The snow storms on Friday night started warmer and got cooler and cooler…and were then followed by a sunny weekend giving great ski conditions around the Evasion, Aravis and Mont Blanc ski areas. A deep & smooth blanket of 20-40cms of lovely light fresh cold velvet snow had smothered the mountains and they were looking pristine again! We made the most of the conditions with a single ascent through the Megeve and Les Contamines lift systems to access some superb ski touring terrain…
Scott, James and Isabella had done our intro ski touring weekends last season and are back this year for some bigger tours. We enjoyed a couple of 1000m+ days of trail breaking through velvet powder on the ascent (thanks Scott!) and lots of lovely fresh tracks on the descent…
There was still some lift accessed fresh tracks in the powder to be had in Les Contamines yesterday and plenty more away from the resort. We skinned up to the Col de la Fenetre and also over the Col de Cicle. There were lots of teams enjoying the good snow to explore the many varied steep couloir lines in between too!
The Col de Chasseurs also had plenty of teams going over towards it and plenty of tracks coming down the fine steep hanging north facing slopes seen from the drive up the valley. The short steep boot pack above the Col de Cicle looked snowy and in good condition and some teams had also skied the fine shorter and less steep looking couloir just above this boot pack and re-joining the well tracked slopes of the Cicle lower down.
The snow remained light and cold all the way down to the Roman Road and conditions on the upper road were fine. Lower down it is already getting icy again but we skied all the way down to the valley, with plenty of snow ploughing and side slipping down the icy bits and it won’t be long before crampons are required here again.
We also had teams skiing at Les Grands Montets & in the Vallee Blanche with some superb fresh tracks on Saturday off the lifts and Sunday further afield with great light cold snow even on sunny aspects high in the Vallee Blanche yesterday. The Midi ridge is still not fully equipped with the Z track but does have a fixed rope running down the ridge, still icy and crampons required.
Overall, great conditions and lots of fun skiing and touring around the Aravis and Evasion resorts. We have places available on our Ski Evasion Aravis course 3-7th Feb and more details of that and other courses with places available below. It looks like another sunny but cold week ahead and snow quality should be nicely preserved where the wind or other skiers don’t trash it!
Many of our 2020 Chamonix based ski courses are now full but we do have places left on the following group courses and also availability for Chamonix private guiding so please get in touch if we can help with ski or mountaineering guiding this winter or spring season.
Places available on this course exploring the superb Evasion resorts of Combloux, Megeve, Saint Gervais and Les Contamines as well as ski touring in the Aravis. Also B&B accommodation available during the week in Sallanches.
Just 1 place left
25-28 Feb, Chamonix Off Piste & Mountain Skills – Progression Course
2 Places left
23-27 March, Chamonix Off Piste & Mountain Skills – Classic Course
3 Places Left
25-28 Feb, Chamonix Off Piste & Mountain Skills – Progression Course
1 Place left
13-17 April, Chamonix Off Piste & Mountain Skills – Classic Course
Places available
27 April – 2 May, Spring Ski Summits
2 Places Available
Places available
