to see how tight i can make them. (Not tight enough).

Good views though, and you can see the many couloirs we have here.

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[rod9301]

Went to ski a couloir on bonida this morning, well, an alpine start at 11.

On the way there, i saw another one, shorter but steeper. Snow was ok, isothermic though, especially on top. I think because it was close to rocks, and they warmed it up.

Scary putting my skis on on a knife edge, while managing my backpack, crampons, etc.

Then the first turn. Very steep, and the snow was not supportable at all. Didn't look pretty.

But about 4 meters lower, the snow became supportable and my turns better.

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[meter-man]

Love this thread. How's the COVID situation in your neck of the woods?

[rod9301]

Love this thread. How's the COVID situation in your neck of the woods?

France is on lockdown since today. Everyone is supposed to stay inside unless you have to go to work and you can't work from home, go shopping for food and drugs, and for sports but only alone.
Took advantage of this.

Nobody on the streets, grocery stores empty.

Schools closed.

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[rod9301]

And i think borders closed.

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[Morroi]

And the gendarmerie (PGHM) strongly suggests not to take part in any action sports as healthy facilities are very close to limit capacity and all emergency rooms and staff are needed for coronavirus victims.

[rod9301]

And the gendarmerie (PGHM) strongly suggests not to take part in any action sports as healthy facilities are very close to limit capacity and all emergency rooms and staff are needed for coronavirus victims.

True, but I'm pretty careful.

And not doing anything would drive me crazy.

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[rod9301]

This morning i listed my skis and my e bike in the car (for the approach) and i started driving to ski a peak above my house.

Sure enough, after half an hour of driving, i see a white car coming down
I pull over to let him pass, and it's the police.

What do you think you're doing?

Ah, going skiing..

It's forbidden.

So there went my ski day, now I'm at home listening to the kids fight.

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[rod9301]

The pyrenees have 2 meters of snow, all in the last week, and another meter plus on the way till Monday.

And I'm stuck in California till end of December.

But then, 4 months there!

Last year, the resorts were closed, so i got 45 Backcountry days, great skiing.

Lots of couloirs, and until March, never saw any tracks. In the couloirs, otherwise lots of people skinning, and skiing faces.

The ski area parking lot was as full as if the lifts were running.

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[Morroi]

The pyrenees have 2 meters of snow, all in the last week, and another meter plus on the way till Monday.

And I'm stuck in California till end of December.

But then, 4 months there!

Last year, the resorts were closed, so i got 45 Backcountry days, great skiing.

Lots of couloirs, and until March, never saw any tracks. In the couloirs, otherwise lots of people skinning, and skiing faces.

The ski area parking lot was as full as if the lifts were running.

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Yep, got plenty of it in the last couple of weeks. With crazy winds. First a front from the E and then a couple from the N and NW. Last friday was hectic on the roads and passes. Some areas (Val d'Aran) had an avalanche danger rate of 5/5 this weekend, first time since 2015. If you were here back then you probably remember what it's like. Now we are in for a week of very stable weather and high temps.

[rod9301]

Lucky

I'm still in California for 2 more weeks.

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[rod9301]

This may not mean much to you, but this creek is normally very mild and these waterfalls are normally just a trickle.

This is at 600 ft, in the mountains over 1.5 meters of snow on the last two days.

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[rod9301]

And that's what 1.5 meters of fresh snow looks like.

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[up an down]

Hopefully you enjoy another great winter!

[abraham]

X2
Those are some tasty looking faces. Are the runnels in the second picture from rain on top of the snow?