SnowSlider - Blogging From the Snow by ise

It really didn’t look very promising today, the forecast was bad and there was a lot of low cloud. Yesterday had been awful really, raining all day and not really worth going out. So, meeting David again, we had a slightly late start with a vague plan to walk up the valley and explore a couple of options there.

We started with a quick side trip to the copper mines, in season they run tours around here but neither of us had been here before. It’s about 100m climb up from the main track and then just a straight walk back down. The weather was not brilliant but it looked worth continuing so we set off for the cabane de Petit Mountet with a plan to have lunch there.

I got some water in my boots the other day from the snow high up, fortunately they didn’t get so wet that flowers grew in them.

It was in the afternoon after we’d left the cabane that the most amazing thing happened, but you’re going to have to read on for that……


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Meeting up with David, a regular ski partner in the winter, and all sorts of plans had come and gone for this week, climbing the Zinalrothorn or La Besso, climbing some other peak but in the end for today the weather had the final call and after some heavy rain and snow at altitude a hike looked the best idea. The route was a classic of the area, from Chandolin passing the lift system at Saint Luc and then on and up to the Bella Vouarda with an idea to take in the Forcletta before starting a traverse back to Zinal.

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This was going to be a long day, the aim was to travel to the Cabane de Tracuit which looks a pretty long way on the map. Another early start at 0400hr and we’re away from the the cabane du Mountet a little after 0430hrs lighting the way by head torches until fixing skins and starting the first ascent.

photo : some of the group climbing the Blanc de Moming with the Dent Blanche in the centre background.
 

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Next morning saw us leaving the hut a little after 0500 hrs in the dark skiing down lighting the way with our head torches with the occasional sparks from the skier in front if they caught a rock with their edges. We skied back along a little way where we’d skinned up the previous afternoon before arriving under the Äbihorn and fixing skins along with ski crampons and starting to climb. It’s early in the day of course and the sun’s barely risen to the snow is solid and the crampons are essential to make any progress, even so, some of the kick turns are hard work at times.


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