Snow for the Euros.

[subtle plague]

marius the slut.





he is the ultimate photo slut...



from photoslut to gaper steeze in 0.5 seconds.... i swear my turn looked cool AND was deep.

[keksie]

some not that great pics from the last two weeks or so..

spring skiing (me):


some pow:



antti ripping..:


and then i got all artsy

[klar]

very cool, keksie. where is that third one? btw, coming back tonight, you skiing tomorrow?

[klar]

franz klammer, i am pretty sure that is axamer lizum. just not sure where exactly.

[keksie]

yea its axamer lizum, 2nd pic is a bit over 5min hike from the lift/piste, there are some nicer small "couloirs" (15-25min) behind it but at that point we had already "tracked them out".. klar, you get to where i am in 3rd pic if you cut to skiers left from the "S-couloir" after the upper part.
the resorts here might not be that rad but at least the good stuff stays untracked quite long basically all of these are just next to the lift and easily noticeable, nobody just really goes there..

[bbirtle]

Snow for the Euros has been pretty quiet lately. Hello anybody out there? The season ain't over yet!

4.21 - Climbed the Mont Blanc du Tacul this morning... surprised to find decent powder snow pretty much from the summit (4100m) to the junction with the Vallee Blanche (3500m). Then some fresh spring slush tracks in between patches of moguls on the way down to Montenvers... excellent day out.

Al? Ripz? LITT? Hope you guys are finding the snow too!!

[Franz Klammer]

the good stuff stays untracked quite long basically all of these are just next to the lift and easily noticeable, nobody just really goes there..

I think that with the exception of St. Anton and Krippenstein this is basically true of all Austrian resorts ...

[Idris]

Skied the GM today, It rained in Chamonix last night and this morning. Got up there around 1pm. Snow was the consistecy of cake mix - abot mid calf deep. Not quite porridge but pretty heavy. You need stout skis, stout boots and legs. Down low on the skiiout was not much more solid than water. The lower elevation off piste was like trying to ski skin glue!



Nice to finaly have the Top bin for free though.

[Ripzalot]

Nice to finaly have the Top bin for free though.

nice bonus tho. when's the last day o' season?

[bbirtle]

nice bonus tho. when's the last day o' season?

May 8 for Les Grands Montets. Aiguille du Midi stays open through the summer.

http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/fr/index.html

[bbirtle]

Skied the GM today, It rained in Chamonix last night and this morning. Got up there around 1pm. Snow was the consistecy of cake mix - abot mid calf deep. Not quite porridge but pretty heavy. You need stout skis, stout boots and legs. Down low on the skiiout was not much more solid than water. The lower elevation off piste was like trying to ski skin glue!

You're making me sooo wish I had not stayed home today.

[verbier61]

just back from a 4-day haute route between verbier and zermatt. very nice experience, and TR ASAP.

[subtle plague]

btw. nice dump coming on the weekend in austria. 1m+ possible. snow level sub 1000m on sunday. eastern alps favoured. the western alps may get 30cm.

[Idris]

Nice up top today at 3800m. Started to get corn snow around 3300m got real nasty about 2400m

Not so bad in the middle

[bbirtle]

Nice up top today at 3800m. Started to get corn snow around 3300m got real nasty about 2400m

We gotta work on those selling skills of your Idris. I cranked out eight hours today, finally catching up on work.

Looks like the storm this weekend could blow over - bummer dude. More working for me I guess...

Next good snowfall though, out with the skins. Ready for Mont Maudit or Barre des Ecrins? The season ain't over yet!

[klar]

as for the dumping in austria: it is -and was all day- snowing high up on stubai but very wet and heavy. some fun cement skiing but stayed out of the nicer stuff because snow was very scary. obvious weak layer under the new snow, no bonding at all. the avalanche bulletin still says level 2?!

in obertauern (salzburg) a group of students got caught in an avalanche apparently on a piste. a 14 year old girl died. link in german

[Hicks]

Just came back from Western Sellrain mountains (Winnebachseehut, Breiter Grieskogel).

Conditions had been very variable all around. Breakable crust over deep sludge up to 2700 m on eastern and southern aspects, above breakable crust over winbuff which didn't corn up. It has just been too warm recently, for some nicer stuff you need to go well above 3000 m.

[Schnappi]

This morning outside my apartment at 1650 or so meters.

[Schnappi]

Location, just general location...not ur street address would be more meaningful.
Not that I am planning on tracking up your pow stash. Just curious.

Snow fall looks good in Haute Valais over the next 24. The freezing lvls forecasted to be dropping to ~ 1800m.
I believe Zermatt is the only station open right now (in Valais).

EDIT: Anyone want to join-up for a skin to the Gd-St-Bernard on Thursday and/or Friday?
There should be enough snow to take a look into Italy.

I thought it was obvious from the picture that it was Zermatt.

Bastards are being miserly about opening lifts right now. Just about to give up and go skinning.

[Schnappi]

thanks, i thought it was Engelberg...



yes, just checked in on their site...
too much wet, heavy, snow to clear?

Who knows. Going up to check it out now.

[bad_roo]

That is definitely Val Thorens in that picture.

[Mrs Roo]

That is definitely Val Thorens in that picture.

I could have sworn it was Le Tour!

[Hicks]

Bullshit!
With the Forcella Staunies in the backdrop my vote goes out for Cortina.

[bbirtle]

...I believe Zermatt is the only station open right now (in Valais)....

Aiguille du Midi is open.

We tried to do something on the Midi today, backed off due to a number of factors - white out, delays waiting on people, high avy danger, etc. They are reporting 1.5m of fresh snow up there. Climbing halfway down the arete before turning back, the fixed lines were half buried in fresh snow, all of a lovely light fluffy quality so it's at least, say, 50cm and probably more like 150cm.

Forecast is good tomorrow through the weekend, so Idris and I are hoping to get a few last runs in before I fly back to the US on May 13...

Actually I'm looking for a partner to ski tour Mont Maudit - I'm not sure if Idris will want to come or not. Any takers? 3500m -> 4465m including a 400m tall 40-45 degrees north face.

[Idris]

2 of did decide to see how far we could ski down today..I had snowed in Chamonix town center last night - as is normal the day after the Grand Montets closes for the season.

Up high the snow was over a foot deep and soft

[img]http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/riley.jpg[img]

Lower down it got heavy. Then thin



Then all a bit silly



I did manage to decend on ski all but 150m and the top 7-800m was rather nice.