Argentiere Hut dug out and ready to use

Team Haute Pursuit then ventured onto the Argentiere basin to spend the night in the winter room, only to find the door buried under 10 feet of snow! The good news is that it is now possible to drop down a snow hole and through the door. There is also a very nice wood burning stove and enough blankets not to need a sleeping bag. Climbing the Swiss Route on the Courtes was aborted, but there is now an in-situ trench to aid any subsequent attempts.

Haute Pursuit Alpinism

Despite a general lack of ice in the mountains, Tom Grant from Haute Pursuit and Hamish Dunn, left the Midi at 7am on the morning of the 20th for an attempt on Super Couloir, a classic mixed and ice line on the east face of the Tacul. After an arduous approach of snow swimming, they climbed the first 2 pitches of the direct start which is in unusually good condition. After another couple pitches of thin ice, the pair descended the Valle Blanche in the dark.

Vallee Blanche now being regularly skied!

Yesterday, a crack Haute Pursuit team of Andy, Charlie Doherty and Guy, ventured out of the Midi and down the Vallee Blanche. They reported it to be well skied, but still with pleasantly soft snow. The James Bond track down to the valley floor has also been skied, but it is said to be a bit of a rockfest. Although the crevasses are filled in to a relatively reasonable degree, Haute Pursuit cannot be held responsible for anyone ending up in the bowels of a glacier.

Dumping in Cham

After the fantastic snowfalls we had on the 4th and the 5th of this month, snow is once again falling in abundance. Since last night, there has been around 10cm in town. With good bases and soft snow across all the valley's ski areas, and the Vallee Blanche being in decent nic, there is going to be some awesome riding to be had over the next few days.