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Published On: Apr 09, 2008 04:35 AM
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Wed - April 9, 2008
 Doug Coombs Steep Camp is back
Miles and Liz Smart are running these steep
camps, and have asked me to help this year.
We have ideal conditions, with lots of fresh snow
and very few skiers in town. The avalanche situation is relatively low at level
2. This is allowing us to get on some steep terrain and talk about ski technique
in exposed areas. We have looked at belay anchors, setting up fixed ropes to
lower over steep terrain, and talked about the different aspects of avalanche
conditions. Do you know what a high temperature gradient is and its effect on
the creation of facets?View
the photos of the heli ski we did on day
2.What a wild winter this had turned
out to be! We have been skiing really nice winter snow for the past 3 weeks. And
it's mid-April!!! It was -18 Celsius, with strong winds at altitude for our
heli. My hands were cold, playing with the camera. The skiing in Verbier was
some of the best powder skiing of the whole
season.The forecast is calling for
warmer and variable weather for the next few days. The snow/rain level will
hover around 1800 meters, just above the village. Happy tracks!
Posted at 04:34 AM
Tue - March 25, 2008
 Italian Powdah!
We went south to sample some of the Italian
stuff. And it was really nice to be there. Though it was cold on the upper
slopes, maybe -30 with wind chill, the skiing was fine. We had an entire valley
to ourselves, room enough to lay down some fresh
tracks...the
photos
The back of Mt.Fort was supreme the day before.
It was good fun laying first tracks in these lift access couloirs. I took no
camera, as it looked to be a white-out day. But the sun shone for a few hours,
in time for us to ski another untracked couloir and bowl back to
Verbier.
Pierre-Alain Luisier promised
me it will not be this cold and snowy again over Easter for the next 25 years!
The forecast is calling for variable weather for the next few days, with sun in
the afternoons and warmer weather from Friday...
Posted at 07:39 AM
Sat
- March 22, 2008
Spring Time Winter Powder
I took the camera again today.
The 50cm of fresh snow and sunshine was photo
inspirational. We left Verbier right away this morning to find deep powder and
no crowds. The snow was nice, though a bit upside-down. One had to keep the tips
up! The first 2 photos are of our Chalet and Verbier. A dramatic change from the
summer ambiance of 3 days ago!the
photos The forecast is
calling for variable weather for the next few days. The avalanche danger should
settle down a tiny bit. Maybe a run off the Mt.Fort tomorrow? So many places to
go and discover with the new blanket of snow!
Posted at 03:41 PM
Heliskiing/Alpine Climb
And so it did: It snowed again, but 40cm+ outside
my chalet this time.
From 7AM to midnight, we had a good little winter
storm- to welcome in the first day of Spring! We skied in Bruson, where the
visibility of the woods helped us navigate the fresh powder. WInter is indeed
upon us.Yesterday before the storm, we
flew to the Trient Glacier and had such a fine time climbing and skiing. I took
the Nikon D70 this time and took a few photos. Marco and Max were in fine form,
following my lead up and down these fine granitic
couloirs!the
photos The forecast is
calling for more unsettled weather for the next few days. It's kind of nice
having winter again. What a shake up. Winter to Spring to Winter!
Posted at 02:04 AM
Wed - March 12, 2008
February's Spring Weather- March's WIntery Start
It has been absolutely gorgeous this whole past
month of February.
The corn snow of early February evolved from
early winter, SE only aspects, to full-on, Spring-TIme corn during the last 2
weeks of Feb. We skied real long runs into this lovely Val du Bagnes, off the
Trient Glacier, and several trips onto Italian Corn. Powder was on the
northern aspects, and spring snow on the southern. Winter came in March, with
some really cold temps and strong north winds. But not much snow fell 'til
yesterday. It looks like the months of good weather may yield to some weeks of
wet weather. We shall see...Taking up
video, in the place of still photos, has put a wrinkle into my web updates. It's
time consuming stuff. But I've been editing some of the video of the past 2
months, and put some here now. They are longish cuts, having saved most scenes
for the clients staring in them. But if you have the time, sit back and enjoy
the ambiance. Contrary to what you may have heard about this season lately,
skiing has been an absolute blast! And that, thanks to Mama Nature and the fun
folks I have had the opportunity to ski
with.We spent a fine day at altitude
one week ago, skiing through 35cm of fresh powder when Verbier got only
10cm...Alpine Ski
Movie Kashmir's film is a
still a work in progress.Gulmarg Movie
Jonny Boy, Tim and Sean ripped it up
during one of the Foehn events in
January.Loetschental
Movie
Posted at 07:15 PM
Sat
- February 2, 2008
Gulmarg, Kashmir Powder Skiing
Gulmarg, the Meadow of Flowers, offer superb
powder in Kashmir, India.
It's been a while since my last update! But
skiing has been too good in too many places to allow enough time on the
computer. Conditions in Gulmarg were excellent! Two meters of snow fell in early
January providing the base, and local storms continued to drop fresh blankets of
snow most nights. The skiing was so much fun off the top Gondola when it was
open, and down to Tanmarg when the upper gondola was closed. Skiing the "Paper
Trees" offered a magical touch to an already enchanting experience. Life in
Gulmarg is certainly one of the reasons for coming. I had a blast teaming up
with Paolo Tassi, guida alpina di Cortina, and John Falkiner, mayor of Gulmarg,
Verbier alpine guide, and their Italian
Telemarkers.I took a few photos
, and am working on a fun video...
Posted at 04:15 PM
Thu - December
20, 2007
Christmas Update
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
All that deep powder has compressed into an
excellent medium to ski through. Those layers close to the surface are beginning
to degrade with the very cold temperatures at present. "Constructive
Metamorphism" is the term used to describe the growth of these crystals into
facets as the moisture moves from the snow to the atmosphere. Watch out for the
next snow fall, as this surface will provide a fantastic surface for avalanches
to run on!
A deep base layer, at
altitudes down to 1000 meters, is permitting supreme off piste skiing in these
Alps. Yesterday, we skied into the Val d'Heremence from a steep Mt.Fort couloir,
an itinerary not normally in such fine shape until late January. Skiing the
"Quatres Valleys" on the way home, we saw only a handful of people. What
fun!
The forecast is for this fine
weather to continue, with milder temperatures at altitude. Sunday will see some
high cloud cover. And it looks like snow is on the horizon for late next
week...
Posted at 09:27 AM
Tue - December
11, 2007
First day on the K2 Hell Bents!
What a Hoot!
How long has it been snowing? How many times have
we skied Creblet to Verbier this year? What uproarious skiing we've had for days
and days now. I have been shoveling my parking lot 2 times a day with little
relief. What a blast these new reverse
camber skis are from good ol' K2. I did a quick run under the lift off
Ruinnettes before the Funispace opened. It was a bit chopped up from yesterday,
with 30cm of fresh from last night. But skiing was so easy with these skis! I am
able to turn them sideways like a snowboard, in mid-turn. That's it! It really
is like having 2 snow boards on my feet. It's me that dictates what angle to the
fall line I want to direct my boards. What a
hoot!It cleared as we got on the Funi
to les Attelas. Bodies all choked up along the ridge towards Creblet. Skiing
over their skis, they're skiing over my skis- every one laughing and giggling,
free falling into steeper and steeper slopes as the view disappears in front of
the curtain of powder pushed up ahead of
me.No
pictures...The snow pack is real
interesting. It was so warm when it started snowing 3 weeks ago. The ground is
still taking its time freezing up. There was another fine example of snow
slippage yesterday up on the steep, grassy slopes west of Creblet. A hug, gaping
crack to the ground where the snow pulled way from itself exposed the grass
underneath. At 1600 meters, we have 40cm of wet big grains. Then an ice layer,
then another 40 or so centimeters of more wet big grains. Then another layer of
ice with all this fresh stuff on
top.The forecast is for real cold
temps for the first time since we got all this snow. If that lasts for a few
days, all these layers may bond into some wicked snow pack for the
winter...the Hell Bents
Posted at 02:08 PM
Sat
- November 17, 2007
The lifts are open!
Today was opening day in Verbier, starting the
'07-'08 winter season.
There is of course only one first day of the
season. When it happens with really, good, old friends (and really, good, new
freinds too) in conditions not seen for years, the experience is so much more
fine. TeleVerbier opened yesterday to 60cm of fresh snow, under cloudless skies.
We skied the sunny front bowl above Verbier town, so never once felt the -15
temps. Fat rock skis were "de rigueur", helping us as we glided over grassy
terrain and sometimes rocks!The
forecast is for real warm temps and rain to 1800m. Could be
good.view the
video
Posted at 09:01 PM
Thu - November 15, 2007
 Ski Time!
WInter has jumped in and shown herself good. We
have 50+cm in Verbier, making for some fine skiing.
I had a fine run off Ruinettes yesterday. What a
special feeling that was, floating and flying downhill in deep powder- Best run
of the season! ;-) Televerbier opens Saturday, November 17. It's forecasted to
be clear and cold. Cold! Should be around -25 with wind chill. The Arctic door
will open with the Bise, the wind from the
NE.Global warming comes front and
center with photos from Air Glacier pilot Roland Brunner. They show a very
impressive settling of the Grand Combin Glacier under the col du Tournelon
Blanc. They have to be seen to be believed. This is massive, and certainly
emphasizes my examination of future alpine
routes.I am recently back from a fine
trip across the Bay of Biscay, through the Straits of Gibralter and on to Ibiza.
Petey and Kate's 44 foot Alliage, aluminum cutter "Kiluna", was a joy to sail.
Petey has got this boat so dialed in, it makes every moment a learning
experience. You almost want to try sail through a hurricane just to see her
survive. Ok, maybe not quite, but one sure feels safe on such a thought-out and
sea worthy yacht.view the photos
Posted at 05:53 AM
Tue - September 25, 2007
 Climbing Les Dentelles de Montmirail
Smack-dab in the middle of the best wine region
of Provence, this climber's paradise gets the thumbs up!
We spent 5 days climbing these fine limestone
cliffs and still only just scratched the surface. Divided into several separate
ridges, the routes range from short tough climbs to moderate multi-pitch routes.
The different sectors are all within close proximity of each other, making it
possible to nip back into town for a quick glass of red, before going back out
onto the cliffs! Gigondas offers nice quiet cafes. Vacqueyras and the
surrounding countryside offer many different possibilities for lodging, while
Beaumes-desVenise is a bustling little town with more shops. The vineyards are
everywhere, making wine tasting part of the
experience.view
the photos
Posted at 05:23 PM
Thu - September 13, 2007
 Climbing the Festi Ridge on the Dom
At 4545m, the Dom gets you up there.
What a fine trip we had into the stratosphere. Ok
ok, technically we were still well within the troposphere. But hey, it sure felt
high. If one can forget about the 3000 meters of descent required to get back to
the car, the trip was great. The route gives a climber a bit of variety,
especially with the North Wind blowing. Descending via the normal route is a
quick way off.view the
photos
Posted at 03:57 PM
 Downhill Day Around Verbier
New sensations, characteristic of skiing, are
dished out large in freeride mountain
biking around these hills!
I have been dividing my time between climbing,
sailing and mountain biking these past few summers, showing people the wonders
of these Alps. As technology pushes the limits of compromise, so have the
trails, suitable for riding, morphed into the most fantastic summer playground
for biking. Verbier's Bike
Park is slowly adding new trails. Many, specifically for the young and
insane all-out-downhiller.But so many
of the single tracks, which seemed too steep years ago, are now open to the most
fantastic of sensations, offering rolling banked switch-backs, gnarly dark steep
rooted woods, alpine ridges with stunning views, and various modes of
transportation to link all these single tracks together for glorious multi-day
tours through France, Italy and Switzerland. If you have not checked this out,
hop on a fully suspended bike, such as the super Swiss Thomas Bikes, put on a bit of body
armor for the inevitable rakes over rough ground, and enjoy all the new terrain
which has now opened up.view the
photos
Posted at 06:51 AM
Tue - September 4, 2007
Rock Climbing Above Verbier
We managed to get another climb in before winter
rolled in.
Well, it's not that cold. But with a forecast of
snow to 1300m, I went out and bought the new Powder mag! I took a few shots of
Brian climbing on the Pierre Avoi. We climbed 2 routes on this fine piece of
limestone, high above the Rhone
Valley.The forecast is calling for
warmer temperatures over the coming weekend. 0 degrees should find its way back
up towards 3000 meters.View
the photos.
Posted at 08:34 PM
Sat
- August 4, 2007
Summer Fun
It has been a fun summer, full of ups and
downs.
The weather has been full of changes so far this
season. With a super fine April, one had to wonder what summer would bring. We
have had periods of real nice sun and warmth. But if you were a bit unlucky, you
saw lots of cold and snow in the mid to high
elevations.
Conditions are fine at the
moment. With the regular passage of active cold fronts, snow has accumulated on
the high glaciers, offering good ground to many of the approaches. The weather
for next few days will be perfect. Then we will see another cold front by
mid-week. But that's about par for the course this
summer!
I have been climbing and
sailing, taking advantage of the wind as the fronts move through. Lake Geneva
has proved on many occasions that she can offer beautiful yet challenging
sailing for those who want it. With festivals like the Montreaux Jazz and Paleo
on the Swiss side complimenting the relaxed French side of the lake, we have
discovered how much fun sailing close to home can
be.
I have added a link to ABS on the
left side of the site. Skiing with this life saving device for the past 3
seasons makes me wonder why more manufactures and free-riders have not picked up
on it. The main stumbling block has been its weight, which is now low, and
price, which is still high. But hey, I'm worth it! :-)
Posted at 02:27 PM
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