We had a Gulmarg like experience today. It has not really snowed in these Alps since well before I left to India one month ago. So things have gotten realy tracked up. Plus, there has been lots of wind high up, and the persistent cold temperatures for well over a month have realy done some damage to the snow. Facets are present throughout the snow pack, cause one’s skis to go right through the whole snow pack.

But we spent a couple of hours yesterday skinning to the col de . A few more steps got us to the summit of Lillytop where we found fabulous powder amid 3 other tracks. The 1500 meter run took us down 2 really nice unskied slopes. It was like Gulmarg all over!

The forecast calls for some snow today, then variable weather for the next few days. It has finaly gotten a lot more mild. Temperatures at 2000 meters should be around -3. It does not look like we will get enough snow to pull out all those bad grains in the snow pack. But hopefully the high temps will help.