Skiing Through Chaos

Iconic Land Rover in its element 

 

Dax enjoying himself

It was raining hard in Chamonix. Every ski lift was closing — or had already closed — due to avalanche risk. So we knew we weren’t skiing in the valley. It had to be snowing somewhere; the question was where, and at what altitude.

Mark, Annie, Gavin, Dax and I headed for Combloux. We arrived, got out of the car, and were immediately soaked by torrential rain. It did not, at that moment, feel like a masterstroke.

Yet as we rode the first gondola, the rain turned to sleet, then to big,fat flakes of snow. Eventually it became dry, fluffy snow — the sort you imagine in brochures and rarely encounter in real life. Because we were in the trees, we had visibility, shelter, and a day of skiing untracked bottomless powder. The trick, as ever, was simply being at the right altitude, on the right aspect, with a realistic appreciation of what 24 hours of weather had just done to the snowpack.

On Thursday the weather was just as chaotic — if anything, more so. Even more snow, and once again everything closed in Chamonix. This time we headed to St Gervais. The avalanche risk was 4/5, which concentrates the mind. Low-angle slopes,  trees, careful route choices: , all of it necessary for a good day

Friday dawned clear. We headed to Les Contamines and were treated to world-class conditions. Every turn was smooth, cold, and deeply satisfying. Even so, route choice remained a critical necessity. Blue skies do not repeal the laws of physics, nor do they reset a snowpack that has spent the week being rearranged by storms.

Annie in pillows of powder

Choose the routes carefully

Saturday, the snow returned. After careful reading of the weather forecast we decided to head to Courmayeur . The skiing was again exceptionally good. Significantlly colder than Chamonix meant the snow was as good as it gets, and there was a lot of it!

two meters?

We also managed to enjoy a good lunch at the Chaumiere. , 

On the final day, Sunday, we returned to Italy once more, this time heading to La Thuile. By then the rhythm of the week was clear: read the weather, respect the snowpack, choose terrain accordingly, and avoid confusing enthusiasm with judgment.

It’s remarkable how often good skiing follows that formula.

After lunch we skied endless powder fields all the way back to town. 

On of the many long descents.

Klosters 26 Skiing In the aftermath of the Evil Elite Conference.

 Just spent four days skiing in possibly my favourite ski resort.  I still maintain that it has the best lift accessed of- piste skiing of any where I have ever been.  

Plus we got to stay in one of the most iconic ski hotels.  It is not one bit fancy, yet its history is so intertwined with the development of skiing with many of its pioneers having stayed here in its long illustious past.  [See previous posts about Klosters for more information]

Hotel Wynegg

Having said that, our first day was indifferent from a weather and conditions perspective, primarily,  it had not snowed in ages.  

Nevertheless it did snow overnight, not much, but enough.  Our second day allowed us to ski some long contiuous runs all the way down to Wolfgang for an always excellent lunch.  Afterwhich we took the bus to Davos, where they were still clearing up after the World Economic Forum, the so-called “Evil Elite,” who had evidently departed without stacking their chairs.

Now that I am President of the Association of British Mountain Guides it feels only right that I secure myself a delegate’s pass to the next gathering of the so-called Evil Elite so that I can tell them how it is.

Anyway we then rode the funicular to the Weissflujoch and skied back to Klosters.

Our third day the weather was beautiful. The snow was good.  The plan was to ski down the back of Madrisa to St Antonine .   Yet the key lift wasn't working.  So we relocated, rode the lifts to the summit of the Weissfluh and then skied dreamy snow through the Casannapass then through the immaculate alpages all the way down to my favourite Klosters mountain restaurant at Conterser Schewndi.

Jane showing off her sponsored skis from Faction

Klosters at its best.

Despite the pistes being busy we skied our route without seeing anyone else.

Our final day the weather was indifferent again but we still managed some long off piste descents before finishing with a late lunch once again in Wolfgang.

This time after eating  we just jumped on the train back to Klosters.

The thing about Klosters is that an indifferent day skiing in this resort is a wonderful day in most resorts.

Sooooo Cold

View from Crevacol looking towards the col du Gd St Bernard.

Some time ago I promised myself that I would never again complain about being cold while skiing. There are, after all, far too many days now when it is not cold enough. Modern skiers actively hope for cold; without it, we don’t really have a sport at all.
That said, last week was cold. Very cold.

We arrived before the sun, which was clearly in no hurry. Getting kitted up in the car park was bracing in the way that makes you question your life choices. Wrestling with ski boots that had apparently decided to shrink overnight was almost more than we could manage.

Despite this promising start, Crevacol turned out to be a delightful ski station with excellent terrain and huge off-piste potential. The only minor complication was that it was now –22°C and windy, which rather narrowed one’s comfort zone.  https://www.crevacol.it

The following day we skied in Verbier, meeting up with Peter, Robert, Margret and Philip. The weather was immaculate—blue skies, not a cloud in sight, as it had been for weeks—yet the pistes were in remarkably good condition. Credit where it’s due: they had been beautifully maintained.

For old times’ sake we stopped for lunch at the Mont Fort Hut. Peter and I reminisced about staying there together during the Haute Route some 30 years ago. The legendary guardian, Daniel, has since retired, but the new owners are doing an excellent job, which was reassuring.

On Wednesday we skied the Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz areas, both in good condition.
Once out of the sun, however, the temperature was—how shall I put it—memorable. But as previously stated, I am not complaining.

On our final day the weather finally shifted. The temperature rose to a positively tropical –2°C and it began to snow. The first snowfall of the year. We chose to ski on the Bruson side of Verbier, which has the advantage of trees and therefore visibility—always a popular feature.

We finished skiing early as the snow became heavy and we were concerned about getting back over the Col de Forclaz to Chamonix. In the end the road was passable, though we did encounter several cars that were well and truly stuck. Being stuck without snow tyres is a double misfortune: first you are stuck, and then you are fined for it.

Once back in Chamonix, the snow really got going. We had two full days of continuous snowfall, which came as a great relief to everyone connected with winter sports—around here, that is more or less everyone.