KANDAHAR, MEN’S ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP CHAMONIX - LA VERTE DES HOUCHES

Rendez-vous the 29 and 30 january 2011 in Chamonix on la Verte des Houches

Come along to watch the Kandahar 2011...Perfect slope conditions for the Kandahar validated by a FIS expert

“The snow conditions are ideal on the entire slope with a good amount of snow stocked at the break. I’ve rarely seen so much snow on the Verte!” announced Didier happily.

THE COURSE, PROGRAM

Chamonix is celebrating the Kandahar

Wednesday January 26

Teams arrive
8:00pm : Race committee meeting at the Majestic

Thursday January 27

Piste Verte des Houches

11.00am : Downhill training N°1
5.00pm : Race committee meeting at the Majestic

Friday January 28

Piste Verte des Houches

11.00am : Downhill training N°2

Place du Mont-Blanc - Chamonix

4.30pm : Opening of the Kandahar village
5.00pm : Animations
- Giant screen
- Catering
- Snack bar
- Bob dit l’âne : solo with its guitare !
- Batucada
- DJ Lasse
5.00pm : Race committee meeting at the Majestic
6.00pm : Race bib distribution for the downhill race
6.30pm : Fireworks
7.00pm : Catering, followed by DJ

Saturday January 29 : Downhill

Piste Verte des Houches

9/10.00am : Downhill reconnaissance
12.00am : Downhill

Place du Mont-Blanc - Chamonix

4.30pm : Opening of the Kandahar village
5.00pm : Animations
- Giant screen
- Catering
- Snack bar
- Bob dit l’âne : solo with its guitare !
- Batucada
- DJ
5.00pm : Race committee meeting at the Majestic
6.00pm : Downhill awards ceremony and Super Combined race bib distribution
6.30pm : Fireworks
7.00pm : Catering followed by DJ

Sunday January 30 : Super Combined

Piste Verte des Houches

11.00am : Downhill
2.00pm : Slalom
3.00pm : Podium Official awards ceremony for super combined at the finish line - Entertainment on the big screen

Saturday January 29th and Sunday January 30th

In Les Houches in and around the finish line

From 10.00am to 4.00pm: During the races at the finish line everyone will live to the rhythm of the beat to the festive and interactive group called ‘Le Cartel du Soleil’. Drawing their inspiration for the Brazilian batucadas the 4 passionate percussionists will perform a rhythmic, mobile, festive and original show.
They know how to adapt to all situations and after they play the temperature should increase by 10-15°!

Vallée Blanche Boxing Day

With amazing early season snow Toby and Charlie decided to ski the Vallée Blanche on boxing day 2010. The Arête has now been installed with fixed ropes and guides are taking happy clients down the Petit Envers du Plan which is a great route of the Vallée Blanche with some sustained slopes. You ski through some amazing ice formations, as the Petit Envers takes you into the middle of a labyrinth field of crevasses and séracs all with the chance to ski some lovely slopes with few tracks on them, all set against the backdrop of the Talèfre and Géant glaciers. It's a route that is for stronger skiers with the use of a High Mountain Guide. Pop into the Haute Pursuit Office in Cham Sud to organise a day out on the Vallée Blanche.

L'île aux Razmokets - Vallon de Bérard

cragging
A fast 12 pitch 621 meter bolted climb with easy grades up to 5b+. Climbing with Toby we managed to overtake a party of three on the approach path which takes around 25 mins from the Bérard waterfall and buvette. Once on the crag and ahead of the first group we were left the whole wall and valley to ourselves. We managed to summit just as the rain started with the direct abseil back down the route. Perfect autumn easy climbing with no crowds. Charlie Docherty

Les Dômes de Miage

With 2 days off I decided to head up to the refuge Durier at 3369 metres: the most remote manned hut in the range with the intention to attempt Les Dômes de Miage Traversée, which has been on my wish list after many years.

Setting off from the top of the Bellevue cable car from Les Houches in glorious Chamonix Autumn sunshine, leaving the crowds of Mont Blanc climbers behind. The path descends below the snout of the Glacier de Bionnassy then rises up to the perfectly formed Col du Tricot a 3 hour gentle walk. There I met a couple from Briançon walking from their home to Thonon: an impressive mission.

Next you take the high mountain path that leads to the refuge du Plan Glacier at 2700 metres using via ferrata and scrambling for 3 hours. The Glacier de Miage is easilly crossed about 300 metres wide then it is a scramble/climb up for 700 metres to the hut. The rock here is particularly loose and there is no metal or wire in place for protection so a fall could be fatal. Nearing the top there was some new snow which required more care. On reaching the unmanned hut? I decided against using the tent as the wind was picking up and it was brutally cold.

During the night the weather deteriorated and on awakening at 4,5,6,7,8 and 9 am to more and more snow with winds up t0 8okm per hour there was no possibility of attempting the Traversée, stuck in the hut for the day waiting for the weather to break: it did not, so much cold sleeping was had. That night and the following morning it was snowing again heavily and the temperature was -15 with now 40cm of fresh now, but the weather broke about 11am and I could see the vallee for the first time. I decided to descend rather than spend another few days in the hut, the descent was on my limit of downclimbing on changing losse snow and ice and the serac, rockfalls and avalanches did not help, but finally made it down to the Chalets de Miage and Le Gruvaz then Contamine where my good friend Alun Gwilym picked up a rather exhausted and soggy Charlie at 8pm. On this adventure the weather forecast was 50:50 so next time hopefully will catch the better weather and take a climbing partner.

Midi - Plan Traversée, Charlie D Docherty & Sandra

A Chamonix classic high mountain ridge route that is accessible from the Aiguille du Midi and returns to the lift station, located between heights of 3673 metres and 3842 metres. Graded AD III, with slopes up to 40 degrees and usually takes between 4 and 6 hours. We decided to go for a sunny day in August which was particularly busy but we overtook many slower groups on the steeper ascent sections. The route starts down a spectacular set of ever narrowing, and sometimes corniced, snow ridges, and then weaves its way on both the north and south sides of the ridge through various mixed rock and snow sections. Route finding is mostly fairly simple and the general direction is along the obvious ridge to the NE of the Aiguille du Midi and towards the jagged row of Aiguilles. The route is as follows: Descend from the tunnel exit at the telepherique station and follow the snow ridge to Point 3626. The ridge steepens and crosses some rock sections to reach the to the Col du Plan at 3475m. Continue the traverse along the rock on the north (Chamonix) side and up a colouir to gain the snow field on top of the Rognon du Plan. Traverse the rock on the Rognon du Plan and then descend through a series of small rock gullies / diedrals to the abseil point above the Col Supérieur du Plan. (3535m). Abseil down and then follow the snow ridge up to the base of the Aiguille du Plan's rocky summit. An easy scramble leads to the top. Return is the route in reverse. Gaston Rébuffat rates the route number 21 of 100 in his book "The Mont Blanc Massif. The 100 Finest Routes" the exposure is quite high on some of the rock sections but you are rewarded with amazing views, a fine day out!

Northern and Southern Alpine Cycle Tour

More road touring from Charlie Docherty in the Haute Pursuit team along with ex Chamonix resident Phil Miller this time we decided to cycle up some of the most stunning and steepest road cols in the northern and southern alps starting from Chamonix for 4 days and 470km.

Day 1
Unfortunately the first 8 hours in the saddle of the tour were in driving rain from Chamonix to Moutiers via the Col du Saisies, though there were few other cyclist around. The col rises from Flumet for 15km to 1633 metres and ends close to Beaufort then a fast flowing descent to Albertville before heading easily up the impressive steep glacial valley to just before Moutiers, the rain ended as we found our perfect wild campsite for the night beside a loch teaming with trout facing up towards the following days challenge.

Day 2
Blue skies and sun for the 26km climb up the Col de la Madeleine with plenty of other friendly waving cyclists: though none with panniers or classic 70’s racing bikes like us. Myself on a Mercier and Phil on a Gitane. The climb was hard, but beautiful. Views of the Mont Blanc range behind and the forthcoming Ecrins more than made up for the sweat ,tears and blood. The descent was fast with speeds up to 74km with a lot of car overtaking by team Chamonix and a few lost spokes. The descent ended in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne which is a great cycling town with all the major cols surrounding it, spot of lunch and many espressos before the Col du Télégraphe a 12km uphill with a following 26km uphill with the Col du Galibier tagged on top, we decided to cycle the 6km down from the Télégraphe to Valloire for a huge dinner and camping spot under a ski lift. We decided to not attempt the Galibier that evening as we were dragging tents and supplies and the sun was setting.

Day 3
24km uphill with gradients of up to 11.5%, more cyclist on the road than cars and cars that were well behaved which is what we like. The last kilometre was extremely hard at 2642metre high with biting winds, mist and rain. At the top there were perhaps 70 cyclist from all nationalities all posing for the obligatory summit photo. The descent was huge some 48km through the Col du Lautaret down through La Grave which looked like a mini Chamonix for glacier skiing then still down all the way to Le Bourg-d’Oisans another great cycling town. We managed to dump our heavy baggage and cycle up the 21 hairpins of the L‘Alpe-d’Huez, I recorded a time of 65minutes which was not bad considering we were booming in 100km a day, we arrived as the sun was setting and blasted down at break neck speeds. We then visited our friends Alex and Will who have a new 2 month son called Max, they run the EcrinsLodge.com for ski and cycling holidays. A shower, bed, some drinks and large meal ensured two happy sleepy cyclists.

Day 4
Rolling or flat all the way down to Grenoble for 54km with a unexpected wasp sting around the saddle area at high speeds made for nearly the second high speed crash. Huge lunch with wine before the last afternoon slogging past Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and the Chartreuse mountain range which has smaller 5 to 7 km Cols but hard all the same in 32 degrees celsius. The final downhill of 15km to Chambéry was one of the finest descents I have ever ridden as the sun was setting and the huge alpine vista opens up before your eyes, next up our first level section of the tour at 35km per hour for 20km straight to Aix-Les-Bains slipstreaming each other until the car and a much deserved dip in the lake before the celebration dinner and sleep in a park before returning to Chamonix: which is still the most visually stunning and interesting of all the places I have ever visited. Haute Pursuit and Charlie Docherty can help organise your tour with extensive on and off-road cycling knowledge around the alps and beyond, email or call the office for details. Next up cycling wise is a wee jolly to Gibraltar via Nice: 3000km