Mostly Warm....

Skiing in April is always fun. It's often powdery, usually warm and quite social. It's about long lunches after powder filled mornings, peeling off the layers and sitting on restaurant terraces. Not every day is sunny, which is good, because that empties the slopes and covers the hills with powder!

Getting a table at the Buvette was not a problem that day

The cook at the Buvette having to work hard on his cigarette break!

The Salomons demonstrating just how soft they are!

Spooky sky

The L'Omen Rosso Avalanche from our lounge. This slide skilled 3 ski tourers.

Wishing he'd ridden his Thunders that day, and not some soft skinny Salomons

The Powder Virus

Plenty of fresh snow to play in off piste

Action in the 6Park Snowpark in Grimentz during April

Off piste with some friends. Lots of fresh snow and more low clouds!

Crossing a stream is a larger problem if you have short legs!

Getting onto the spring powder at just the right time of day

Late season small slab Avalanche high up the system

Enjoying a coffee break in the sunshine

A Little Off Piste

Fairly recently, someone who used to be in my circle of friends made a comment to me about my skiing (or lack of it in their opinion) that has prompted me into a bit of a retrospective Blog entry. So, I've looked back over my photos over 5 winters and pulled out the best off piste skiing photos of me. Just two of them definitely do not have me in them, as I was taking the photo, you get the idea!

Downhill All The Way

 

  January came around, and I packed away my skins to make the best of the pistes and easy to grab off piste that is all around the Anniviers. Had a great drive down across the Jura on the way out, stopping briefly in Kent to give a lift to a pal who was staying in Zinal for a week.

We got stuck in to the unpisted areas within the resort boundary and had a blast. The conditions varied widely, some slopes had breakable crust, though anywhere in the shade stayed powdery. 

It was cold again, so I was back wearing lots of layers, only this time I found myself having to say to Andy, no, wear more! We still saw skiers with no hats or goggles though, they must be more hardy.

Having been cruising in the back seat, Andy finds some Breakable Crust and decides to take a rest, and why not, he's on holiday!

My friend came round from Zinal, and brought all his friends with him, we had quite a crowd. We took them onto the same slopes we'd been skiing, smiles all round.

Most days we took a picnic and stopped at one of the Mountain Huts as the sunshine was glorious.On one occasion we had a visit from a confident local bird!

Spent a day in Zinal where there was still plenty of good skiing, though the bottom of the Freeride area was a little thin with a couple of streams showing through. Easy to avoid though. The main part of the resort had some Paragliders practicing for the Mauler Cup, which is a pretty big competition, so standards were very high.

The air was so clear that we were able to see the Cabane Becs des Bossons from the Corne du Sorebois in Zinal.

 A day in Vercorin offered us this great view across to Chandolin and the Illhorn drag lift, which is quite steep, and not just from this distance.

Back in Grimentz we'd been watching television and web reports on how bad the snow conditions were in France and Switzerland, um okay, if you say so.

There was a Skier and Boardercross competition in Grimentz, which also brought in the Freestyle skiers to the 6Park. Standards were quite high. You won't catch me doing this stuff!

 I took my Stockli's into the local ski shop for a service, and needed to sit down when the technician told me that the edges were so thin, the shop could do only 1 more service before they were scrap. I love my Stockli's so this is bad news. They also now seem to attract stones, and I spent several evenings with a P-Tex candle repairing the day's dings and holes.

I've not been counting my days on skis this winter, but in case you are wondering, it's 24 so far, more to come, hopefully.

Bring It On

Santa came to Grimentz a little early and brought some snow with him. I made full use of this early and very welcome gift. One of the village hotels looked really pretty in the snowfall.

A nice fresh fall of snow meant that the Snowpark kickers could be built.

New snow of course, meant new risks, so some places were unsafe to ski. As not every day was sunny, the flat light also caused problems.

As it's so dull, it's not possible to see the how this slope falls fairly steeply towards the skidoo. It's a red graded run and the bottom is often icy at the junction. I don't know if the helicopter was called out to a fall or a collision. This was someone's ruined Christmas.

My New Years' Resolution should be : I must set my alarm clock earlier and make the best of the new snow more often. On the day I did make the lift opening, it broke down, and did not start up for 35 minutes!

There were a few really stormy nights while I was there. I heard none of it, but could see the snow had drifted at the top of the Orzival lift.

All that wind was bad news for the new snow, which turned to breakable crust!

In between skiing days, I managed to order a new mattress for our bed, which arrived just as I was leaving for the UK. I became aware of the delivery with the sound of a revving engine and skidding tyre noises as the van tried to get up the footpath behind the apartment. The car park and entrance path would have been so much easier.

When I left for the airport, my flight was listed as on time. On my arrival it was listed as at least 2 hours late, so I headed for the information desk to try for an earlier departure. To my surprise I was successful, and my rearranged flight (now late also) left at the time my later flight was originally supposed to leave. I have my suspicions!

The check in hall was overflowing with passengers trying to check in and looking at all those unhappy faces really saps my willpower. I had needed to ask where the information desk was, I could not see it, there were so many people in the check in hall plus a long queue for "something" snaking back into the main part of the airport. Flying with budget airlines seems to bring with it a whole new level of travel misery.

The Slow Way Up At Least On Weekdays

Before Christmas when the lift was shut in Grimentz, it was the only way to get some skiing in locally. In earlier years nearby Zinal has opened during the week, and I've caught the bus over there, but for some reason this year they decided to shut. With Grimentz only open at the weekends, ascent on skins was where it was at.

I'd wanted to try out my new Fritschi Crampons, and my Salomon boots for ascent anyway, and both worked really well, though I did initially have a small problem getting the crampon off my binding rail due to ice, but I hammered it with a ski pole handle until it gave up!

I quite enjoy skinning up occasionally, as it's nice to hear the sounds of nature all around. I think I see so much more at a slower pace too.
The weekend arrived, the lifts started and there was powder to be had. I was a little late on the scene, but there seemed to be plenty to go around. I did end up falling into a Bisse at one point, but managed to dig myself out without too much trouble.

With the prospect of the lifts closed for 5 whole days, I packed a bag and headed for Zermatt!

More Stumbing Around The Anniviers

After my slightly snowy and muddy trip to Zinal, the next day normal summer resumed, and I was up and ready for the 1st bus to the Moiry Barrage, with a plan to walk back to Bendolla on the Sotier footpath. It was very warm, and I was soon across the Barrage and heading along the side of the ridge above the road.

This path runs parallel to the off piste route, but at a higher level. In winter it's an area that is avalanche prone,  in summer it should be stable. It felt a little uncomfortable on a very narrow path on the side of a steeply sided ridge looking at the rocks above and the road way down below. Pretty impressive scenery though.
This path was blocked by rockfall later in August, and enough rocks fell closing the road for several days as well, and a helicopter was used to clear the route in preparation for the Grand Raid Verbier to Grimentz Race.

As I started to climb towards Bendolla I got a really good view of the road, and Grimentz in the distance. My route got narrower and steeper, and I had to cross several areas strewn with boulders which were loose, plus areas where the path had eroded or tress had fallen across it.

Yes, this is the path, look there is a marker! I appreciated the chain to hold onto as I crossed the rocks. I'm not sure who did the timings for this route, but I took a lot longer than was suggested by the signpost, and by the time I reached Bendolla, I was pretty tired!

This should have been a fairly straightforward hike, but it turned out to be quite tiring and pretty physical. The hike up to Becs des Bossons was easier.  I earned my Tarte au Mytilles today!

Stumbling Around The Anniviers

The weather had turned a little cold and I decided it would be a good day to hike from the Moiry Barrage over the Col du Sorebois and down towards Zinal. There was snow on the top of the Col, but I put some of my ski thermals on, and caught the early Postbus up to the Barrage. The bus was pretty full, but as usual, most of the crowd melted away in other directions, and I was soon alone in making my way up through the cow meadow. I've skied down this slope in winter, it seems so much easier in the other direction.

On crossing the Col, it was snowing on me, and the cloud was pretty low, I paused to reflect on this being high summer. The views were quite limited.

With a view of the Sorebois Cable Car station within sight, I set off in search of a good cup of coffee. In winter the restaurant at the top of the Cable Car is self service. In summer there are a few tables set out, it's waiter service and not much use for anyone who needs a pit stop. Sitting outside was not practical as the weather was quite wet, so I decided to head down the Cable Car, and snack at the bottom. These scooters are for rent at the Cable Car Station, I stood on one, it felt pretty unstable!

It's a pretty steep ride down to Zinal village, but at least I was out of the rain. I caught the Postbus back to Grimentz, but along the road, the bus was flagged down by a farmer, who wanted to load a piece of metal fencing and have it taken to the village. The driver was happy to help, and as it didn't quite fit, the last part of the journey was completed with the side door of the Postbus open!