Off to the GM despite the rubbish weather …. Unexpectedly the Plan Joran speedy bubble wasn’t running so we joined the epicly large queue for the Lognan cable car… reminded us of how things used to be before they put in the bubble. Not much of a consolation.
A good opportunity to do some narly gear spotting though.. This rope carrying attachment for one’s back pack was particularly exotic.
We headed straight for the top. One of the bonuses of the fast lift not working. Zero visability at the top … some great fluffy turns down the front which turned into binding popping heavy horror for the middle then a slushy home run … back to the car done for the day. I think we were less than enthusiastic for the new arrivals who had just pitched up in the car park asking what the conditions were like. We think they just went straight to lunch.
Day 42 and 43 .. skiing written off due to lurgy and rubbish weather were instead filled with winter olympics TV action. A mini one night only invasion by the Westwood Clan on their way home from Italy was also a very welcome distraction. How can three kids have so much energy after 1 week skiing .. phew.
There is a chance we dreamt the whole thing as after we saw them off at 6:00 am and went back to bed we were not at all sure, when we dragged ourselves up a few hours later, if we imagined it all.
Some people buy roses and chocolates and go out for a posh dinner. We walked up a cumulatively big hill for 3 hours and enjoyed a beautifully snowy ski down.
And only 2 stacks..
Mark’d better be making dinner tonight.
Les Contamines and Les Roches Des Enclaves.
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The GPS track of the day
Zoom in on the tour
the up and the down. 377m net of human powered up… seemed a lot more.
Sadly we had to wave Rich and Steve off to their next destinations. Rich back to the UK and then off to Myanmar for more hot air ballooning & Steve back to the UK to psycho physically prepare himself for the next ski trip in March.
Rich’s last day consisted of laps round the bumps in the Italian bowl at Les Grands Montets which I think the photo’s show he navigated with some style worthy of the new outfit.
Then a dash to the top of the top in truly terrible vis.
no Rich did not revert to snowboarding despite the lure of this fancy thing
Which way exactly?
Then the snow came back to visit for the send off.. looking good for Steve’s last day tomorrow.
The Snow has arrived
just keep snowing…
Bye bye Rich and helloooo fluffy stuff.
A fine display of landcruiser plus balloon trailer driving skills by Rich and then we are off to the GM ….
The snow just kept on falling with a morning of fluff and less than ideal visibility but it soon gave way to glorious sunshine and some sunny snowy lines through the magic forest and then across the front face via the long traverse under the Bochard lift. Great job Steve.
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Home in time for alpen glow on the Dru and the midi. I just never get tired of that view.
And finally … the shortish edit of the full adventure .. Some great conditions, mini adventures, good company & excellent skiing.
Tomorrow up the midi for some great views to see Steve off via Alpy bus..
Our Hot Air Ballooning buddy better known as Alpha Rich joined the party on Monday having Hot footed it across from Chateau D’Oex Ballon Festival. We occupied ourself in Les Houches as the weather was a bit on the claggy side and trie out the fine hot chocolate in the lovely vielles luges which is for sale apparently .. anyone have a spare million quid?
The most important thing once Rich had arrived was to update his ski style by a supervised shopping trip into Town. One brilliant find of a Norrona coat in the Snell sale and a pair of Hagloff pants saw him cutting a fine blue & red dash on the slopes on Monday.
Oh and we now have a hot air ballon occupying our parking space at the apartment.
Day 31 back at Brevant with the Sunshine.
Day 32 and nice coffee calls, so off to Italy and Courmayeur we go…
Good choice to go through the tunnel today as we escaped the clag in Chamonix to find sunshine, great coffee and some bonus fluffy stuff from the Youla lift and the Gabba trees. Rich decided the trees snow warranted closer inspection.
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Day 33 chilly and cloudy La Tour.
No fluffy off piste to be found but some atmospheric skylines & frozen trees.
Spooky light
Steve & Rich
Frozen trees
The road to Vallorcine
But home in time to catch some picturesque clouds on the Dru
Day 34 … Day off and marmite .. Yuck
love it or HATE IT!
Day 35 … to the top!
!0th of February and the Sun came back so nothing for it but to head to Les Grands Montets and make a beeline for the top.
Incredible clear skies and amazing views with a brave paraglider navigating the front face slopes.
This was the first time we’d been up to the top since the human powered efforts of day 17 and Rich enjoyed the bumps created by a skier or two since then on the black at the back.
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In an attempt to finish Rich off we took him down the giant bumps on the Italian Bowl, The man has no fear .. masterfully navigated.
Pop back later for the next instalment … The last Days (not literally) of Rich & Steve..
No sooner have we set foot back at home base then our next visitor arrives courtesy of the ever reliable Alpy bus.
Huge thanks and fare well to the 7 who race back to Calais and Heathrow for the most brilliant 2 weeks.
We did at least get Saturday off and spent an enjoyable afternoon soaking up the Sun in the garden with a fine cup of tea then into Town to rent some kit and of course a beer in the Terrace bar.
Day 30 .. finding some ski legs.
To break Steve in on a rented pair of Cham 98s (Steve never really bonded with them sadly) we zipped around the lovely picturesque Pistes at Flegere & Brevant. We were having so much fun we almost missed the last lift!
Steve ripping up a fine red
found some soft stuff
great view
sun down
racing the last lift
should be racing the last lift
midi hide and seek
Dru!
Fantastic way to close the day with spooky cloudy Midi and an atmospheric light show on the Dru.
So Monday you get lowered into a couloir for the start of some of the best turns of the season .. how to top that.
Day 24
Spent the day with mini adventures on the Gressoney side, finally took advantage of Tibetan Tuesday at the prayer flag cafe and Angela joined us down Bettolina
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Day 25 – Ice cream tour
I am sure the ice cream tour has a proper name but basically up the Bettaforca chair and skin up on the right, navigate some slightly tricky terrain and then lovely turns down to the valley the other side. The route ends up at the Gelateria in Saint Jaques then a short walk down the road or in our case ride in the back of a pickup to Frachey to get the funicular to the bottom of the prayer flag cafe chair. better known as the Alpe Mandria chair.
Fabulous day had by all despite the strange snow constructions on what should have been a lazy zig zag down a road to the Gelateria but instead became a comedy combat ski. Sense of humour lost about 4 zags in. Have a look at the end of the film and the wiggly line image.
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The black line is the road. The turquoise our improvised route.
Day 26
The lovely soft snow has turned a bit crunchy. We were lured into the trees ‘cos they looked so pretty. The lesson here is just because it’s pretty doesn’t mean its nice.
The white stuff on the trees turned out to be frost not snow, some crunchy turns and a great lunch in Punta Jolanda.
Day 27 – The Grand Stolemburg Couloir
The quest for epic led to Mike’s search for something steep and hopefully deep (but not too steep or deep) and the Stolemburg Couloir was the result. More than 30 degrees so potentially risky but aspect, snow conditions and history lured us in. Also it is now dead easy to get to thanks to the new posh chair installed which drops you off a few meters above the Indren.
So a short stomp up a little slope and here we are.
As it was Mike’s idea he was expendable and went first, with us all following sensibly spaced out. Was for sure worth it, so much so we did it twice. Here’s Ed flashing the girly custard lady poles.
There was a little walk out at the end .. sensibly we skinned up the second time. Much more efficient. Sadly Mike’s snowboard had a rather terminal encounter with a rock so is in the hospital for repairs. Luckily was just the board not Mike.
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Just for fun the Piste down to the cable car was closed for racing but they were finishing just as we ended our second run so elected to mingle with the racers then zip down the piste rather then navigate the slushy, windblown, icy (I know how can it be icy & slushy at the same time!) off piste route we did on the first lap. Can you spot Ed?
Despite me coming a cropper on the icy post race piste we made it to the cable car and even had time for hot chocolate in the cat cafe. They have a new cat since last year and a dog and a puppy.
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The traditional home run was replaced by the valley of the Mos and an interesting route down it. We should know better than to blindly follow Mark.
It was our last day in Gressoney so home for packing and last night feast ready for early start in the morning. Back to Chamonix for me and Mark and back to the UK for everyone else. See some of you again in March!
It’s Monday so what else for it but Malfatta. One of Rich’s obsessions (along with the Poubelle couloir at the Grands Montets and more realistically Lavancher bowl all the way down to the road),
So we can tick one of the list at least thanks to Rich’s research, prep, rope clue and skills of persuasion.
The snow conditions were pretty incredible so we expected the couloir rope shenanigans to be slightly more straight forward than some scientifically researched you tube videos would lead us to believe. So armed with the off piste book, map, GPS, the avalanche research of snow history, aspects, steepness etc.. 2 ropes, harnesses and a bit more gnarl than normal we set off.
After the longest traverse ever we reached the top of the famous couloir.
Mission 1. Get us all down safe and sound.
Mission 2 don’t get back to Alagna too late to get the lift back up!
Glad to say both missions completed with some degree of competence and panache. My newly defined rule of thirds applied.
1 third effort (epic traverse & scary couloir)
1 third amazing down (check out the snaps and the video) and …
1 third penance of combat ski back to civilisation (it had it’s moments but wasn’t too terrible .. no walking needed at least)
the route
at the top of the Coulour
down there?
made it
I did what exactly?
the down
the down
the down
the down
the down
the obligatory combat ski down som old slushy Avalanche debris
I did that!
team Malfatta
waiting for the bus
waiting for the bus
And finally Chris & I are feeling proud our skis are too fat to fit in the Alagna bubble so have to become honorary snowboards.
badkneeclub 