Ice Climbing in the Val d'Hérens
A few pictures from a great week of ice climbing around Arolla. The Val d'Hérens has some of the most reliable ice conditions in the Alps - with most of the climbing being in the shade at over 1800m you can usually find ice here from Christmas until early March or later.
.jpg "Cascade des Ignes. Ice climbing in a high-mountain setting")
.jpg "Cascade des Ignes. Ski tracks and our snowshoe track visible below")
.jpg "Single pitch climbing at la Gouille.")
.jpg "The top of the Coop icefall in Evolene. A big pitch in a great setting")
.jpg "Left-hand tunnel route. Longer and steeper than it looks from the road!")
.jpg "Looking up the top pitch of the Coop")
.jpg "L'Usine Électrique - a reasonable bet in snowy conditions when avalanche conditions might rule out other routes.")
Arolla Ski Touring
No fresh snow this week. In fact, there's really not much snow at all! Luckily a huge high pressure has kept it cold and still so in the shade there's still plenty to ski, and a very stable snowpack meant we could explore some steeper slopes than normal for this time of year.
.jpg "Skiing into the Vallon des Ignes")
.jpg "Ploughing a track to the top of la Roussette")
.jpg "Less snow than usual in the East gully, careful skiing needed!")
.jpg "Lower down the gully")
.jpg "and charging down the wide lower slopes!")
In a (failed!) attempt at a "rest day" we went to Nax. A good lift system and some excellent snow on the shady side meant the legs didn't get much of a day off.
.jpg "Lunch in the sun above Nax")
.jpg "Then an afternoon skiing powder on the other side of the hill.")
.jpg "Skiing below the Mont Blanc de Cheilon on a completely un-tracked descent of the Pigne d'Arolla")
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.jpg "About to ski off la Luette")
.jpg "Some exciting turns off the summit of la Luette")
.jpg "Skiing off la Pointe de Vouasson on the way to Evolene.")
.jpg "Variations on the Evolene descent - un-tracked for 1000m then some amusing combat skiing down the stream!")
Eagle Ski Club Grimentz
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Another excellent week in Grimentz with the Eagle Ski Club
. This is a regular fixture on the Eagle calendar and a few years ago became so popular that we now run 2 weeks each season to keep up with demand, with 4 groups of skiers each week. Many people stay at the Moiry Hotel, with others staying their own apartments, rented accommodation or even camper vans.
The aim of the week is to help off-piste skiers and tourers improve their skiing, so 2 ski instructors and 2 guides run alternate days of instruction and touring/off-piste. It seems to work - we really see people improve during the week (and I learn loads too!)
.jpg "Above the Pas de Lona on the way to Basset de Levron")
.jpg "Skiing into the Réchy valley")
.jpg "On the ridge that divides the Anniviers and Hérens valleys")
.jpg "Skiing into Combe Duran")
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