UKH

Hi All,

I wasn’t quite sure of the right forum for this as it spans Alpine, winter climbing and skiing.

I’m looking for any advice on approaching Alpine winter climbing for the first time.

I’m going to Chamonix in February Half term (!!) primarily for a family ski holiday. However, whilst there, I’m desperate to spend a day or two getting some climbing in.

I’m happy climbing around AD (in summer) and would be intending on getting a professional guide 1:1 and I will have the equipment (all mountain skis, skins, avalanche shovel/beacon etc). However I am keen for any advice on this, particularly with reference to the points below:

1) recommendations for first time winter routes
2) an indication of how much harder (if at all) routes like the cosmiques arete and stuff on the triangle du tacul would be in winter conditions
3) whether my beginner/intermediate ski skills (I learned this year) are adequate for straightforward glacier travel (crossing the col du midi etc) to get to the routes
4) any guidaebooks that could be recommended for ‘winter gems’ at an achievable level
5) recommendation for guides
6) potential partners the week of 10th-17th Feb ‘18 (accepting that beggars can’t be choosers, I would be looking for someone with a lot of ‘local experience’).

Thanks in advance,

Ian.

In reply to Ian84:
You could do a lot worse than the cosmiques arête as a low stress way of seeing what things are like in winter. Snow shoe round to the base and carry them up the route (skis would be a pain, unless you wanted to stash them and finish down the VB, which would be fun). Midi arête will be equipped making it much less scary than in summer, and the route will be more than likely very well tracked.

In reply to chris bedford:

I’d considered th VB finish although will reserve judgement until I’m there and have seen how my skiing measures up in the ‘real world’. My ideal day out would be something like Contamine Mazeaud followed by VB descent. However, don’t want to be overly ambitious on the first time out.

In reply to Ian84:
Cont Maz likely to be more of a wade, and you’d need to find your way to the to the top of the Chere to descend by abseil. Unless you went up and down the Chere, of course, then down the VB to complete one of the all time Chamonix classics/cliches.

In reply to Ian84:

The VB skis like an easy red - with objective dangers.

In reply to EarlyBird:

In which case, would being able to ski reds and having decent knowledge of objective dangers/glacier travel (from assessing/walking them as a climber in crampons) put it in the realms of being ‘doable’ (with the caveat of everyone and everything being doable or dangerous on any given day)? Keen to do it but with no off-piste experience, wasn’t sure if the ‘skis like a red’ assessments came from people that had bags of experience and skied at a much higher level or whether skiing reds on the piste was good enough...?

In reply to Ian84:

Having done the VB many times, and having a wife who's an ex pro ski racer and has also been an instructor and alpine ski guide for many years in the Mont Blanc region, I think describing skiing the VB as just a big Red route in a dramatic setting, is a bit misleading.

It is very condition dependent, and while it can sometimes be quite benign, it can also be exactly the opposite, and should not be underestimated. Also, the things you need to look out for as a skier, have a subtle difference than as a climber.

I think, and Mrs G agrees, that it would be very sensible to have plenty of skill and experience in reserve, if you're skiing it without a guide.

In reply to Ian84: I'm with goucho. It doesn't ski like a red when it's full of sastrugi or icy patches or moguls, you are knackered from climbing at altitude and have a heavy bag on your back.

It skis like a red when it's lovely and smooth after a little bit of fresh snow , you can take all day over it and the weather is nice.

In reply to smithaldo:
Point taken on the VB and that makes sense to me. If were to be attempted, it would certainly be with a guide so thanks for the advice. In terms of the OP, do you have any suggestions in terms of the climbing routes/traveling on approaches on skis etc?