Jan Imberi

It is difficult to write about winter when it "does not" exist. It becomes a reminiscence that is objectively supported by a multitude of measurements and scientific studies and comparisons, but is subjectively nourished by a feeling that increasingly fades the longer and more often it is absent. At the end of the Snow of Tomorrow season, PGler Jan reflects on the past winter that wasn't one and those that are yet to come.

There are many famous ski tours around Chamonix, although the Brèche Puiseux is not necessarily one of the best known in this country. However, the scenery is extremely impressive and the skiing is also very rewarding.

The two mountain guides Helias Millerioux and Alex Marchesseau, as well as snowboarder Thomas Delfino and river guide Gregory Douillard, report on their spectacular sea-to-sea expedition on Mount Logan. Over the Malaspina Glacier to Mount Logan and down the Copper River into the Pacific, they covered the following distances in 48 days in 2019: 60km on foot, 200km on skis, 330km by raft.

I am a winter sports enthusiast with heart and soul. And that's not surprising, as my parents let me walk through the winter garden on skis waxed with klister when I was just 2 years old.

Both Météo-Chamonix and Meteoswiss were forecasting the best weather, so we set off for the south-east side of the Mont Blanc Massif in Val Ferret. From there, we planned to cross Mont Dolent in a two-day tour. The temperatures were mild and we imagined enjoying the descent down the south side in the soft slush. Spring conditions in March - actually too early for this time of year and especially for this altitude.

Vivian Bruchez is one of the most successful steep face skiers of his generation. As a creative "line finder", he is giving the popular Mont Blanc massif back some of its wild originality with his spectacular first ascents. At the beginning of March, Bruchez and Tom Lafaille successfully completed a new route on the Aiguille du Goûter.

It's a strange winter. The fear of Covid 19 seems to have the whole of Europe in its grip. France is no exception. Apart from the training slopes for young skiers, all lifts are at a standstill. The otherwise lively and bustling centre of Chamonix, where alpinists, ski bums and high society from all over the world gather, seems strangely quiet and completely atypical for this time of the year.

There is hardly a place on this planet where the contrasts between urbanity and extreme nature are as close together as in the Chamonix valley. This has advantages, but also disadvantages - and you are definitely never alone in the El Dorado of alpine superlatives.

When the conditions are right in spring, the Couloir du Pissoir is a more than worthwhile excursion destination in a high alpine setting. Our reporter Jan not only provides a tour description, but also - kissed by the spring muse - a poem about the tour.

In part 1 of his travel report, Jan Imberi reported on the steep gullies of the Tatra Mountains. Reason enough to explore the small mountain range even further. If only the visibility were better...!

The Tatras - an underrated mountain range. At least according to our author Jan Imberi, who drove east with a friend in a VW bus on bad roads in March - to garlic soup and amazingly steep gullies.

The Hohe Tauern are the part of the Alps that I have only known from stories and reports so far. But I wanted to change that, so we made the Hohe Tauern the destination of this year's road trip. Equipped with a stove and sleeping bag, we set off in the VW bus to spend a week exploring the north side of the Tauern massif. We got to know many places that are often visited by freeriders and ski tourers, but also quiet, unspoilt areas that are off the beaten track but offer impressively good freeride terrain. One special experience was a ski tour on a rather inconspicuous mountain.