backcountry journal
April 06
The tours over both these cols are easy and enjoyable. Although the descent from col de la fenetre is not exactly a heart stopper. It is a classic beginners tour which goes no higher than 2245m. Col de la Cicle is not much higher at 2377m but offer a better descent in terms of length, angle and vertical.
Here is a little story that makes these gentle tours relevant. Early in the 04/5 season I was living in Europe and my girlfriend in Japan. She had some basic recreational/social snowboarding experience, but wasn't a regular and certainly didn't ride off-piste, let alone tour the backcountry. I was enjoying my snowboarding and wanted to take it further in the backcountry. I needed to encourage her to be more passionate and gather some experience on the snow. In my usual steamroller fashion I motivated her to get to the snow as much as she could so that when she arrived in Europe later the next year she would have a good base to build from. On her second day of that season she destroyed her knee which was still weak from years of repeated aggravation of an old injury. The season was over for her and the gap in skill and experience widened as I ventured into the Chamonix backcountry for the first time.
Here is a little story that makes these gentle tours relevant. Early in the 04/5 season I was living in Europe and my girlfriend in Japan. She had some basic recreational/social snowboarding experience, but wasn't a regular and certainly didn't ride off-piste, let alone tour the backcountry. I was enjoying my snowboarding and wanted to take it further in the backcountry. I needed to encourage her to be more passionate and gather some experience on the snow. In my usual steamroller fashion I motivated her to get to the snow as much as she could so that when she arrived in Europe later the next year she would have a good base to build from. On her second day of that season she destroyed her knee which was still weak from years of repeated aggravation of an old injury. The season was over for her and the gap in skill and experience widened as I ventured into the Chamonix backcountry for the first time.
Then came the 05/06 season. We were both located in Europe and her knee was better. For Christmas I gave her a new snowboard, snowshoes, beacon, shovel and probe. IN addition I gave her my bindings and a spare backpack. We were ready to go. She had already been practising beacon searches with me but had never been touring.
In the last week or so of December 05 I took her to Chamonix and put her on snowshoes for the first time, strapped her board to her back pack, pointed up a short rise leading away from the resort lifts and encouraged her to climb it with me. She eventually made it to the top (2 hours for a 30 minute hike) and enjoyed 12 inches of reasonably dry powder on the run down. At the bottom she was so excited that she turned around and did it again! Over the next week I took her back to the same spot and she came to terms with the flow of hiking. Nearly every weekend after that we snowboarded, trying to recover her confidence after the smashed knee. Most days on the snow were shared between riding on piste and enduring technique lectures from me and then some off-piste riding to give her the essential experience, along with more lectures from me. As each weekend passed she became better and her confidence grew and I leant not to be a bastard. In February we gave over a full weekend to do our level 1 avalanche certification, where she did really well. Shortly after that she was following me down quick but very good 2 foot deep tree runs at Flims-Laax. Her first time riding in trees, it was deep and the snow was gently falling. It was great.
In the last week or so of December 05 I took her to Chamonix and put her on snowshoes for the first time, strapped her board to her back pack, pointed up a short rise leading away from the resort lifts and encouraged her to climb it with me. She eventually made it to the top (2 hours for a 30 minute hike) and enjoyed 12 inches of reasonably dry powder on the run down. At the bottom she was so excited that she turned around and did it again! Over the next week I took her back to the same spot and she came to terms with the flow of hiking. Nearly every weekend after that we snowboarded, trying to recover her confidence after the smashed knee. Most days on the snow were shared between riding on piste and enduring technique lectures from me and then some off-piste riding to give her the essential experience, along with more lectures from me. As each weekend passed she became better and her confidence grew and I leant not to be a bastard. In February we gave over a full weekend to do our level 1 avalanche certification, where she did really well. Shortly after that she was following me down quick but very good 2 foot deep tree runs at Flims-Laax. Her first time riding in trees, it was deep and the snow was gently falling. It was great.
Nearing the top of col de la Fenetre
Almost there. Snow shoes sinking in the soft snow but gripping well. MSR Denali Ascent snow shoes perform very well. And make good presents.
The culmination of this long determined journey came in spring 06 when we both felt quite sure that it was time to step out and tour in a more meaningful manner. I had been backcountry touring all season but the aim for the season was to do it together. We chose an easy venue for touring: les Contamines near Mont Blanc), hired a campervan, packed the gear and the dog and went for it. My girlfriend was excited.
After so much off-piste riding in and around the resorts, we stepped out on our first tour, heading for col de la Fenetre in les Contamines. It is a short and easy tour that, after overly careful planning, we did quite easily. The clouds were high but contrast very poor which worked against us on the descent across undulating terrain. It wasn't much of a ride down but that didn't really matter. We had broken the ice for her: chose, planned and executed a nice simple backcountry tour.... together. We were even able to ride within 750m of our campervan, beer and dog.
After so much off-piste riding in and around the resorts, we stepped out on our first tour, heading for col de la Fenetre in les Contamines. It is a short and easy tour that, after overly careful planning, we did quite easily. The clouds were high but contrast very poor which worked against us on the descent across undulating terrain. It wasn't much of a ride down but that didn't really matter. We had broken the ice for her: chose, planned and executed a nice simple backcountry tour.... together. We were even able to ride within 750m of our campervan, beer and dog.
My girlfriend handling the descent in flat light
The very next day we were at it again, except this time we extended the tour. Rather than take the quick route via the previous day's col we hiked past it and around the corner behind Tete de la Cicle and up to the col by the same name. The descent from there takes you into the same mountain side as the previous day except it is much more north facing and a perfectly respectable wide couloir. After a long hit hike in the sun and lunch on the corniced col my girlfriend rode down like a different person to the start of the season. She had no worries at all and we took turns riding pitches in the couloir and then enjoyed the rolling banks and humps covered in spring corn down around the hut de la blame. The map study and route planning of the previous night played out perfectly and she was always on top of where we were in space and time. Along the way we had to traverse a few rapidly warming steep southerly slopes with rocky outcrops above us. The fresh snow from the previous days was releasing from the rocks and forming 2 foot high pin wheels. At one hot stage of the hike she was almost bowled over by a rolling pin-wheel. Nothing major. This fresh snow gave us a good descent as it was still in good condition on the northern slope.
The hike up to col de la Fenetre in light blue and the longer approach in green to col de la Cicle. The actual col is another 30 minutes walk around the distant ridge that runs off the Tete de la Cicle. The following pictures were all taken on the second hike to col de la Cicle.
Like all the pictures in this report, this is of my girlfriend. The starting point of the hike is in the distance below left of the obvious pointed rocky peak.
Traversing across some rolling balls and pin-wheels of rapidly warmed fresh snow. They are coming from the rocks up-hill of her. It looks like the surface of the moon!
continued on the next page