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| Sun breaking through the clouds |
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Finally the spring rains subsided and I could begin to plan some good days in the mountains. Although the Verbier lifts are all closed at the moment there is still plenty to do in the local area.
The weather this last week has been fantastic. Lots of sunshine, very little wind and warm temperatures have given me plenty of possibilities to get out into the mountains.
On Saturday I went touring with a friend past a tiny ski resort called Champex-Lac, half an hour away form Verbier. The lifts there were closed too but with all the recent snowfalls there was still plenty of cover. The entire area was quiet except for an eagle and the occasional deer. All in all we skinned up for four hours to the top of one of the many mountains in the area. Our journey took us through huge snow covered valleys filled with forests and powder covered slopes. Everywhere we looked we saw virgin slopes and it was difficult to stay focused on our objective.
The weather had started off with rain and snow in the morning but as we climbed higher the clouds broke and the day got sunnier as we got nearer to the summit we were aiming for. At the top we took in the fantastic views that stretched away in all directions. Sadly we did not stay too long as the rapid change in temperature had started to have an effect on the snow stability. Across the valley the south facing sunny slopes had already started to slip out. As we finished preparing for the decent we were treated to some spectacular rock and snow avalanches that rumbled ominously through the quiet valley. On our decent we were careful to use the terrain to stay safe. A good choice as we encountered a few pockets of instability. Thankfully they were small, wet, slow moving avalanches that were easy to avoid. The snow on the way down wasn’t fantastic but the tranquility and beauty of our settings more than made up for it.
On Sunday I went sport climbing with a friend down the valley by Martigny. We climbed two multi-pitch routes and took in the incredible views across the Rhone valley. The climbing spot, called Dorenaz, is a perfect place to climb as it location means that it gets a lot of wind. This means that after wet weather it dries out quickly. Also on really sunny, hot days the constant winds brings welcome relief and a good dry grip on the rock.
On Monday I went back to Dorenaz. This time I was following a hot tip that there was a lift serviced downhill track here, just around the corner from the climbing area. I found it and also bumped into and joined up with about ten other riders from the local area. We spent the day cruising down a long single track, super technical route through the forest that covers the hill side. The vertical drop is almost 700m back down to the valley. At 20chf for a day pass it was a bargain.
Tuesday was an incredible day. We went to a climbing area just down the valley from Verbier, called Les Trappistes. We climbed a beautiful route called Gargantua, which is a five pitch 150m high route. The central pitch is a very impressive dihedral (corner crack) with progressively overhanging moves that seem to want to push you off the rock. We only encountered another two climbers the whole day and once again the breath taking views of the tree covered valley below us were truly inspiring.
On Wednesday I went over to Chamonix to boulder with a friend. We spent the afternoon doing some short but difficult boulder problems before heading down to Chamonix to see friends and catch up over a beer.
As the stable weather is expected to continue we are busy planning to head over to Chamonix again to do something high up. Watch this space for an update. Also keep an eye out for my up and coming articles on mountain biking and climbing in the Verbier area. |
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