After we skinned up the col above the ski area near the Becs de Bosson we skied into the Lona area on spring snow, pretty much the first spring snow I’ve skied on all season really. Another climb out to the Diablon ridge and we were above the Alpage valley looking at untracked snow, in fact, we were the first and only people in the Lona and had the area to ourselves. From here is a pleasent, albeit easy, ski down to the barrage at Moriy and the usual run out along the summer road although the snow’s a little sticky in the afternoon and we’re pushing in a couple of places.

Above left, looking back to the Sorebois and right, the weather closing in on Neil, Claire and David.

Above left, Claire and Neil looking into the slope, and right, Claire and David traversing into our target line.

Above left, Claire descending through the powder and right, David cautiously entering the couloir we’re exiting via.

Skiing the lower section of the couloir, reasonable skiing and enough space to get some turns.

From the top it’s extremely icy for a few metres and I’m pretty grateful that I’d edged my skis yesterday, in fact I’d got a perfect edge on them and it gave me the confidence I needed to drop on the North Face of the Bella Tolla. The ice quickly gives way to some loose snow but it’s a lot steeper than I’d expected and I have to make a series of tricky jump turns and kick turns to get into a couloir and off the exposed face itself.

Above left, looking back up the first pitch and above right looking back at the whole face.

Another view (above left) of the route, the lower section is easily angled and the snow is pretty good. Above right, after climbing onto the Schwarzhorn ridge traversing to the summit.

From the top of the Schwarzhorn looking into the Chandolin ski area.

Above left, looking over at the Basset de Lona from the Col des Becs de Bosson and above right, looking back at the Col des Becs de Bosson from Lac Lona.

Above left, it’s a pretty easy climb up from the Lac Lona, barely a couple of hundred metres and an easy angle. Above right, looking at the descent between the Diablon and Sex de Marinda. In fact, the snow looks a lot better than I expected and it seems to be a good descent.

And the descent does prove to be quite good, it’s a spring snow most of the way down and quite enjoyable skiing. The avalanche risk is low today and the only real danger is small sluff avalanches, these are unlikely to bury you but the risk is these have enough force to carry you down the mountain a short way, dropping to the barrage involves some terrain with small cliffs and it would be unfortunate to be carried over one.

From the barrage it’s the usual run down the summer road, it’s had a lot of skiers over it, presumably from the trade route from Zinal, so it’s icy and hard but it’s an easy enough route. Once in Grimentz I hop on the telecablne and meet Jamie and Vari who are fellow members of the Eagle Ski Club (a ski touring and ski mountaineering club) living in Italy over the Simplon pass and we have a ski around the Grimentz area.

As I start climbing it’s fairly clear that the basically north facing slopes I’m climbing are still holding good snow, over the last week it’s been skied but it’s by no means tracked out and there’s a prospect of a good descent although it’s not going to be very steep.

There’s a couple of people on snow shoes but I soon pass them and they go no further than the first ridge before turing back. At that point I’m left alone in the valley which is pretty eerie in some ways but quite pleasant and reassuring to know it’s still possible to escape the crowds so easily.

Some views over to Grimentz (above left) and Zinal (above right). The climb actually starts to get awkward, there’d been a lot of tracks earlier but there’s none up here so I have to break ground towards Forcletta. Towards the top it actually gets quite awkward and I start slipping on some frozen, icy snow. I thought about turning back but with only a couple of hundred metres to the col it seems a shame not to push on so, I stop briefly and fit my ski crampons to get some more grip and carry on. Near the col the wind’s removed the snow and I take the skis off and hike to the ridge, my Gramont Megarides are ski mountaineering boots and have vibram soles so it’s easy to scramble to the top.

Above left, looking into the Turtmann or Tourtemagne valley, not much snow cover on the south slope but actually some nice looking snow in the bottom. Above right, looking at L’Omen Roso, I’d thought about doing this peak and in fact wished I had with hindsight, from there it’s possible to ski down to Ayer or Mottec. Ayer looks the better course although it’s bound to involve some walking through the forest.

It’s quite a nice spot at Forcletta, there’s not much wind and the sun is strong so I sit for a while eating a sandwich and taking a drink before packing away the skins and crampons and skiing down.

And the descent? It’s flat in places as I expect but there’s some good powder pitches and it’s quite good.

click on photograph for larger version

Up at the cabane again I saw some Ibex, this time a group of four high above the cabane but easily visible with binoculars borrowed from the cabane gardien. The Ibex do seem to be abundant this year and I’ve heard reports they’re having a particularly good year.

Above right when viewed full size shows the location of the Cabane d’Arpitettaz.

A view (right) over the Col Durand and Mont Durand with the Cabane du Grand Mountet hidden around the corner.

In the trees I saw loads of chamois, you can get fairly close, on the skins you’re moving fairly slowly and with a little noise as the ski moves and the bar clicks on each stride so I think they’ve plenty of warning you’re coming and don’t get too startled.

Some interesting looking snow for the descent, right at the top the near-piste off-piste had taken a battering from skiers during the week, the slopes just cut up, lots and lots of traverse lines and so on, so I was pretty pleased to found such a good descent line on untracked snow.

This was taken this morning in the Chamois area at Zinal, I’d skied a line near this yesterday and thought it looked a bit unstable so I wasn’t so surprised to see it had avalanched, initially as I entered the slope I thought there had been people caught so I skied quickly down but as I approached it was apparent there wasn’t a problem.

This is the hut dog, it’s hard to capture on the photograph but she’s huge, standing around my waist I’d say. Like most really big dogs she’s relaxed and friendly, what seems to be one of here favourite pastimes is greeting skiers as they approach the hut, she comes out to you and barks which is a little unnerving the first time but fun after that.

Some good views over to the Weisshorn and Bishorn, this is one of the reasons I decided to exercise the touring muscles actually, I’ve a few ascents lined up later in the season and the Bishorn is one of them so it pays to be in condition.

When I got to the Sorebois I took a few runs on the piste and rode the lifts a little before dropping into the Chamois descent to Grimentz, it’s the first time I’ve skied it this season and it was pretty good in places. The bus back was jammed packed though, in part due to the Chamois being open I suspect and also we’re on a low season reduced timetable so it’s infrequent.

I recorded the route as file for Google Earth :

The snow was great skiing down the Rechy although we got caught a little low near L’Ar du Tsan and had to pole a few meters but otherwise it worked fairly well. As usual even though it’s cold once we started the ascent it got pretty hot, Neil and Claire reached the summit before David and I as we spread out a little ascending. Generally I’m quite pleased with my Black Diamond Voodoos but they’re pretty awkward to kick turn and I managed to fall over a couple of times stepping on the back of my own ski, it’s the added length and width that makes it awkward and I’d certainly not like anything fatter or longer.

Once we’d got to the top it was great to see that the route plan was good as there was a good amount of untracked powder below us. In fact it lasted a fair way down before getting a bit lumpy in the woods above St Jean.

It turned out we missed a bus by a couple of minutes in St Jean but the bus stop shares the space with a bar so we took a couple of beers while waiting for the next bus. All in all an excellent day and some great skiing.