The Glacier d'Armancette

April, at some point. always brings unstable weather with the change of the equinox - "April Showers."

Last week was no different.  Charles Sherwood joined me for six days. On  our first day together it was snowing, making it less than ideal for ski touring.  Nevertheless we still managed to drop off the back of Rochbrune at the back of Megeve and climb over the border ridge between the Haute Savoie and the Savoie and ski all the way down into Hauteleuce.  From there we picked up the Les Contamines lift system and continued our circular tour back to Megeve. This was quite a feat because two weeks previously I had had a 20 minute walk down muddy fields .

Bit agricultural

Strange as it might seem but we skied these slopes with no problems.

The forecast for the next couple of days was going to be our chance to do something significant.  We identified the traverese of the Domes de Miage and the descent of the Armancette glacier as our goal.
After pre-dumping a car at the car park which we hoped to arrive back at, if the plan worked. We parked our second car at in Les Contamines, shouldered our packs and walked past the sign post which told us the Conscrits hut was  6 hours away.  We plodded with our skis on our rucksacks through forests for about 2 hours before we were able to find enough consistent snow to start skinning.  There was a lot of fresh snow .  Luckily for us someone was ahead of us and it is they who broke trail.  We did our best not to catch them up, but inevitably the we did because they just got too tired.

The long hot climb to the Conscrit Refuge

Conscrits Refuge

We arrived at the hut tired and hot.  There were only seven of us in total.  The next morning we were on our skis just before 7.00hrs.  Conditions were perfect and we made good progress up to the col before putting crampons on for the final ascent of the majestic  ridge which is one of the reasons the Miage is well known.

Domes de Miage

At the summit we caught up with a party of three German skiers who had set off slightly earlier than us. We all got ready to ski from the summit.  There were a few tracks in the snow which looked good.  It was therefore a bit of a shock to discover that the snow pack was very thin and merely covered boiler plate hard ice.  Luckily this was negotiated fairly quickly.  Mind you the snow was still not great with some challenging breakable crust.  Yet after a few hundred meters we did eventually hit perfect snow and enjoyed some first rate skiing.

The ski descent of the Armancette glacier is one of the most sought after

The descent was 2400meters .  We arrived back at our pre dumped car and were able to help our German friends by giving them a lift back to their car , which probably saved them a good two hours of grief.

The next day Charles and I attempted to traverse the ridge of Mt Joly which separates Megeve /St Gervais from Les Contamines.  The weather was non co operative because we got stuck in thick cloud.  We had little alternative  but to turn around because I thought there was a good possibility of falling of the ridge.

The next day the forecast was for it to be cold and windy.  It was cold and windy but we decided to see if we could ski tour over the Col de Crochue.  We headed up the Flegere lift and at the top of the Index lift we poked through the cloud and we were able to continue.  Alone.  This is a fairly unusual thing to do on this particular ski tour, as it is with little doubt the most popular ski tour in the world.

Approachong col du Crochue with the Aiguille Verte as the backdrop.

At the top of the col we skied down in very good snow.  We elected to skin up to the Breche du Berard. Yet  the mist rolled in and we were forced to climb the whole ridge in a white out.

Jour Blanc

 Mind you we enjoyed good snow in the Berard valley on the other side and were able to ski all the way to the Hotel Du Buet, where we discovered the train had been cancelled.  Fortunately we were able to persuade my daughter Florence to come and collect us.

Its not over until its over .

On our final day we decided to attempt the traverse of Mt Joly again.  I a woke to thick mist.  It did not look promising.  Yet we still decided to go and have a look, because the forecast was for it to clear . After some waiting around drinking coffee , some blue holes appeared in the sky.  We arrived on the ridge to a world class scene .  We were treated to a view of the entire descent of the Armancette glacier , plus the whole of the Mt Blanc massif which was seemingly sitting on a bed of cloud.

We made our way along the ridge, but not before the cloud rolled in again making navigation very difficult.  We sat down for a bite to eat and a drink hoping that the mist would clear enough.  I also manged to drop my phone in the snow.  It slid out of reach.  It stopped .  Then just as I thought I could grab it , the phone started to slide again.  It went faster and faster and then disappeared like a hockey puck out of sight.  I skied off after it thinking it was a very expensive mistake. There was no sign of it.  Then about 100 meters further below I saw a black speck in the snow. I found my phone.  Whats more my descent had taken us below the cloud and we could now see enough to continue safely.  I called to Charles who was incredulous that I had found the phone.  We hit some very good spring snow and enjoyed a fabulous run back into Les Contamines ski resort.

Mt Blanc Massif seen from the ridge of Mt Joly

Winter Returns Big Time

50cm of snow fell in one night.  This was the view outside the kitchen window.  The day before had been okay ski -wise but there was little doubt the end of the resort skiing was not far off. 

It had sort of threatened to snow over night but everyone was surprised by how much...  Not surprisingly everywhere was closed because of the avalanche risk.  Yet the muddy fields of Les Houches had been transformed into pillows of powder snow.

On our final day together the sun came out and we skied off piste with wonderful conditions.

Grands Montets on a powder morning

If there is better spring snow skiing than this - then show me what it looks like.

Approaching the might North Face of the Doites

This was a week of skiing that started well with good conditions and then it just got better and better.

John Young joined me for six days of skiing.  There was no real plan other than to go where the snow and conditions were best.

Day 1 : We decided to kick off with  a visit to Les Grandes Montets and " take advantage"  of  the fact that most of the lifts are broken. The benefit is that the whole area has returned to a true skiers paradise. We skinned up to the Col du Rachasse in about an hour and were then able to ski under the north face of the Doites and despite it not having snowed for over a week we found plenty of cold fresh snow.
Day 2: Weirdly the temperature dropped and the wind was due to blow from the north.  All the lifts were closed in Chamonix.  We simply changed venue and headed for Combloux from where we climbed the Croisse Baulet.  Mind you it was super cold and we wore every stitch of clothing while steaming at full speed up hill in an attempt to stay warm.

Climbing up to summit of Croise Baulet with Mt Blanc in the background

The descent started rather badly because it was so cold that the snow had not softened up.  We were thrown around on our skis. Yet about a 100 meters lower down it all changed.
We found spring snow and enjoyed a sublime descent all the way to Geittaz.  In fact from that moment on [although we did not yet know it] every single turn of the entire week was going to be  perfect.  As John said  "Ridiculously perfect."

Day 3  The wind was still blowing hard high up so we decided to head to Megeve with the creative idea of skiing off the back of Rochbrune, before skining up to the ridge line which is the border between the Haute Savoie and the Savoie departments. From there we skied down into Hautleuce.  Here again we found perfect spring snow.   There was one small snag .  We ran out of snow and had to walk down through fields of mud and cow shit, [but mainly cow shit.]  Still it was a small price to pay.  We walked down to the lift which took us back into Les Contamines lift system [ Not before we stopped for some rehydration thereapy].  We finished by skiing into the village and then taking the shuttle bus back to St Gervais where we had left the car.

Day 4.  While we had been skiing through Les Contamines we had sussed out the general conditions and had been able to see that the snow cover was exceptional.  There were boundless possibilities which in other years are just not an option.  We came up with a rather ingenious plan  to traverse the ridge of Mt Joly and drop into the lift system of Les Contamines.  We set off from St Gervais and rode the lifts before sticking our skins on and climbing to the summit of Mt Joly.  This is not for the faint hearted and a good head for heights helps. [We had taken Ice axe and crampons in case of need] Mind you it is a world class setting .  John remarked that he had never been in such an area with skies on his feet.

It took a hour or so to negotiate the ridge , before we could safely leave it and ski down to Les Contamines, but once we found the best slot the skiing was perfect and we arrived for a late lunch and beer.

Day 5.  Conditions were so good in Les Contamines that it was a no brainer but to return the next day and just ski off piste using the lifts.

Day 6.  Back in Chamonix for the traverse of the Breche du Berard.  Again clear blue skies, yet being a Saturday there were many many people all heading up in our general direction.

Approaching the col du Crochue

Fortunately we had chosen not to do the classic Crochue /Berard traverse but rather the Brche Berard.  This tour climbs up a stunning ridge with the whole of the Megeve ski area in the background.

The route then continues to the Breche.

It is then skies off again for the short scramble through the Breche.

This capped off a sublime week of spring snow skiing.  The week is a good example of being able  adapt our schedule to the weather and conditions and using local knowledge to find the optimum snow.

A Mountain Hut with a difference.

Peter Whelan and I skied at Le Tour for our opening day.  The north facing slopes continued to hold very good snow and good skiing.

The following day we were joined by Peter's friend Glen and we headed to Gressoney for a three day two night expedition to the Orestes Hutte.  The plan was to use it as a base from which to explore the area both by skiing off piste and doing some ski tours.
The first thing to say is that the Orestes Hut is not actually a Hutte ,Refugio, Cabanne, Abri,Refuge but rather a "Retreat."  Firstly it has private rooms with en-suite bathrooms. [Although there is dormitory accommodation]
It is equipped with a Yoga Room , complete with Yoga paraphernalia .  Yet arguably its most unique feature is it only serves Vegetarian /Vegan food.  This rather radical in the Alps where the traditional diet of dried meat still dominates.  Still the food was delicious , beautifully prepared and presented.
Whats more is that the Orestes Hutte had been built next to a spring so there was plenty of fresh water to drink.  This had eliminated the need to sell  plastic bottles full of water. The view from the dinning room at sunset was impressive.

After our first night and a good breakfast it was a traverse back into the ski resort, where we picked up the lift which took us to the start of the days ski tour the Col du Zube.

On our final day  in Italy we used the lift system to access a long off piste descent into the  Alagna Valley before finishing up at a mountain restaurant which we all agreed served the best pizza any of us had ever eaten.

After which we rode the lifts back into the Gressoney valley , before skiing down to the car and driving back to Chamonix.

On our final day it was just Peter and I.  We choose to climb up to  Lac Blanc from La Flegere before catching some good spring skiing back into the resort.

Avoiding the dreaded Foehn Forecast

For most of the season the weather systems have not produced the dreaded Foehn

effect which brings miserable grey weather to Chamonix in particular.  Yet inevitably this all changed at the beginning of March.
The trick is always to go through the Mt Blanc tunnel to where [ if the Foehn is blowing] Courmayeur and the Aosta valley can be pretty much guaranteed to have cold fresh snow.

This is exactly what Turi and her fellow Icelandic friends and I did. We had very good off piste skiing in Courmayeur and an excellent lunch at the Chaumiere restaurent. The only slight snag and unbeknown to me the off piste track which goes back to the car park via the Val Veni had already been ploughed. This left us with an unwanted muddy walk . The next day the Foehn was still blowing in Chamonix so we headed back through the tunnel , this time to La Thuile. Again the conditions did not disappoint.   The snow was superb and the lunch at the Maison de Neige was very memorable.

A week skiing in Gressoney. You need to hike to find the best turns.

My friend James Thacker along with his wife Alison  run the Off Piste Performance company.  The issue for them was that Alison was about to have a baby.  James asked me if I could take over from him and ski with his  group in Gressoney which is part of the fabulous Monte Rosa ski area in the Aosta valley.
Kenny Grant was the other Mountain Guide working on the course.  We stayed at the Gletcher hotel at the head of the valley in Staffel. This proved to be a great base, it was run by the delightful Francesca.

The brutal truth was that we did not have the best snow conditions because it had not snowed anywhere as much as it had in the northern alps and especially Chamonix.  In addition there had been very strong winds particularly in the Champoleuc valley.   The good snow was hard to find but we were able to do this because everyone was equipped with touring bindings fitted to off -piste skis.

This allowed us to do a mixture of some good tours and we found our selves in some great places .

Plus some memorable descents all which would have been impossible without the flexibility of touring equipment.

Skiing down the col de Zube towards Gressoney.

If conditions can get better than this then I have not seen it.

I spent two days helping Ski Weekend run one of their big events for Polar Capital.  It coincided with a day of significant snow fall where we skied in the trees at Les Houches , followed by an unforecast blue bird day at Le Tour.

Frankly I was a bit sceptical about what the skiing would be like even though the weather was beautiful.  There had been a lot of snow and a lot of wind and the avalanche forecast was posted at 4 out of 5.  Yet when we arrived I was astonished how light and fluffy the snow was.  It was possible to ski fantastic safe terrain making fresh tracks all day.  By the end of the day I concluded that, in 30 years of skiing at Le Tour I had never had better skiing there. Just goes to show the very best conditions turn up when you least suspect them .

Snow and conditions just gets better.

We continue to have excellent skiing conditions .  Reuben and Fiona Berg joined me for a few  days .  On our first day we skied off piste at St Gervais where conditions were first rate .  Plus we sampled the somewhat OTT venue of the Folie Douce where we eat lunch at  the adjacent La Fruitière Restaurant complete with a rather eccentric singer:

The singer is on the right.

The next day we skied at La Flegere.  The snow and conditions were perfect.

On our third day together it was a chance to ski with Antony and Reuben .  It was snowing hard when we turned up at Les Grands Montets to be told that it was closed by high winds.  We returned to La Flegere where the cable car was miraculously running.  We found exceptional conditions which allowed us to ski the front face underneath the cable car where we bounced down on huge pillows of cold fresh snow.
On our final day together we returned to La Giettaz where the tree runs were as good as any tree run in the alps .

Antony in the secret powder stash.

Excess Boys 2019

They are as reliable as the Atomic Clock.  Every 25th January 17.00hrs on wards they can be found in the Savoy Bar in the village of Argentiere.  2019 was no different. I walked into the bar to a fantastic welcome . Several jugs of beer later we had a plan:

We decided on  Les Contamines. Although  Toyota Land Cruiser's have a formidable reputation for toughness  it's a big ask to cram them with  over a 1000 kilos of sculpted, lean muscle .  Still, despite bulging tyres we arrived serenely at the cable car station  and were greeted with beautiful weather and exceptional light fluffy snow. 

We even had a "Gilet-Jaune" taking time out from "agitating" to come and  ski with us.  We just couldn't shake him  off despite trying to push him in a river.

The  day would have been perfect apart  an incompetent lunch where we had to wait for over an hour for our food.  I always thought the French knew how to cook omelettes.

Our second day is traditionally our ski touring day.  The Excess Boys had been nothing of the sort the night before showing a steely focus when they turned up at La Flegere at 8.45am.  They were greeted by the usual Chamonix Ski Station incompetence with a massive queue.  An even bigger queue than normal because the adjacent Le Brevent cable car had also malfunctioned. [Again.]  Still I'm sure the people didn't mind the two hour wait in -14c conditions.

  Luckily for the Excess Boys I got everyone up through the Ski School priority line and we were up and away on route up to the Col du Belevedre high above Lac Blanc.  The weather and conditions were once again perfect and the back drop of the Aiguille Verte is simply stunning.
The ski conditions were so good that we could ski all the way down to the car park.  It was an exceptionally good day out.

The Excess Boys 2019

Helicopter assisted skiing.

The weather at the pick up was not great .  In fact it was snowing quite hard.  It was touch and go as to whether we would fly, yet the helicopter slalomed through the holes in the cloud and found us in the lay-by just past  the village of Chatelard close to the Franco - Swiss border.

We piled into the helicopter and seven minutes later we were dropped in a different world on the Trient plateau.

The plan was then to ski and then gently  skin up to the Col du Tour before skiing down the Le Tour Glacier back into the village of Le Tour.

The issue was there wasn't a  great amount of snow at the top of the col which necessitated Phillipe [my fellow Guide] and my self roping the clients down the steep col to where they could refit their skis.

It was then skiing all the way down to the village and reluctantly back into the cloud.

Thanks to Gavin Foster of Ski Weekend.com  for being there and making all this happen.

Fantastic Off Piste Skiing conditions

Richard Lewis and his good friend Joe Gold skied with me for a few days.  Richard lives near lake Geneva but Joe was coming all the way from Vail, Colorado  and so the bar was set quite high in terms of expectations.
So why not start by show casing the ultra modern lift system the Chamonix Valley has to offer?  There are now no queues to access the mythical off-piste skiing at the top of Les Grands Montets.  The lift company had a novel solution to the queuing , instead of building a new modern lift , they got someone to set fire to the existing one thus removing the need to queue.

So now to ski on the Argentiere glacier you have to walk, which is 100% more pleasant than standing in the old cable car  queue for about the same amount of time.

We enjoyed a wonderful descent and a late lunch at the Chalet Lognon overlooking the massive ice fall.

The next day we headed up La Flegere and the over to the Breche du Berard.

The climb up to the breche is in a world class setting up there with any alpine backdrop.

We finished our time together by skiing in La Giettaz , where there snow always seems to be fantastic.

Bullet hard pistes replaced with cold fresh snow.

Charles Sherwood heads off into the Aravis

Since before the New Year it had not snowed.  Neither had it snowed in the first week of 2019.

Our planned skiing in and around Megeve was looking like it needed to be relocated. The  Plan B had been discussed in readiness for a venue change. Yet the day before we were due to meet not only did the temperature drop significantly but it also snowed.  Even better, the weather cleared  to reveal close to perfect conditions.

Our group was organised by Charles Sherwood and consisted of  his brother Simon, plus some of his other very good friends Peter Folkman, Simon Allen and Martin Smith. I had skied with everyone many many times although I had never met Martin before.

The Bus Stop.

The first day we skied in St Gervais.  We found some delightful meadows to ski.  There was one particularly good descent in un tracked snow .  The down side was that the run ended up at the foot of a Poma lift [that unbeknown to me ] hadn't actually opened for the season.
Luckily there was a shuttle bus. Nevertheless  it did lead the group to allude  to the   Napoleon quip about his  Generals : Do you want a good Guide or a lucky Guide?
No harm was done and we even got to eat in the  quaint restaurant  Sous Freddy's run by the  Mountain Guide Olivier Curral , who for his sins was once the guardian of the Gouter Hut.  [ Food has improved.]

January 11th We skied in Combloux.  The descents were excellent.

Lunch was at the  Auberge de Bonjournal.  This was all very merry.  Possibly the  "on the house " Genepi was the cause of the days principle accident.  One of the group fell into a ditch while  not rejoining  the piste.

the one in the middle didnt get any higher

On our final day together the 12th January, our plan for the day was to ride the lifts of Praz-sur-Arly and then ski down into Hauteluce, from where we would take the short bus ride to Les Contamines.  We then planned to ski off -piste from the resort.  Yet when we arrived at the car park the weather was looking like a "jour blanc." I decided that we would be better off skiing somewhere else.  Mind you the indifferent weather did not stop the local balloon festival taking off. Or not, as was the case with the balloon in the middle of the photograph.  This one suddenly fell out of the sky.  It was while driving out of the car park that we saw the balloon  drapped all over a house and the passenger basket had lodged itself in the windscreen of Mercedes- Benz

Instead we skied again in Combloux and Les Geittaz.  The snow was still very good and the trees helped with the visibility.  Yet an attempt to find even more pristine meadows was thwarted by some uncooperative bushes which created much hilarity and the observation that anyone who followed our tracks assuming an uninterrupted powder descent , would at best, be surprised.