Chamonix

[Yossarian]

Is quite something.

Ran into Foggs and Hev last night as we stumbled in after 3 hours of sleep and a long trip. A quick hello over a beer and it was time to pass out.

My pops and his friends and I checked out Grande Monte/Argentiere today, clear in the AM when we woke, but little to no visibility up top by the time we were there, so the stellar snow conditions up high were useless to us. Still, pretty cool.

Thought I had an Idris sighting as we were checking in to the Gustavia, but I was delirious at that point, so who knows.

Anyhew, right now it doesn't look like we'll be setting off to do the Haute Route as planned on Monday, so if anyone else is around, keep an eye out. My dad, his pals, and I will be tooling around the general Cham/Verb/Zerm area for the next week and half - inbounds if it doesn't clear enough to tour, and doing what parts of the route (Argentiere->Triente->Champex/Verbier->Arolla->etc->Zermatt->Saas Fee) we can if we get a good break in the weather.

Another foot of snow forecast up high from Tue-Thur of the coming week though, so it's rather doubtful that we'll be going anywhere.

Cheers!

[bbirtle]

Tomorrow looking OK, Mon/Tue looking fantastic. Wed/Thurs maybe not so good but they can't really predict it that far out. I'm headed to the Bernese Oberland for what will hopefully be a 4 day tour, but maybe a good time for you to start your Haute Route!

http://meteo.chamonix.com/MetPreE.php3

[powstash]

My manager and his buddies are doing the Haute route starting either Sunday or Monday, can't remember. Perhaps you'll run into him. Dustin is his name - short blond hair - tele set up (Havocs with BD binders)

Have fun Cletus

[tomw_n]

I'm moving there for the summer, it's meant to be wicked even then

[Idris]

Guys give me a shout...0618534302 (french mobile)...I'm on the road all day tomorrow but hope to ski monday...

[verbier61]

hey I'm in US up to wednesday but I might be in verbier or alagna on thursday. Stay tuned

[Lostinthetrees]

.....and doing what parts of the route (Argentiere->Triente->Champex/Verbier->Arolla->etc->Zermatt->Saas Fee) we can if we get a good break in the weather.

Another foot of snow forecast up high from Tue-Thur of the coming week though, so it's rather doubtful that we'll be going anywhere.

Your best break is now. Sunday thru Tues PM forecasts look golden for touring.
I use and cross-check a number of sources. Here is real time CH radar:


re: another ft...yeah somewhere up high...question is where.
be ready to road trip as it may fall Saas-Fee/Zermatt and farther east. This time of year with these weather patterns it is tough to predict more than 2 days out.
Recent forecasted dumpage has a tendency of melting away to 5 - 10cms on sno4kast.com.

[Lostinthetrees]

Guys give me a shout...0618534302 (french mobile)...I'm on the road all day tomorrow but hope to ski monday...

you'll be getting a shout today re: Monday/Tues.
...and, be ready to set me up w/ some wide body boards!

[hev]

Cletus, sorry we missed you this morning. We got up the Agui so mission accomplished there. We'll probably see you tonight.

[Yossarian]

Right on, thanks guys for the info.

Weather clearing for Mon/Tue, so perhaps we can do our Arg-Trient-Champex two day hop, but even then, sounds like everything is sliding.
Col de Chardonney is sketchy then, no?

Stash, I'll keep an eye out if we go.

[bbirtle]

I would think the ascent in the early morning should be fine, especially if you start from the Argentiere hut ( = earlier, as opposed to first Les GM bin). Then on your decent, welcome to springtime avalaches... but probably fine.

Go for it!

[blondin]

yup yossarian the col de chard IS SKETCHY...
wouldnt advise that route just yet especially with additional snow in the forecast tonight...

[bbirtle]

Why sketchy?

Avo danger is, believe it or not, at 2/5. http://www.meteofrance.com/FR/mamete...?LIEUID=DEPT74. I'd be worried about the lower elevations late in the day but up high it seems pretty OK.

Memory is a little foggy, granted, but I remember skiing mostly to the top of col. On the other side we rapped half of it, you could rap the whole thing if it seems dangerous...

Of course if it snows like 50cm tonight that might change things, but if we get only the 15cm as predicted the new snow isn't really a factor...

I'm off for a big tour tomorrow myself so curious.

[Stanley]

Yoss,
When you ski from Trient to Champex make sure to think about skinning up the slope directly behind the refuge. There are a few beautiful 1500+ shots off the that ridge. The standard tourist route will get you much less fallline skiing and have you thinking about booting up the coolers when you actually see them. Ask at the refuge & dont be late for dinner.

[blondin]

Why sketchy?

Avo danger is, believe it or not, at 2/5. http://www.meteofrance.com/FR/mamete...?LIEUID=DEPT74. I'd be worried about the lower elevations late in the day but up high it seems pretty OK.

Memory is a little foggy, granted, but I remember skiing mostly to the top of col. On the other side we rapped half of it, you could rap the whole thing if it seems dangerous...

Of course if it snows like 50cm tonight that might change things, but if we get only the 15cm as predicted the new snow isn't really a factor...

I'm off for a big tour tomorrow myself so curious.

1)well if you believe the ava reports cover all the slopes/exposures altitudes and also the "back country" then ya go for it...

2)for the ava danger to frop from 4 to 2 in two days is total "Chamonix weekend tourist trap rubbish"

3)all you have to do is look around on almost any exposure to see the avy crown releases...

4)if you remember what the bottom of the Chardonnet looked like early this season and see the pillowed snow sitting on it now...not talking about the backside...the lower bit is the "sketchy" bit. i think higher altitudes were less affected (though not by wind slabs) than the lower altitudes were with the rain/warm temps...

5)and yes we did get our 40-50cm last night...

for your curiousity...

and as mentioned by Stanley there are some great slopes above the Trient hut leading down to Champex...
have fun and be safe

[bbirtle]

Hey Blondin I just got back from Switzerland.

1) ... Isn't that MeteoFrance bullitan MADE for "back country"? Of course like any avo forecast, it's just a guide, but I think it's meant to forecast for all situations.

2) ... Wouldn't two days of warm temperatures and sunny skies do a great deal to change the respective danger level?

3) ... I'm seeing tons of spring avalanches on sunny slopes. Up on the Vallee Blanche on the 2nd I didn't see any avalanche activity at all.

4) ... I haven't been there yet this season.

5) ... Well then that could have changed things - I wasn't around to see.

Wouldn't there be like 200 people queued up in the Argentiere hut this time of year to do the Haute Route?

I mean I don't know, but I discussed your warnings to some friends and nobody really agreed... It's of course OK to err on the side of caution however I sometimes get frustrated when my friends cancel a trip due to a danger that seems to me not to exist...

[blondin]

hey birtle looks you had a great time in CH.
you know avy prediction is still a long way from rocket science...but when in doubt or in those type of conditions it is usually best to play it safe. when things work out and nothing slides its always good but when it does let loose and we lose someone like Doug (a day after i posted it) maybe you and your buds should take a little more time to analyse things. if none of your friends agreed i would be asking myself some pretty serious questions about who i was skiing with....
at least for the conditions we had here in Cham not in CH....which of course could be completely different.

[bbirtle]

Should be read as: "...nobody really agreed [with your assessment of the danger level]..."

I.e., we all thought it should have been OK.

But ok hey we're beating a dead horse here.

I would think this forum should rock when it comes to avalanche debates, since everybody here (including me) doesn't hesitate to argue! ;-)

[Terpski]

I wish I go there

[Yossarian]

Cham was great, but Zermatt is quite something too.

Two days of unreal weather, holy crap are the Alps huge here. No worries at all on bagging the Haute route starts, as we're starting to get in some touring - although it's all day tours from the top of the lifts, but who cares.

Amazing terrain, and we've lucked out and even found some tremendous snow.

Unsure of plans now, definitely more to do here, but we've lost one of the party to stomach flu, so we're only three now, my dad, his pal, and me.

Discussion over dinner tonight...

All is well, pics to follow eventually.

[blondin]

glad it was all good yossarian
hey bbirtle i agree no reason to ramp or argue just using some common sense...