Pow Pow..............Pow Pow

Well it read -10 on the car read out yesterday, its snowed and snowed. So we've had one or two little runs in Villars on the Glacier and other places, skinned, skied and snow pack evaluation.

we spent a day with Louis Piguet IFMGA mountain guide from Leysin and Mammut's avalanche man looking at avalanche awareness and transceiver work, it's always useful to get out and practise in the event that you may have to help when out and about in the mountains

Last weekend Villlars opened there was loads of snow but it dictated care as with this much new snow many aspects were loaded, so watch out when your out there................................

A great few runs with Sarah, Frances, JP, Kelly, Hugh & Lucy

POW POW not worth the picture if your in it !

With the season of pow pow nearly upon us we should being thinking about, checking all our kit and making sure it all works.

It is worth thinking about for those of us who enjoy those iridescent videos of perfect tracks considering the link blow as more and more technology arrives, camera, mobile phones, helmet cams, etc etc

http://www.facewest.co.uk/facewestblog/2012/11/06/go-pro-warning-for-transceiver-users/

Be inspired, be very inspired

I've just watch this and it's blown my mind, watch it and then go out................... and do some thing

http://vimeo.com/51767176

Sking & how to do it well

If your thinking of skiing this season and want to get good the follow this link. It's a good friend of mine but she's a brilliant instructor.

this was reinforced last year when i friend said ' Chris you ski like a skier now not like someone from Scotland'

CHECK IT OUT

http://www.comeskiwith.me/alison-culshaw

Pow pow, well I had to start sometime

Check this out, with all the RIBBISH weather makes me smile

I feel a trip coming on...........................


http://youtu.be/3c07tODpnc0

The dark side

Keen to make the most of a good even a few of us headed down the Valley to a great crag called Yvone ( there must be a song in that)

From previous experience with Sarah i now keep a head touch in my cragging sack all the time and guess what.................... we needed it again.

So Kelly (the sandbag), Sarah (the head torch), Frances (the lens) Chappers (the chappers) and me (the mug) got stuck into as many routes as we could Sarah led the La route des Indes F 5c, Kelly and I did La dalle du caravanserail F6a which i found a bit hard and pummpy.

Then due to popular encouragement I got on Macao direct F6a+ , well Kelly said it would be really really photogenic............................... I should have asked the grade but vanity got the best of me.

Then Sarah did it when it was nearly dark and Kelly did it in the dark.

A great evening with lots of laughs, I wont mention the walk off, flip flops & Crocs

Anyway here's some pics

 Sarah on Les Routes des Indes F5c

 Kelly dancing her way up  La dalle du caravanserail F6a

 

 

Chris (the mug) onMacao direct F6a+.... it was really good

 

 

Keely's face say's it all, I guess it'll be the first 'head tourch ascent

 

 

A new hope................

Armed with my new clip stick the search was on for the 7a that I'd set myself the challenge of climbing this year.

Search no more I need not........... the route

 

The crag Sex Du Corbeau near Monthey

 

The route Tateu gauche, steep, with a bit over over hang about 25m

Here we go I'll try and post my progress, I doubt it's going to be a flash

Nice View

Check out the link below good friend and Mountain Guide James Thacker having an adventure on the Central Pillar of Freney



https://vimeo.com/50204807

Hot Hot Hot

It's been a great few weeks back in the UK catching up with family and the Olympics, it's been great to see everyone and the Chateau Planty is now open so please get in touch for availability...........................

I have a couple of weeks before I go back to work so returning late Thursday, i got out on my road bike with Sarah & Frances on Friday for a ride up to Solalex, woh it was hot.

 Saturday I joined Hilary and David for an ascent of the Dent Des Morcles 2968.9m and woh that was hot too. .

 A great day out scrambling up the final chimney and popping out only a short distance from the summit, you reverse the route, which can be a little exposed, reminded me of Torridon

This morning keen for some cooler action I joined Sarah & Dan and headed Dorenaz, specifically the Dalledes vaudois this has a wide variety of routes and grades and importantly cool, we climbed L'ABC (F5b+), Variente (F5b) and the 1st pitch of La Fissure (F6a) which reminded me of some of the old gritstone pegging cracks of the Peak district.

 Sarah on L'ABC (F5b+)

Me on La Fiissure (F6a)

Thanks for everyone it's been great getting out, here is to more over the coming couple of weeks

A long time ago in a Peak District far far away............

Long time friend James & I have manged to arrange a weeks climbing around my new home in Vaud in Switzerland, I think we did our first route together over fifteen years ago when we were both in Derby Mountain Rescue Team, Wow how times have changed.


To day we opted to go up to Pierre du Moelle area specficically the Rochers de la latte, we climbed some great multi pitch routes which require some delicate balance on some of the more tricky sections.

 James on one of the fluted routes at Roches de La latte

Yesterday we opted to climb at Pierre Avoi above the ski resort of Vebier, we chose L'arete the classic of the crag, six ptches of F5c+  the exposure is something else, sorry only pictures of me as I forgot my camera.

Friday nights........ & there were two

Sarah & I headed to Verchez last night for a quick hit as we only had a couple of hours spare, this is a slabby area of three crags Dalle a Monnet is one of the sectors I've had my eye on since coming to Switzerland last August, we did two routes You are the one 6b+ & La ziza 6a* both were brilliant. The views down the Rhone valley from the top of the routes is awesome.

A great few hours, Thanks Sarah, you can be my wing man anytime................. she held a whipper...........

Click Click Click

Well my old camera finally said good bye after many years of good service in Russia, Scotland summer & winter (same thing isn't it), it being dropped in the North sea, the arctic, Hong Kong plus many other locations.

After a great deal of research I have opted for a Lumix TZ20 I have found it very intuitive, easy to use and great results. I'm over the moon with the pictures.

The Dru

 The Dru wider angle

Les Grand Charmoz

Have a look at my first attempts................ any comments welcome. Here's to a great summer and loads of pictures

Friday Nighters

If you've been keep up with the blog you will have seen that I have been out and about. Sarah Julia & I climb on local crags sand further afield, but 'Frday nighters' is something that I used to do in The Peak district with friends from Derby Mountain Rescue team.

below are a couple of pictures from a friday night session at Solalex (1462m)

Above it's not Yoga but if you reach right there is a hold...............

Going for it

Climbing, pizza & ice cream

It's been a busy few weeks and I'm very nearly at the end of my first year at Aiglon College in Switzerland, it's been great.

We had a long weekend a few weeks a go so Sarah, Lucy, Frances, Ed, Julia, Mark and headed down to Finale on the Italian Mediterranean for some R & R. I decided to just climb, others ran, biked, walked and took pictures.

The climbing in this area is out for this world, it has a reputation, for being difficult to find, and hard. We were lucky we found at the first time of asking some great cliffs around Monti Coco (sorry about the spelling) yes the grades were tough but it was about having a great time with friends and getting some mileage in. Thanks to Sarah for being a great climbing partner for the three days and poking me up a 7a+ as the last route, I didn't make it but I could see the moves................... but I always say that. The plan for the summer of climbing 7a is a little closer.

Thanks to Frances for taking the pictures

Climb, Bike, Ski

Well it's been a while since the last post, where does the time go...........................

It's spring here in the Alps.............. well it should be 3cm of snow in Villars this morning !!!!

I've set myself a few targets for the summer one is to climb F7a a few of us have out together a Friday night climbing program (some folk may remember that from the Peak District days) with as much climbing crammed in between.

I've also entered a local series of mountain bike races. The first one is on Saturday 40km so some first and last minute training has been going on, good job I live on a hill the only way is up. We'll see how it goes on Saturday.

Just as I might stop thinking about skiing for this year it snowed......... BIG UP and thanks to everyone who I've skied with this season, AWESOME same time same places (and some different ones next season) A few pics below.

The VB..............

I joined good friend James for a quick nip down the Valle Blanche earlier in the week we were one of the first teams down, having got an early 'bin' up the snow soften during the decent a great trip as always in stunning surroundings

 Working hard on the bumps

Spring and pow pow..................

Yesterday I joined Alison, Hetti & Donna, Hetti and Donna were doing there Mountain safety modual for the British Association of Ski Instructor (BASI). the aim was to have a days touring utilising all the skills need to lead a none glacial ski tour.

The plan was to skin skin up to the Col des Autannes form the the chair lift at Le Tour then a traverse across to the Lac de Charamillion then UP to the Col then ski the pow pow into Switzerland.

Awesome the route down the Col des Autannes is in the back ground just out of sight on the right

There are loads of options from the col as can be seen in the pictures.

Well done to Hetti & Donna who both passed. I was the guinea pig for the day. I was told to do as  was told and be quite..................................

A great day out thanks guys

They call it skiing

I just got back from three most excellent day ski touring. With a group of 16 students three guides and me we set off from Villars on Thursday morning our aim being to use the lift systems, pistes, public transport and touring/skinning to summit Les Diablerets 3209.7m.

The forecast for Friday was good so off we popped to the summit of Les Diablerets, with all the team summiting and great day out and a fantastic effort by all at alltitude and in the warm.

We skied Isenau on the way on nice spring snow, then the bus and up to the Cabane from the Col du Pillon at 2525m a couple of off piste runs and back up the lift made for a tip top day.

Les Diablerets summit

Above the skin to the summit.............. top banna

Saturday saw us do a couple of runs on the glacier in cold a swirly weather (reminded me of skiing on Caingorm) reverse much of the route the highlight being the whole skiing very well the black run down to Reush (great ice climbing venue not far off the piste) with all their rucksacks on.A great few days, thanks to guides Hannah Burrows-Smith, Willy Brand & Pratice Khol

Good times

Its been a busy few weeks out here in the Alps with working, exploring ski touring and getting better from the Flu ( I was sent to the Doc.........)

 Above the approach...

I have explored a very nice ice climbing venue that we use with school it's great you park in a tunnel walk through a small passage past a small hanging pillar turn left and there is a great little ice fall with fixed belay points at the top, grades from WI 2 to 6

It does'nt get much better than this.......

I have been in Val D'Isere with my family Arif, Lucy nephew Rafi and nieces Inara & Sefia  for some skiing it won't be long before the youngsters are rippin the slopes with a ragged Uncle following.

The week was mixed with low cloud, snow - powder and sunshine, we skied pistes, powder, off piste, trees, crud, bump fests.................. it was awesome. The best thing is being able to ski withe the family. it was the UK half term last week, and the French half term this week so i guess the popular resorts and slopes will be busy.

Above Rafi.................... how cool

Above Arif and Lucy skiing the tightest Blue I've ever seen in fresh powder

Inara & sefia with thier instructor Lynne