Trip Report A short Cham TR 2017

[piolet]

Just back from a few weeks in chamonix. Thought I'd put up a few pics.
My ski plans were thrown to disarray with the primary babysitter breaking his leg and then sick kids... yay breeding! But got my eldest skiing and actually enjoying it so that was a real hoot - more time on the magic carpet than a cable car.
Still scored a few lovely days, sunshine at brevent, pow at Les grandes montets and a little play off the aguilles du midi.

Always a treat flying into GVA

Et voila!

First sunrise. Oooh yeah

Even got to ski with the missus! Young kids and pregnancies have interfered for a while - she still has waaay better form than me

The boy was psyched to try out what mum and dad were up to - dropped him into a few private lessons (short!) Which seemed most suitable for him at 3.5 years and proved to be a good move.

The magic carpet is free at la savoy which is great for lots of short missions as the mood of a toddler can go either way
A decent storm chucked down a heap of much needed snow - no pics from LGM unfortunately as i was too busy having a heart attack from being so unfit but some great fun steep pow was had, not too crowded either.

The toboggan was popular.

TBC

 

[piolet]

A short trip away for a few days and we returned to more snow and some friends joining us. Excellent, time for the dads to play.
Route prep, maps and baguettes.

After lots of discussion we decided to take a look at the rond. Such a striking and visible line with such simple access was hard to pass up. Its a short ski and 5min skate from the aguille du midi top station. The route involves a nice airy traverse then an awkward side step to the hanging glacier. If you're not here straight after fresh snow the entrance is likely scraped bare and rocky, like it was for us! Thus we chose to rap to a better spot to kick things off.

The route;

Down the 45-50° hanging glacier for about 400m then swing left to the exit couloir, which in itself is another 1000m or so. The exit is almost like a grand continuation of the passerelle couloir (cunningham - the one were you absiel off the bridge at the midi top station. Also on the list...).
You don't really want to miss the exit as the glacier soon ends at an icefall and well, nothing. There is an alternative which I'd love to have a look at sometime, the west couloir - which you ski to the bottom of the glacier, climb the notch (above and left of the snout in the pic above) and ski the steeper and tighter couloir there but we had enough on our plate, we figured...

The arete was in excellent condition and the views were on point.

Scoping the entrance/taking in the view... dome du gouter, mont blanc shoulder to the left... the route entrance is to the right.

Rapping the entrance. Thats a shelter up the top, just above the cosmiques 'hut'. The entrance is very exposed, a steep rocky slope giving way to exposed glacial ice giving way to nothingness - the route stays skiers left to avoid the exposed ice.

TBC

 

[piolet]

A dodgy shot of the hanging glacier. Chamonix ~2.8 vertical kms below.

Skis on! Thats the midi station top right.

From here it was an icy descending traverse to gain the line and we could finally put on a few turns and see how our timing was....

Very mixed conditions, not unexpected. Some great bits but we needed to vary our line to get the right amount of sun exposure or it turned to poo fast.

Waiting for the edges to bite

TBC

 

[piolet]

Heading down the exit couloir, I love this pic as it really captures the environment.
No pics of the dodgy entrance.
Infact thats all of em, the exit was much sunnier so we wanted to get off it. Was a nice long decent with a real mix of conditions. The ski off following les bosson glaciter was a real treat. We planned on exiting to the mid station at plan de aguille to download but the route wasn't set in and a short attempted boot pack up to the plateau resulted in waist deep wallowing so we bailed to ski to the valley floor. The exit kept following les bosson glacier under a few dodgy seracs and eventually popped us out near the entrance to the mont blanc tunnel to italy. Wifey picked us up and we proceeded to sink some shitty french beer to rehydrate.
It was a magnificent day out with a great mate resulting in a most excellent experience. It'd be mind blowing in great snow but also more gripping, perhaps.

 

[piolet]

Enlightenment can be found this this way. Its up to you

Didnt get too much done from this point apart from the bunny slope and general hanging around town, thanks for reading.

 

[CarveMan]

Heading down the exit couloir, I love this pic as it really captures the environment.
No pics of the dodgy entrance.
Infact thats all of em, the exit was much sunnier so we wanted to get off it. Was a nice long decent with a real mix of conditions. The ski off following les bosson glaciter was a real treat. We planned on exiting to the mid station at plan de aguille to download but the route wasn't set in and a short attempted boot pack up to the plateau resulted in waist deep wallowing so we bailed to ski to the valley floor. The exit kept following les bosson glacier under a few dodgy seracs and eventually popped us out near the entrance to the mont blanc tunnel to italy. Wifey picked us up and we proceeded to sink some shitty french beer to rehydrate.
It was a magnificent day out with a great mate resulting in a most excellent experience. It'd be mind blowing in great snow but also more gripping, perhaps.

Awesome. I've skied a little bit on to the Rond, at which point it turned into an iceblock so we cramponed up and GTFO.

 

[piolet]

Awesome. I've skied a little bit on to the Rond, at which point it turned into an iceblock so we cramponed up and GTFO.

Yeah its tough to assess on the way in too as its scraped clean til lower. Good god i love crampons

 

[CarveMan]

Good god i love crampons

CG joined the crampon love club this trip.

 

[Rush]

Great hardcore TR.

 

[Vermillion]

Just trying to figure out, is that the wing of the plane in front of you?

 

[Boodwah]

Love the shot of MB from aeroplane. Frames the ski descent we did nicely, and if u zoom in you can even see the Grand Mulets hut half way up.

 

[piolet]

Just trying to figure out, is that the wing of the plane in front of you?

yeah, you know - the cheap seats

 

[piolet]

Just for interests sake, a few of the other routes in that zone, notably the famous cosmiques couloir.

 

[Seth]

Just for interests sake, a few of the other routes in that zone, notably the famous cosmiques couloir.

Shit is nothing but real in that pic.

 

[piolet]

Shit is nothing but real in that pic.

Yeah some guys will lap these several times a day switch with their eyes closed when they're on and meanwhile I'm eaking my way down... great for the soul

Cant wait to get back there

 

[CarveMan]

Yeah some guys will lap these several times a day switch with their eyes closed when they're on and meanwhile I'm eaking my way down... great for the soul

Cant wait to get back there

A friend of mine who works in Cham does Rond and Cosmiques laps on his lunch break.

 

[Tanuki]

So good, thanks for sharing. Do they tope the arete of the Aguille Du Midi in Winter?

\Did you stay at Les Balcons du Savoy? We stayed there in summer a few years back with our 6mnth old girl. Nice place.

 

[piolet]

A friend of mine who works in Cham does Rond and Cosmiques laps on his lunch break.

Out of interest; does he park a car at the tunnel/hitch or hike up to the mid station to get back to town? I thought many would go to the mid station but there waa zero tracks that way.

 

[piolet]

So good, thanks for sharing. Do they tope the arete of the Aguille Du Midi in Winter?

\Did you stay at Les Balcons du Savoy? We stayed there in summer a few years back with our 6mnth old girl. Nice place.

Yeah once the vallee blanche is 'opened' for the season (its never really closed but the guides wait for sufficient snow bridges and enough general coverage for clients) it is roped and often a second route switchbacked in on the cham side... this is good as it keeps the short roped groups out of the way.

We stay in a unit block on rue pacard - kinda near snell sports. A bit of a walk to savoy with all the gear for the kids!

 

[CarveMan]

Out of interest; does he park a car at the tunnel/hitch or hike up to the mid station to get back to town? I thought many would go to the mid station but there waa zero tracks that way.

Dunno, I just see it on his Insta.

 

[climberman]

A friend of mine who works in Cham does Rond and Cosmiques laps on his lunch break.

freaks!

 

[CarveMan]

freaks!

It's Chris who you met.

 

[climberman]

It's Chris who you met.

Right!!

Have followed / read some of his stuff as part of the 'return from existential wonderland to existential crisis' period. I like the way he thinks and writes. Bloody millenials!!

 

[smackies]

Sacré bleu! Is that a dropped baguette?

 

[piolet]

Sacré bleu! Is that a dropped baguette?

No! Someone's glove. Leave no baguette behind!

 

[smackies]

Oh thank God!

 

[Vermillion]

yeah, you know - the cheap seats

I used to think so highly of you.

 

[piolet]

Haha
Fool!

Flew emirates in and out of GVA - since having 2 services a day there they're empty as - we had 2 rows to ourselves each way. Had a much comfier seat for the long one home

 

[DJM]

Great work mate!

 

[cqen2l]

Just back from a few weeks in chamonix. Thought I'd put up a few pics.
My ski plans were thrown to disarray with the primary babysitter breaking his leg and then sick kids... yay breeding! But got my eldest skiing and actually enjoying it so that was a real hoot - more time on the magic carpet than a cable car.
Still scored a few lovely days, sunshine at brevent, pow at Les grandes montets and a little play off the aguilles du midi.

Always a treat flying into GVA

Et voila!

First sunrise. Oooh yeah

Even got to ski with the missus! Young kids and pregnancies have interfered for a while - she still has waaay better form than me

The boy was psyched to try out what mum and dad were up to - dropped him into a few private lessons (short!) Which seemed most suitable for him at 3.5 years and proved to be a good move.

The magic carpet is free at la savoy which is great for lots of short missions as the mood of a toddler can go either way
A decent storm chucked down a heap of much needed snow - no pics from LGM unfortunately as i was too busy having a heart attack from being so unfit but some great fun steep pow was had, not too crowded either.

The toboggan was popular.

TBC

How did you enjoy the back end of the bus @piolet ?

 

[piolet]

How did you enjoy the back end of the bus @piolet ?

When empty its great!

Full and with young uns however...
Econ without kids is pretty damn sweet, now looking back

 

[CarveMan]

Haha
Fool!

Flew emirates in and out of GVA - since having 2 services a day there they're empty as - we had 2 rows to ourselves each way. Had a much comfier seat for the long one home

Yup. My GVA-DXB flight was delayed, I got a points upgrade on DXB-MEL on QF but missed that flight, rebooked on EK, got a whole row of 4, it's really not much worse than bus class. Slept most of the way and saved 90k points!

 

[cqen2l]

When empty its great!

Full and with young uns however...
Econ without kids is pretty damn sweet, now looking back

Thought you might be missing the cockpit Flying High style auto inflator. Not one for the kiddies to be witnessing down back.

 

[piolet]

Yup. My GVA-DXB flight was delayed, I got a points upgrade on DXB-MEL on QF but missed that flight, rebooked on EK, got a whole row of 4, it's really not much worse than bus class. Slept most of the way and saved 90k points!

Ahhh sweet!
It thought you were on etihad. Was about go for the sunday one with you then, just couldnt get a doc to sign the jnr off...

 

[piolet]

Thought you might be missing the cockpit Flying High style auto inflator. Not one for the kiddies to be witnessing down back.

Oh god work is much better than travel with young kids!!!

 

[CarveMan]

Ahhh sweet!
It thought you were on etihad. Was about go for the sunday one with you then, just couldnt get a doc to sign the jnr off...

Good! No pox ridden flight for me!!

 

[Kletterer]

Dinner with @DidSurfNowSki last night ( who leaves for Points North Alaska tomorow) and now this TR. SDS overload

 

[piolet]

Dinner with @DidSurfNowSki last night ( who leaves for Points North Alaska tomorow) and now this TR. SDS overload

Oh man
Jelly. For my fortieth... saving now for it!

 

[Mike Pow]

Excellent. Cheers

 

[luvthabumps]

Dinner with @DidSurfNowSki last night ( who leaves for Points North Alaska tomorow) and now this TR. SDS overload

Hope he has better luck than most this season. One of our guys is there now and doesn't look like they will get off the ground once. 4 weeks of Arctic wind storms and no snow followed by metres of the stuff. One of the guides he was speaking to has only flown 3 times so far this season and this is Week 6! Makes me realise how lucky we were last year to get 2 magic weeks in a row.

Great TR @piolet Cham is still on my to do list. Once we're back from Canada might have to look into going an aussieskier adventure

 

[Budgiesmuggler]

Great TR, love the route.

How did your son go with lessons at 3.5? Mine will be there this winter so wanting to get him in skis.

How old is your daughter?

 

[piolet]

Great TR, love the route.

How did your son go with lessons at 3.5? Mine will be there this winter so wanting to get him in skis.

How old is your daughter?

We had the luxury of time and played that to our advantage. Slow burn!

Lots of talk and exposure to snow in the week leading up to his lesson, snow play & toboggan so the gear didnt bother him.

We got him a total of 5 1hr privates over 2 weeks (~$60ea) as I don't think the groups would have suited him at this age, next year for sure. 2 hrs is far too long too, for him.

First lesson they had him shuffling around on one ski for a bit then two and finally a few laps between the instructors legs before he flamed out at about 45 mins. Gave him a rest day then took him for a few laps myself before another lesson and so on... by the end he had grasped the concept of a snowplough and did a few laps beside me. Very proud!
You obviously know him best so work that to your advantage and if he's not ready, ce la vie. Where you going?
Dont have a daughter, two boys.

 

[Budgiesmuggler]

We had the luxury of time and played that to our advantage. Slow burn!

Lots of talk and exposure to snow in the week leading up to his lesson, snow play & toboggan so the gear didnt bother him.

We got him a total of 5 1hr privates over 2 weeks (~$60ea) as I don't think the groups would have suited him at this age, next year for sure. 2 hrs is far too long too, for him.

First lesson they had him shuffling around on one ski for a bit then two and finally a few laps between the instructors legs before he flamed out at about 45 mins. Gave him a rest day then took him for a few laps myself before another lesson and so on... by the end he had grasped the concept of a snowplough and did a few laps beside me. Very proud!
You obviously know him best so work that to your advantage and if he's not ready, ce la vie. Where you going?
Dont have a daughter, two boys.

Thought i read in the TR you had a daughter, sorry.

Will go locally for a day or two in winter then Japan in Jan 2018. He's 3 now.

 

[Telemark Phat]

Niiice!

 

[piolet]

The tram and cham

The route for the map nerds out there (hi!!)

 

[piolet]

Look it's me

Me again, legs on fire at the bottom of the exit couloir, look straight up the guts and you have the whole straight shot of maybe 1500m from the passerelle/Cunningham couloir, and even the bridge you absqueel off

 

[piolet]

Last up a pretty sweet pano, left as a thumb to avoid screwing the page.

 

[rime noreason]

Great trip report and brilliant photos @piolet. Makes my mountain photos look like beginner bunny runs!