Part two of the report from our intrepid Chamonix exiles. This time with pictures from the Freeride World Tour Qualifier event, tips on accommodation, a short trip to central Switzerland and, of course, steep couloirs again.
Since Chamonix is very busy at the weekend, we took it easy after a week of skiing and headed to Le Tour in the afternoon to ski the North-East Ridge (35°, 250m) of the Aiguillete des Posettes. Apart from the start, most of the descent is in the forest. From the valley town, Le Buet, you can take the train back to Argentiere or Chamonix.
On February 15, a qualifying event for the Freeride World Tour took place at the Pentes de l'Hotel in Brévent, where we absolutely had to go despite the huge weekend crowds. Seb Michaud won the contest with brilliant drops and backflips. Aurélien Ducroz came second ahead of Phil Meier. It was great to see the top riders live at an event like this. Above all, there were many and sometimes violent crashes on the cliff drops.
After the event, we made our way to Bellachat (35-40°). The first part was great to ride, but then we unfortunately missed the exit. As a result, we had to fight our way through bush and rock for ages - "combat skiing" at its best.
High-pressure weather = couloir time
In sunny conditions, we skied over the Grands Montets Glacier to the Rectiligne Couloir (45°, 40 m then 35-40°, 300m). The number of tracks in the couloir was limited, the snow was super stable and with a fantastic view it was a dream to ski the couloir. After the couloir, we made big turns over the Nant Blanc Glacier to the Couloir des Chaussettes and then on towards the Mer de Glace. After a 15-minute hike to the Buvette des Mottets, a forest trail led us towards Chamonix with big grins on our faces.
North jam! Or 700 km for two days of deep powder
As we only heard the word "Nordstau" in numerous emails, phone calls and on various websites and saw deep powder pictures from Tyrol, it was clear to us that we had to turn our backs on Chamonix. After studying the weather data and weighing up what could be reached from Chamonix "quite quickly", we set off on Tuesday morning for a two-day road trip to Switzerland. Our destination on Tuesday was Hasliberg in central Switzerland. When we reached the parking lot with snow chains, we saw that the upper sections were closed. This didn't deter us and we set off to explore the area. The snowfall became more and more intense, so that even chairlifts were stopped again and again and the lift was cleared with a snow blower! The day was divine and also the deepest day for us so far this winter!
After an overnight stay in Interlaken, we headed to Melchsee-Frutt in central Switzerland on Wednesday. The parking lot was already very full in the morning and a long queue had already formed at the valley station. The area is a forest reserve and the rest of the area is not particularly steep. Nevertheless, we also found a few nice powder runs above the tree line.
Couloir Poubelles - abseiling for stage pigs
After two deep powder days back in Argentiere, we set off in search of new steep faces. After a 1300m warm-up run on the Glacier de la Pendant, we set our sights on the Chapeau Couloir (35-40°, 450m). This is nice to ride and has no difficulties apart from a waterfall at the end that you have to go around. This couloir is a must-see and is a good option for powder days with stable conditions.
After that, it was straight on to the Poubelles Couloir (40-45°, 250 m). This can be reached directly from the top station of the Bochard lift. At the start, we could hardly believe our luck: A virgin couloir was just waiting to be tackled by us! As usual here, we had to abseil the first 30 m into the couloir. Due to the proximity of the lift, a large number of spectators quickly formed. I was the second to abseil down and had to fight my way through the crowd at the start of the rope. The Poubelles had great powder/firn conditions and our anticipation was in no way dampened! After the couloir, we chose the same route as for the Rectiligne couloir. After two outstanding couloirs and consequently a perfect mood, we ended the day with live music in the Chambre Neuf.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Guesthouse "Le Belvédère" in Argentiere. From there, you can reach The Grand Montets ski area in about 5 minutes. There are rooms for 2, 3 and 4 people and the toilets and showers are on each floor. We have a room for two which costs 21.50 euros per person and for an additional 1 euro per day we use the kitchen on the first floor. There is free Wi-Fi in the house and free parking in front of the house. We can recommend this accommodation without hesitation. There are other inexpensive gites in Argentiere and Chamonix at prices up to 30 euros per night. In some cases, it is even worth traveling from Verbier to spend the night here at a cheaper price.
Shopping
The supermarkets in Chamonix and Argentiere are very busy at almost all times and the shelves are often empty in the evening as a result. As in almost every ski resort, prices are also slightly higher. In Sallanches there is a huge shopping center that is open until 20:30 and where you can find everything you need. On the way to the shopping center, it's worth paying a quick visit to Quechua. In this sports store you can buy the company's own brand, Quechua, at very good prices. The Quechua range covers almost the entire sports segment, from functional clothing to bags, backpacks and tents. It takes around 40 minutes by car from Argentiere to Sallanches. The speed limit should not be exceeded on the route to Sallanches, as there is a speed camera after Les Houches!
Text: Christian Skala
