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 On
the search for powder
We go skiing where there is still
powder and no crowds. In most resorts this would be quite easy,
just walk over the next ridge - but this is Chamonix. Almost all
the locals and a good number of the visitors know what touring is;
any easy access backcountry is going to look like a busy motorway.
One ridge over out of the ski area we traverse up a hanging valley
that feels like it's going on forever as you slowly slog your way
up the skitrack. Only a few hardy souls venture this far out in
February. At the top of the Col du Belvedére there is a steep drop
into the Bérard Valley beyond. Looking back where we have come there
is quite a vista to the south over the Mont Blanc massif.
Mountain motorways
The main route over the col sticks with the snow then drops precipitously
for some 90m at an angle of maybe 55 degrees. This route had seen
a few guided groups and now had a half-meter deep 180cm trough straight
down it, making it impossible to ski and unpleasant to ski roped.
Off to the side of the col there was a steep down climb route be
abseiled this route.
At the end of the rope angle was now a much more palatable 45 degree
angle. Putting your skis on at this angle while hanging on the end
of a rope can be tricky. With the aid of a shovel I made a shelf
to put skis on. Half a meter wide and some 2 meters long makes clicking
in a much simpler affair.
The snow was not the nicest I've met....while soft to the touch,
it had been cold for a long time here without a snowfall for a while.
It was the consistency of icing sugar and depth thaw had detached
it from all the underlying rock making for an unstable slope.
 From
icing sugar to powder
Skiing the slop was quite nice.....sugary, then firm and then powdery.
Ok, not knee deep but enough to call it powder skiing. The north
facing nature of the bowl and the glacier below keep the snow on
the north side of the Col du Belvedére nice for ages after a snowfall
The bowl opens into
the Bérard valley, down towards the valley floor we join the motorway
like trail coming over the Crochues and Bérard Cols. The trail down
the valley floor is narrow and ducks and weaves all over the place.
It's sometimes known as the James Bond trail, it gives you the impression
you are being pursued as you rattle down to the hamlet of Le Buet.
Mmm... beer....
To get back to Chamonix you can hitchhike or sit drinking beer whilst
waiting for the train to take you through the Montets tunnel. We
may have just gone as a group of 4 mates on this tour, but 3 out
of the 4 of us have a background of Alpine mountaineering. This
sort excursion should not be taken lightly, and the services of
a qualified mountain guide should not be overlooked before heading
into the backcountry.
Have fun out there...
Picture from Tom
Greenall - Natives Resort Reporter
in Chamonix
W ith Redeye - Natives reporter
official beanie sponsor
 
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