Took a little stroll up the old Tacul today, with non-maggot Richard. Two days ago I watched a few troopers bootpack their way up a strange, direct route for the first time this season... no ski tracks as of then. So I was hoping to break the first ski touring track of the season. Alas, the way that mountain works is when one person makes that first trail, it becomes a highway overnight - I'd guestimate 20+ people skied the mountain with another 30+ today.

Ohh well, it was still North facing powder in pretty OK conditions, followed by another lovely slush run down the Vallee Blanche Vrai Vallee variation.



The route


A Happy Easter summit shot


Ricard enjoying his first Chamonix summit


Checking out the Gervesutti Couloir. It starts right over that edge, direct from the summit...


...and looks like this.


We decide to give 'er a go!


Yeah right. Actually we decided to take a variation from the summit that traverses the ridge at the entrance of the couloir. I did make one sweeping turn in the couloir side of the ridge and after spent a few minutes thinking about how I will never ski this couloir in this lifetime.

It's like the fourth time on this mountain, so I wasn't feeling too motivated for photos. We just cruised down in semi-crusty pow, trying not to fall in several very scary big crevasses.

Next target: Mont Maudit. Then an overnight at the Cosmiques to do all three of the "trois mont blancs":