A number of tales of life in Serre Chevalier and past
Learn the ski weblog from Serre Chevalier as we ski the pistes, skate the cross-country, ski off-piste and ski-tour away from the resort and ski slack-country in resort
Friday twenty fourth January
An image paints a thousand phrases, so I feel this video will fill just a few pages 😆
NB three climbs like this 8)
twenty third January
And as for circumstances at present it was very very moist sitting on the Bachas chair, we skied off from the highest to do the varied pistes both aspect of the drag, and so they had been disappointedly fairly skied out so early within the morning, as there was a 20 – 30 or so race skiers, perhaps British Military. And round 100m (elevation) from the drag the snow immediately modified to the type of snow you get in March / April, in no way nice snowboarding again to the valley ground.
I then headed again up and again to Villeneuve as Cibouit and Yrette was closed and had some good strains of the Cretes drag which was closed.
It was danger 4 and I used to be Captain Wise though I had safety gear (no avy bag), and I selected to not ski beneath the Gauthier chair, however I noticed so many skiers & boarders doing strains the place I’ve seen stuff go.
Final run down was in heavy dense cloud, so dense I couldn’t see the Aravet even after I was down there looking for the Marteau, and that each one the way in which down was in very restricted viz, and not less than I knew the place I used to be going, however should you did not you’d have had a little bit of a mare.
Blue sky regularly appeared and temps rose much more, I am not too certain how a lot moisture might be sucked out of the snow in a single day although and what we’ll be left with tomorrow?
twenty second January – return to the Queyras
I have been there a great few instances earlier than, and at present we had been ski-touring in a valley on the bottom of St Veran, and after the tour I drove round out of the valley as much as the resort as my daughter had by no means been there.
I typically say if Carlsberg / Walt Disney produced a ski resort this could be it straight off the quilt of a chocolate field.
Saint-Véran, is essentially the most elevated commune* in France and in Western Europe, and is the third highest village in Europe, at 2,042m and is classed as probably the most stunning villages in France, and dates again to nicely earlier than the 1700’s.
*commune is Church buildings / Faculties and Marie and so on
The ski resort hyperlinks up with Molines en Queyras decrease down the mountain and with that’s fairly a big space, plus the ski move (in no way costly) additionally has Abriès, Ceillac en Queyras, Arvieux, Aiguilles and Ristolas and is a mecca for snow-shoeing and cross-country.
However the place they excel is out of Excessive Season, up to now (pre covid) they use to low cost the raise move for the final three weeks of the season, and in the course of the week, like yesterday it is simply not busy.
That is the place I used to be after I first skilled the Retour D’Est again in 2013 and Abries is commonly the epicentre of it.
Clearly, the large damaging is getting there, however should you drive then it may so be price it. It is circa 90mins drive from Serre Chevalier.
We at all times say once we’re there that we must always have booked a gite, as up to now that is what we used to do.
Sunday nineteenth January
Nicely that was fairly per week, packing so much in, after the above climb to the Granon, the following day went as much as the Col d’Izoard and a well-earned lunch on the Refuge Napoleon.
It was Loulou, my daughter’s first large pores and skin to make sure boots and all of the gear was good, solely subject was she like me was slightly leant over, so not best prep 😆
I pushed on and headed as much as the precise Col bagging me second one in as many days.
After which it was a break day as I would foolishly determined to affix the OH in operating the Serre Che Path run this morning, and appears loopy that I can do a run like that which may be very difficult (11km 600m climbing, sheet ice –> knee deep snow) and knee is ok, while piste snowboarding twinges like loopy 🙄
Massive turnout of runners for the weekend’s occasions.
So after nigh on two weeks of superb sunshine, seems to be like a change is on the playing cards, although the forecasts are altering each run.
Wednesday and Thursday seem like the times, and as ever with the brand new norm the query might be the place will the snow-line be.
So we’ll have a greater thought come Tuesday, and even then that will not be 100% :~/
seventeenth January
I used to be beasting myself up within the Granon / Gardiole sector (reverse the Serre Che pistes), schoolboy error in that I did not think about the forecast pondering it was to be one other sunny day and never the cloud and chill wind which definitely didn’t assist the circumstances for Spring snow, which was there the day earlier than after I went up on the e-mtb to scope them out 🙄
Climbing up I so practically referred to as it a day a great few instances, however I masochistically persevered, ultimately deciding on the precise Col itself versus the Gardiole as there was higher snow to be head on the West dealing with slopes subsequent to and within the forest as the entire Gardiole playground had been ravaged by the robust winds.
That was really a primary for me ski-touring to the Col as I’ve run, hiked, and biked up there so so many instances.
We did handle to get some turns in and by the tip it was fight snowboarding via the bushes and on grass 😆
Horribly leant over this morning, and we’re skinning as much as the Refuge Napoleon, with my daughter, her first climb on skis!
thirteenth January
Had a type of lightbulb second final night realising it was not all doom and gloom with regard to the off-piste and so on and this morning all of us went round to Nevache and ski-toured in an space I name the “secret backyard” and as ever it delivered 8) One very comfortable canine together with one comfortable OH 😀
And a video of the ski-tour
twelfth January
Spent final night nagging to some Swedes about choices for at present, and I stated I did not like the thought of the dimensions of the group that was evolving for my plan which was to drop off the again of the Mea. Their possibility was Bousardes, so we agreed to go our separate methods and assume I dropped a clanger.
I used to be fearful about doable crust and was ready to attend for it to melt up, plus I did assume I’d be capable of ski what I did yesterday with slightly climb once more, that is if it wasn’t tracked out after folks recognizing my line.
How flawed I used to be, the entire space was fairly nicely fecked by in a single day winds, for certain some elements nonetheless seemed okay however with the avy danger I wasn’t going to likelihood them alone, and the snow-pack off the again wouldn’t have been good, so I bailed, though I used to be nonetheless with my OH and daughter who had been snowboarding the piste, with my daughter attempting to get used to her new touring set-up.
And because it was a Sunday, it was getting progressively busier and I simply did not fancy the pistes on my touring set-up together with the frozen corduroy ( temps had been -8 ).
So again down, and later again at Mat’s on the lake, Pierre Vaulter was there overseeing the development of his new spectacle and he did a few ramps, although after chatting with certainly one of his workforce there’s nonetheless a protracted technique to go to construct the entire run throughout the lake, if ever?
Suppose the Swedes made the perfect name.
Now out with the Undergo Skis for the following couple of days together with the British Military 
And if out subsequent week piste snowboarding, circumstances needs to be glorious, although control the in a single day temps if doable, and solely exit once they’re warming as much as round -3 upwards as in any other case, the corduroy might be icy n’exhausting.
eleventh January
Solar made an earlier look than forecast, and a mate and I gorged on the untracked available, after which being a Saturday, so the locals and Freeride Golf equipment confirmed up however there was sufficient for everybody, after which when it was all getting slightly bit too irritating it was out with the skins to get away from the hordes and ski the perfect line of the season* to date 8)
And at present’s video manufacturing that includes [b]@KenX[/b] and that line (finish of vid).
So large query what to do tomorrow, would possibly be capable of get away with chilly snow off the again and a few slack-country ?
tenth January
Went up fairly early from Pointless and within the gondola there was a French American household with an ESF teacher, and while I used to be faffing with my boots I recognised the teacher’s voice as he spoke in English “he has a really good face” to which it was my cue to search for and say “why that is very variety Christophe”……as he was my neighbour, who I appear to be endlessly bumping into within the weirdest locations 😆
We nagged concerning the snow, and I requested him how a lot new snow he thought was up there, and he replied 30-40cms, so I used to be very comfortable to listen to that, nonetheless I feel there was a lost-in-translation second taking place, as on getting out of the raise it was fairly apparent that there was solely a cm or two, and the tracks from yesterday had been in no way coated.
So assume he was referring to the quantity that had fallen within the final couple of days!
So skied just a few strains however not good and Cretes was closed, so bailed and referred to as it a day, and not less than the ski again down into the valley on Le Bez was abandoned and basic dust-on-crust*.
*would possibly look good, however was noisy as hell 😆
So snowing repeatedly down right here however very mild and that was the case up prime, assume what we’l get right here at present would be the similar as up prime.
And why is it that it at all times snows on a Friday and tomorrow Holiski is discounted, so it will likely be fairly busy with rippers who know the stashes 😕
ninth January
Story of two halves yesterday!
I opted to ski-tour up from Boussardes early having cleared 10cm off the terrace and van, because it was nonetheless very cloudy and viz could be a problem up prime.
Nonetheless a good quantity of snow on the principle street as much as Le Lauzet after which slightly difficult getting right down to Boussardes (1,600m) the place parking up temps had been already on the rise and the snow was positively not chilly powder any extra!
No-one else there so needed to break path which progressively turned more durable because the temps rose. I may nearly make out a ski monitor from the day earlier than so maintaining to that was not too dangerous.
I used to be really testing, beneath stress because it had been, a shell jacket from RevolutionRace I have been utilizing this previous month and the circumstances proved greater than ample for that, because the interior sweat monster in me was very lively certainly, with me dropping my final layer, simply right down to a base and the jacket and the identical for the descent.
Ultimately the snow was simply getting too heavy and I used to be aware of my knee, so referred to as it a day at slightly below 400m plus there was the little matter of restricted viz.
The ski again down was okay however nowhere just like the day earlier than and I may really feel the legs by the tip of every pitch, however nonetheless a great sortie. By the point I used to be again down so the cloud had lifted and twas sunny after which later I heard from a good friend that above 2,100m the snow was not too dangerous, so mainly I tousled, ought to have gone later (second half of the day) and better (second half of the mountain) from the Lautaret.
Pores and skin monitor via the forest.
Again down a distinct day!
La Lauzet church 15 minutes later after getting down!
Day offski at present, resting the knee after that heavy snow, and it is raining HARD on the terrace with the snowline at round 1,850 although should hold telling myself to not go up and have a look 😆 That is fairly nicely a repeat of final yr I feel when the SnowKite Masters was taking place on the Lautaret, as on this yr, and the climate was grim once more. If solely this was snow, however alas I feel it is the brand new norm 🙁
Additional Edit
I used to be going to have a day off-ski however ultimately temptation was an excessive amount of, and I used to be blessed with higher viz than earlier 8)
Very tracked out by the point I left, as everybody was sticking to only under the timber for the viz however excessive sufficient to keep away from the heavier snow, however my definition of tracked out is just some tracks right here and there 😆
seventh January
We had been very disillusioned waking as much as only a dangerously icy terrace, as no in a single day snow, simply rain which had frozen strong.
The webcams had been exhibiting significantly better circumstances and we went for first lifts, and there was hardly anybody round!
First run we dropped a clanger as we had been bottoming out on the frozen crud under, so we modified course and headed for Vallons which was a great transfer, although with three or so UCPCA Off-Piste teams of 12 or so it rapidly was tracked, however I am being very fussy as all it meant you simply needed to traverse/hike slightly extra to get to the untracked.
After a few Vallons we headed again to the Mea sector and skied a few of our favorite strains, all untracked and by the point we referred to as it a day there was nonetheless lots available.
The playground 8)
So most likely greatest day of the season, however once more, we didn’t get the snow that was forecast, and once more no snow within the valley, which suggests the XC monitor from right here up the Valley continues to be not open, and that is the worrying pattern, sorry to be damaging, however it’s a concern.
That stated I am certain many at present and certainly one of their greatest ever bluebird snowboarding days, and I am ready to the touch base with a mate who typically does Chamonix to see what he considered at present.
Climate forecast exhibiting additional unsettles circumstances however not nothing substantial when it comes to accumulation(s).
Learn the ski weblog from Serre Chevalier as we ski the pistes, skate the cross-country, ski off-piste and ski-tour away from the resort and ski slack-country in resort
4th January
Cross Nation Skating and the snow was too chilly -10° so the skis saved sticking & would not glide.
Was actually powerful and needed to hold stopping, fortuitously others had been discovering it exhausting as nicely, large lesson learnt
