| |
| |
| |
| NCMG's final trip of the 09' Alps season was on the famed Haute Route, from Chamonix to Zermatt via Verbier. The trip started off with several days of fine weather, though this would soon change and it was anything but fine weather which characterized our trip. |
| |
 |
| We began with the customary training and shakedown day in the Vallee blanche. Here, NCMG guide Tim Connelly (on the left) points out the various features to Bill, Lew and Kyle (L to R) . |
|
| |
 |
| The lower vallee Blanche is split by a huge icefall. Skiers are forced left or right to get around it. We chose skiers right and the traverse tracks can be seen in the photo. |
|
| |
 |
| Finally, lower down, the snow began to soften into a buttery corn. Here Pat takes advantage of the fun skiing. |
|
| |
 |
| The next morning, we began the tour. Rather than climb over the normal Col du Chardonet, due to poor snow conditions, we chose the Col du Passon. Here Cindy and the rest of the group tour up the lower slopes. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
 |
| The Col du Passon has a distinct advantage over the Chardonet; there is no need for a lower off of the backside. The payback; climbing up this narrow coulior on foot. |
|
| |
 |
| The other side offered us mild slopes and scenic skinning. It did not go unnoticed that the weather was deteriorating. By the time we reached the col it was a full blown whiteout. We navigated the Trient plateau with almost zero visibility and the Trient hut was a welcome site for all. |
|
 |
|
The next morning dawned brilliantly clear and we began the long descent to Champex. We skied down to the base of the only climb of the day - the Col des Ecandies. Here Tim climbs this slope on foot with Cindy, Pat and Bill.
|
|
| |
| |
 |
|
From the col, its about 4000' down to the town of Champex. Lew, Bill and Cindy enjoy the sunny morning and easy descent.
|
|
| |
| |
 |
| We ran out of snow shortly before Champex, but the creative among us didn't let that stop them. |
|
| |
 |
| After spending the night at the Mt Fort hut on the slopes of Verbier, We climbed up and over the Rosablanche to descend to the Praflueri hut. With a forecast for a major storm on the way, we were glad to arrive early at the hut. |
|
| |
| |
 |
| The updated forecast pushed the timing of the storm back slightly, though increased its severity. With that in mind, we got a really early start from the hut to head for the Dix hut. Here Bill reaches the first Col of the day and prepares for the worlds longest traverse. |
|
| |
 |
| From the col, we traverse the entire length of Lac Dix. There were occasional patches of dry ground from previous avalanches. Here Kyle negotiates one such patch while Bill and Bob look on. |
|
| |
 |
| The Dix hut sits in a spectacular location, surrounded by huge peaks, though today you would never know it. |
|
| |
 |
| Our early start proved wise as the storm really began to kick in just as we were arriving. |
|
| |
 |
| There was close to a meter of new snow the next morning and the visibility was nil. We attempted trying to escape to the nearby town of Arolla before too much more snow fell, but the combination of new snow and limited visibility made that option too dangerous. |
|
| |
 |
| So, we went back into the hut and did the only safe thing to do; Eat Rosti (a swiss version of hash browns) and drink beer. Here Pat serves up Rosti for Bob and Lew. |
|
| |
 |
| There was a brief period of clearing that evening and we were treated to some amazing light on the peaks around the hut. |
|
 |
| Mt Blanc du Cheilon - the dominant peak sitting right above the Dix hut. Its hard to imagine spending 2 days at the hut and not knowing this is sitting right there. |
|
| |
 |
| The weather came back in the next morning, though the entire hut was on a mission to escape to Arolla. Our route took us across the glacier, then up to this col, Pas des Chevre, or the pass of the Goats.. |
|
| |
| |
 |
| Pas des Chevre involves about 100' of climbing up a vertical ladder to reach the pass. This is the view down to folks getting ready at the base. |
|
| |
| |
 |
| After taking a taxi over to Zermatt, we decided to spend our last day skiing some off piste powder around the Zermatt ski area. The weather finally decided to cooperate. Here Lew and Cindy get ready to drop in. |
|
| |
 |
| We had no trouble finding lots of untracked snow just a short ways off of the beaten path around the ski area. Here Cindy and Lew enjoy some of the best skiing of our trip. |
|
 |
| Bob finds a line of his own. |
|
| |
 |
| Tim proving that going last has its benefits sometimes . |
|
| |
| |
 |
| We were treated to this view just before we descended into Zermatt for what would be the final turns of the trip. It helped us all remember that no matter what the Alps dish up in terms of weather and snow, its hard to have a trip there that doesn't stand out in your memory for years. |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
