Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mt Blanc Tunnel has its use





Not everybody thinks the MT Blanc tunnel is a good idea. Especially when it comes to trucks passing through at 6000 / day. Yet it does allow you to pass from a world of very poor snow conditions to a world of really good snow conditions in about half an hour.
This is what I did on Saturday and then on Sunday and again yesterday. I went through to ski with Charlie Henry and Peter.
We started at Courmayeur skiing from the top of the resort down into the Val Veny. There was lots of snow but it had been blown too much by the wind, still it is exhilarating terrain and the backdrop of Mt Blanc can't be beaten.

On Sunday we choose a simple ski tour above La Thuile the Punta Croce 2478m The ascent was stunning and would have been perfect apart from the fact that 40 members of the Turin Alpine Club decided to join us.
We managed to lose them on the summit their leader thought it best to take his group back down the south faceing avalanche prone route by which they ascended. We choose the cold snow of the north face where we found the elusive deep untracked snow through the trees.

On Monday I was a little apprehensive that we wouldn't find skiing of the same quality straight from the lift system - but we did at La Thuile where we had some very good tree skiing

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