Skiing at Les Houches, Chamonix

We had planned on doing a day tour today, but instead, I had a day whizzing around the pistes of Les Houche. After the efforts of the previous few days, we had a nice breakfast together before all going our separate ways.

The lifts were not busy, so I managed to clock up some good mileage...

I did stop briefly for a delicious sandwich, but otherwise was on the move.

Stu called in the afternoon to say that we'd been invited for apres ski drinks at five, so I took one last look at the view and dropped in for my last run of the day at about four. Back at the chalet, before heading out for drinks, I suddenly felt quite tired. The GPS said I'd travelled over 65km and descended the height of Everest since morning! A drink was well deserved....

Ski Touring - Arolla to Refuge Des Bouquetins

It’s amazing how scenery can change. Yesterday morning I was enjoying a big breakfast in a country house hotel in Cheshire. This morning, I was setting off up a Swiss mountainside, with skis on my feet, and rope and rucksack on back.

Given the extraordinary (very hot!) temperatures, we had decided to aim for the higher mountains in search of the best snow and safest terrain. After a quick packing session and kit check, in Chamonix, we'd driven over the border to Switzerland and up to Arolla. From there, we continued on foot, up the wide open Glacier d'Arolla, towards the imposing bulk of Mt Collon.

Under the brilliant blue skies, we continued alone, up onto the higher glacier, where the green of the lower valley was hidden from view. Having come from sea level yesterday, to nearly 3000m altitude, my legs began to feel tired on the last stretch.



Up upon a little rocky knoll, we found our home for the night, in the form of the tiny, unmanned, 'Refuge des Bouquetins at 2980m.



Inside, we found a nice little setup and plenty of room for the three of us to lay out.



First though, we got our hot and heavy ski boots off and sat down outside to enjoy the incredible views.



Next job was to get into the adjoining wood store and chop some logs, so that we could get the central fire going (for heat and cooking).



At this time of year, there is no running water, so we had to make sure there was plenty of snow being melted, so that we could keep hydrated.



The next few hours passed by with us just looking, chatting and drinking endless brews and bowls of Hut Soupe.



We'd carried up plenty of good food and dined on fresh pasta with parmesan cheese, but Stu took things to another level, by producing a bottle of red wine, that he'd carried up as a surprise! Rachel has also brought up her Aeropress coffee maker, so, all in all, it felt a very luxurious affair, given our surroundings.



We were joined by two other Swiss alpinists for the night, who were delighted to be offered a glass of red wine and find the fire lit and roaring.



By the time we went to bed, the place was like a sauna and the stars were shining brightly outside. Went to bed tired and very happy indeed.

The Ferpecle Glacier - A journey on skis

Our companions in the hut left first, while I was still bundled up, dozing under a pile of blankets. The warmth of the fire had died with the embers and I woke feeling cold. Amidst the clattering of pans, and heavy ski-booted footfall, the two Swiss guys made quite a racket as they staggered around in the dark and even dropped a pan of snow all over the floor. They did, however, get the fire going before they left, so we had warm water for brews when we got up around 7am. Outside, all was calm, still and beautiful.

Porridge and coffee set us up for the day and we left before the sun had reached us. The temperatures were still unseasonably warm. It was a lovely start to the day, spoilt only by the discovery that one of my ski crampons was missing - it must have detached its self on the ascent the day before. I skied back a little way, but could see no sign of it. We carried on up towards the next ridge, hoping that it wouldn't be too icy!

You can just see the hut, perched on the ridge (in the shade) in this photo. It was here that the slopes became too steep for skis. 

We continued upwards now, with skis on our packs up the steep snow slope to the col. It was relatively straight forward ground at about Scottish grade one, but a slip would have been serious. We took our time and soon arrived up in the sunshine of Col du Mont Brule (3213m).

The sunshine felt life giving and the views were wild.

Back on skis, we traversed across the hanging Haut Glacier de Tsa de Tsan. The scale of the place was enormous. You can just see Stu and Rachel in the centre of the photo below.

Then after a final uphill section with skins on our skis, we crossed the final ridge line at the Col du Valpelline (3557m) and a staggering view of the Matterhorn and Valais Alps unfolded in front of us. With only one ski crampon, it was steady going, but luckily not too icy.

We were on a high-level plateau glacier, with some of the greatest alpine views available. It felt super remote - until a helicopter dropped a small guided party of skiers a the nearby Tete Blanche. It didn't matter to us though, as they were returning to Zermatt and we had an empty glacier laid out below us, with miles and miles of untracked terrain to negotiate.

Before descending, Stu and I took note of the mountains in the distance, the main summits (to the left of the Matterhorn), I climbed on one of my first alpine summers back in 1999 or so!

With skis set in downhill mode, we had the Ferpecle Glacier laid out in front of us - over 15km and 2000m of descent to go. Downhill all the way! Yahoo!

The initial traverse across to the Moto Rota was amazing. Gently moving across the wide plateau, I took in the sights as the kilometers ticked by. Breathtaking stuff.

Stu had got some recent advice about the best line of descent, but getting there meant crossing an obviously crevassed section. We roped up briefly, just to make sure that no one disappeared through a snow bridge. Thankfully, we picked our way across without a problem.

The descent took us through some wild terrain and we stopped regularly to check the best route through the crevasse and serac sections.

Where the glacier turned a gentle corner around the valley, we must have been the only people in many many miles. There was no sign of any human existence.

The valley narrowed near the end as we approached the end of the glacial terrain.

The deep blue ice at the snout of the glacier was mesmerising, but no place to be hanging around.

We'd identified this part as the most avalanche prone and sure enough, the sun had triggered the south facing slopes. We shot past, without looking back. 

After a hair raising exit through a rocky gorge that was only 2m wide, we emerged into a wider valley and found the top of the snow-covered road that would lead us back down to the valley.

The road went through a short tunnel at one point, so we had to dismount and walk though.

Amazing icicles had formed halfway along, but luckily, we could fit though - otherwise, things could have got interesting as we were still a long way from home!

A flat section followed, then some dreadful slushy snow though the woods, which almost finished us off.

Triumphantly and thankfully, we emerged from the woods and into the sunny village of Les Hauderes (1452m). Full credit goes to Stu, who then hitch-hiked back to Arolla to get the car, while Rachel and I shared cold drinks and crepes on a sunny cafe terrace in the middle of the village. What an adventure...

Sunset over the Isle of Wight

Knowing that by bed time I’d be in the French Alps, I enjoyed a long, large and leisurely cooked breakfast in the very grand Thornton Hall with Clare. By three thirty, after a bit of shopping I was parked up at Liverpool Airport where the temperature had reached record levels for this time of year. 

As we took off over the Mersey, the sun was beginning to set abs I could see the familiar peaks of Snowdonia in the distance.

Moments later we were passing over the Isle of Wight. I was on my way for an adventure on skis... 



Arrived in Les Houches near Chamonix later on. Tomorrow over the border to Switzerland and up into the mountains above Arolla...

The Warmest Weekend

It feels like we’ve bypassed Spring and gone straight to summer here in North Wales. Flowers are blooming and the temperature has been hovering around 18°C all weekend! 

On Saturday morning we did our first ‘Park Run’ which was great fun. The run goes around the castle grounds at Penrhyn, which is somewhere I’ve never actually been before - it’s amazing! We finished 95th & 96th out of a field of 225, so were pleased with that. 

The light on the mountains has been remarkable. I dashed out side on Saturday evening to watch the light show from the bridge. 

Meanwhile, on the A55, year daffodils are in full effect. 



And up at Castle Inn Quarry, it was t-shirt weather for rock climbing. 



We called in on Sunday afternoon, climbed four nice routes at a very busy crag, before continuing eastwards. Our next stop was a rather nice Hotel near Chester, where an outside hot tub provided a splendid end to the day!