Freeride World Tour - Chamonix 21st-23rd Jan

The Best Riders on the Best Mountains in the Ultimate Freeride Competition

In 2011, the Freeride World Tour in its forth year continues to align with iconic mountain resorts around the world, feature the world’s top riders.

Experienced veterans, unpredictable wildcards and hungry young FWQ qualifiers join the defending 2010 Freeride World Champions to form the best field of competitive freeriders ever.

The 22 January start of the Chamonix Mont-Blanc leg of the FWT11 is just around the corner and excitement is building as the world begins to ask which of these outstanding freeriders will climb the podium at the first FWT event of the season.

Friday, 21st of Januray 2011

15:00 - 19:00 Street Fair Opening in Chamonix Village
16:30 - 17:15 Jib Sessions
17:30 - 18:00 Opening Ceremony and Riders Presentation
18:00 - 18:30 Riders Autographes Session
18:00 - 18:30 Concert
18:30 - 19:00 Christening of Aurélien Ducroz Sailboat
21:00 - 23:00 Movie Night "The Way I see it" @ Cinéma Vox
23:00 - 04:00 FREEGUN Party @ bar Le Choucas

Saturday, 22nd of Januray 2011

09:00 - 14:30 Contest Village Opening at Brévent Ski Area

09:00 - 12:30 FWT CONTEST
12:30 - 13:00 Prize-Giving Ceremony 1 @ Contest Village
15:00 - 19:00 Street Fair
16:30 - 17:15 Jib Sessions
17:00 - 17:30 Concert (first part)
17:30 - 18:00 Prize-Giving Ceremony 2 @ Street Fair
18:00 - 18:30 Riders Autographes Session
18:30 - 19:00 Concert (second part)
19:30 - 21:00 Movie Night "Deeper" @ Salle du Bicentenaire
22:00 - 04:00 Official FWT Party @ Hotel Le VERT

Sunday, 23rd of January 2011

09:00 - 12:30 JUNIOR CONTEST
12:30 - 13:00 JUNIOR Prize-Giving Ceremony @ Junior Contest Village
15:00 - 18:00 Street Fair
16:00 - 17:00 Jib Sessions
17:00 - 17:30 Riders Autographes Session
17:30 - 18:00 Concert (tbc)
19:30 - 21:00 Movie Night "NOMAD'S" @ Salle du bicentenaire

24th - 28th of Januray 2011

Reserve days

24th of Januray
19:30 - 21:00 Movie Night "LIGTH WICK" @ Cinema Vox

25th of Januray
19:30 - 21:00 Movie Night "NOWHERE" @ Cinema Vox

26th of Januray
21:00 - 00:00 Movie Night "RIDERS CUT" @ bar Le Choucas

http://www.freerideworldtour.com/home.html

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.

Rich and Rare; Autumn Ice Conditions

Dropping the first pitch of the Grand Envers, photo courtesy of Cedric Bernardini. These recent bountiful snowfalls have filled in crevasses at altitude and have plastered the steep granite walls of the Massif with sticky white ice. Alpinists have been busy gorging themselves on goulottes and mountain walls. The last few months have seen numerous ascents of the North faces of the Grand Jorasses, Les Droites, the Grand Pilier D'Angle, the East face of the Tacul, the NE Couloir of Les Drus and the North faces of the Cham Aiguilles. I was lucky enough to find the rarely formed Rouse-Carrington (on the N face of the Aiguille de Pelerins) in superb condition.

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

Summer is Over for Real

It was around 90 days since we had last skied powder, and with recent substantial neige, we decided it was time to put an end to this dry spell. For this end, the Aiguille du Midi telepherique was quite helpful in whisking us up to 3800 before we had time to finish our coffees.

Images courtesy of legendary ski photographer Davide de Masi and www.skisickness.com.

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!