Guide Steve Bank’s account of the 2010 Haute Route European Ski Tour: April 10-18. 

Another successful Haute Route ski mountaineering week from Chamonix to Zermatt with two Aussies, father and daughter, and two good buddies from Vermont. The week provided the best weather in a long time. The route has a 50% success rate, mostly due to weather, but this week had no excuses.

Day 1:  We warmed up on the classic Valle Blanche with sunshine and great spring conditions. The next day we headed off of the Grands Montets tram and down the Glacier du Rognons to the Argentier hut. We were greeted in the morning by 10” of fresh and blue skies. This would set the scene for the week.

Day 3-4: We would have usually headed over the Col du Chardonet, but I got word that the back side had melted out quite a bit and the usual jam up of skiers at the top of the pass was getting out of hand. I decided to swing off the beaten path and to the Col du Passon instead. This led us into a more secluded area with just a short climb up a couloir to put us up on the massive Glacier du Tour. Crossing this huge plateau in the warm sunshine, we were treated to an air show by local stunt pilots buzzing the granite spires and doing touch-and-go landings on the glacier. Another climb over the Col du Tour and we traverse the Trient Glacier into Switzerland and on to the Trient hut, one of the nicest on the traverse.

That evening it clouded up and began to snow. This could be an issue as the Trient hut is not situated in an area conducive to skiing in a whiteout or with elevated avalanche danger. Luckily we awoke in the morning to another 8” of fresh snow and bluebird conditions. Unfortunately, Ian blew out a binding descending down to Champex, forcing some creative one ski action through the new snow. A quick taxi shuttle to the ski lifts of Verbier found us at a good ski shop which was able to make the necessary repairs and get us on our way up to the Mt. Fort hut for the evening. 

Day 5:  We again woke to fresh snow and blue skies, could this be possible? Up and over the Col du la Chaux and on to the coveted Rosablach Summit. Here we were able to ditch our packs and make a few laps in the fresh snow. 

Continuing on we cruised down to the Prafleuri hut for another afternoon of beers in the sun. This afternoon we were treated to another air show with helicopters using explosives for avalanche control work to get ready for the upcoming Patroullie du Glaciers ski mountaineering race coming through the following weekend. 

Day 6:  Took us along the traverse of the Lac du Dix and up to the Dix hut. Incredibly warm temperatures and sunny skies left us melting on the glacier in the mid day heat. Cold beers at the hut were a welcomed treat, and we spent the afternoon drying and tanning in the sun. 

The next morning again gave us a few inches of fresh snow with the morning sun shining off of the amazing peak of the Mont Blanc du Cheilon. A long day with perfect conditions took us over the Col du Serpentine, the Cold du Brenay and up to the summit of the Pigne d’Arrola. Here the skiing was amazing, and untouched as most people, including the heli-assisted skiers, ski the other side of the peak. We ditched our packs at the bottom and made three great laps in perfect boot top powder before heading down the other side to the Vignettes hut. This final stop on the tour is certainly the most dramatic. Weaving through crevasses and seracs high above the valley floor, the hut is perched on the side of a cliff. It is truly a wonder of Swiss engineering. Our last evening in the mountains we were treated to a fantastic meal and the drinking songs of the German ski tourers at the next table. 

In the morning we found cloudy skies and snow obscuring the skies. A long day over the Col de E’veque, down the Arrola Glacier, up the Col du Mont Brule and into Italy on the Haut Tsa de Tsan Glacier in whiteout conditions proved a bit challenging, but the snow conditions made it entirely bearable. The skies began to clear as we skinned up the Col du Vapelline and we got a magnificent view of the Matterhorn and our final destination of Zermatt. Entering the Stockji Glacier, and our final climb of the trip we found great snow for the long descent down onto the Zmut Glacier and then cruised along the base of the North Face of the Matterhorn and onto the ski slopes of Zermatt. Stopping for celebratory beers and snacks at the first restaurant we were ecstatic with the success of the trip, the perfect weather and fantastic skiing along the way.

Join us next year for the 2011 Haute Route Traverse - Dates just announced!

Starting last Friday, the Crested Butte Backcountry has been getting pounded with intermittent storms, leaving almost 2 feet of fresh powder in some places ! To start off President’s Weekend, CBMG Owner/Guide, Jayson Simons-Jones arrived fresh off a trip to the winter wonderland of the East Coast to find himself in waist deep champagne powder in the Kebler Pass Area outside Crested Butte. Here are some pics from the week….

Then the beginning of this week brought classic Colorado sunny blue skies and beautiful backcountry powder skiing. With CBMG having a few different trips taking guests out into the Crested Butte backcountry to enjoy all the fresh turns to be had.

John Dugenske, a CB second home-owner, and fresh off the plane with his family from Chicago, joined CBMG Guide JSJ for 3 laps out at Coney’s, and got “some of the best powder skiing of my life”  in.

The Page’s, from the Colorado Front Range joined CBMG Guide, Steve Banks, for an overnight backcountry hut tour to the posh and relaxing Maroon Cabin in Gothic, CO, for 2 days of powder skiing, getting away from the bustle of the ski slopes and everyday worries of the ‘plugged-in’ life.

Tuesday, Shane Murphy, joined us from Boulder, CO, for another beautiful bluebird powder day out at Coney’s again, with CBMG Guides JSJ & Chris Benson, for 2,000+’ of classic Colorado backcountry skiing !

The end of this week and again this weekend, Crested Butte is poised to get pounded by another significant looking winter storm, which will hit the ‘reset button’ on the backcountry and we will be getting out there to do it all over again. Now is the time to join us for a great Colorado backcountry ski tour, and with the US Freeskiing Championships taking place on Crested Butte Mountain Resort with a large contingent of local athletes competing and spectating, the Crested Butte backcountry will be in prime condition with no crowds! Call to book your trip today….

 —-CBMG Staff

We tend to forget when we are snuggled into our little ski town with a 9 month winter that there are people out there who don’t ski.  Heck, we had a woman from Georgia join us for two days of snowshoeing and nordic skiing last week who had never set foot on snow before.  Most of the locals here have diversified their winter recreation so much that  they have a garage full of winter gear (see Employee Gear Closet Vol 1, Vol 2, and Vol 3), but there are many who come to visit us who aren’t quite clear as to what the difference is between all those skis.  Let’s concentrate on what exactly backcountry skiing is in the first place.  A lot of people have a misconception that telemarking is the only way to ski in the backcountry.  While this may have been true in the early days with bandana donning skiers in jeans and 3 pin bindings, at this point there are many ways to travel in the backcountry including telemarking, alpine touring, and snowboarding.  And again, let’s ‘narrow our search results’ to alpine touring.  Alpine touring (AT) is the closest you’ll get to downhill skiing (as in skiing the groomers at Vail).   Let’s take a moment and see what makes an AT boot different from an alpine boot:

So a couple things here.  First off, ‘walk-mode’ or ‘tour mode’.  This is what is going to keep the skin of your feet attached to your feet.  Anyone who has toured in their alpine boots without a walk mode can attest to shedding some epidermal layers in the process.  Feet/boot problems can be a brutal penance suffered every step–comfortable boots really are the key to backcountry touring happiness.  So essentially the walk mode allows the boot to pivot with your leg when you are skinning.  Another difference in AT boots is the sole.  Typically AT boots have a rubber sole that allow for more graceful walking in rocky terrain, better grip when boot packing, and even on the steps coming out of the bar for that matter.  You shouldn’t use your AT boots in a Alpine binding as the release capabilities are different.  Next difference is the Dynafit tech inserts.  These are the little holes that the pegs from Dynafit (or the new G3 Onyx) clamp into.  Not all AT boots have these–It’s probably 50/50 Dynafit bindings/Fritschi bindings in the backcountry ski world.  If you have a Fritschi touring binding (or a Marker Duke), no real need to have the inserts, but you’ll still have the other inherent AT boot qualities (walk-mode/rubber sole).  Some BD Boots have interchangeable toe pieces to make your boots both Dynafit compatible as well as Alpine ISO DIN compatible, but that’s another blog. . . .Next difference in the Alpine Touring world is bindings–these are Dynafit bindings and they are a far cry from a step in alpine binding.  AT bindings allow the skier’s boot to release from the ski when skinning with  the pivot point at the toe of the boot, and then locks the heel down when you are ready to make downhill turns.  Like I said in the previous paragraph, there are two obvious choices in backcountry bindings–Dynafit or Fritschi.  Dynafit bindings are significantly lighter, but are also significantly lighter–something that a lot of aggressive skiers don’t necessarily want.  A Fritschi step-in binding (or the also prevalent Marker Duke) is heavier to tour with, but skis more like a traditional alpine binding.  It’s a little easier to get into a step-in binding, but ultimately it’s up to the skier to decide if they would rather have an incredibly light, efficient set up, or if they want something that’s heavier to tour with, but will be more powerful for the downhill turns.  Personally, I love the lightness of a Dynafit bindings, and they give me plenty of return on the downhill for my type of skiing.   
Next integral piece of equipment you’ll need when venturing into the backcountry is skins.  These are what you put on the bottom of your skis to give you traction on the skin track.  They are either made of nylon or of mohair, and adhere to the base of your ski with a layer of sticky glue as well as tension.  You won’t have residual glue on the base of your ski after you rip your skins off (at least, you shouldn’t!), and it’s best to keep that side of your skin free of debris or dog hair or anything else that will keep it from sticking properly to your ski.  Wall to wall coverage is another important factor–if you don’t have wall to wall coverage on the base of your ski, your day just got a whole lot harder–depending on how nice the person is that set the skin track, sections of steep climbs or kick-turns can be brutal with skins that don’t cover the full base of your ski.  Get a skin with a width 10cm under the tip width of your ski–this gives you the best coverage without trimming an excessive amount of skin. 

Lastly is the backcountry pack that should have 3 items at all times–Beacon, shovel, probe.  These are REQUIRED tools for backcountry travel and they should be required for your ski partner as well.  If your ski partner forgot their shovel, let them borrow yours!  Seriously, every member of your backcountry party should have these items and more importantly-know how to use them.  It’s also incredibly useful to take a Level 1 Avalanche Course to clue you in to basic backcountry travel as well as teaching you the basics of using your beacon, shovel and probe.

 OK, it is mid-winter and I guess as the ‘big cheese’ around here it is my turn to take part in our ‘Employee Gear Closet’ write-up. It is also time to set the record straight, as contrary to popular belief around here I do not have 18 pairs of skis, just 4 that are mounted and ready to grab depending on the task at hand. I do, however, have many closets full of gear new and old that has been aquired over the past decade, and thus this write-up is dedicated only to my closet of gear I’m currently using.

 First up is the ski quiver…..the most treasured part of any ski town residents gear closet. The K2 Coomba is again my mid-winter ski of choice for guiding backcountry ski trips. Here I have the original version of this ski mounted with Dynafit bindings for early season rock-skipping in the shallow CO backcountry, and a fresh pair of the new K2 Coombacks with a new rockered tip and same straight tail in the plastic. The plastic has since been ripped off and they are now my #1 ski of choice with the rockered tip a big improvement over the original non-rockered version. For skiing on the resort I enjoy my Colorado homegrown, Unity Skis, solid as a tank and virtually indestructable. And then for the really deep resort days or for snowcat ski guiding at CS Irwin, the unsinkable K2 Hell-Bents. Finally, my ski mountaineering ski of choice is the super lightweight, early rise tip geometry of the Dynafit Manaslu with Dynafit TLT Classic bindings on it, a great ski anything ski that is super lightweight for carrying on the pack as well…..my ski of choice for the Haute Route and Alaska Ski Mountaineering trips.

 My ski boots of choice these days are basically 2 versions of the same boot….the Black Diamond Factor & Method. The ghostbusters green Factor being the stiffer of the two, and the one I use for driving big sticks with alpine bindings and the Method, a touch softer and lighter, for all my touring and human powered skiing activities. Honestly, I can’t tell much of a difference in stiffness between the two, but I am a huge fan of the overlap cuff design now prevalent in the world of AT boots, as it allows for a much more comfortable and freer ‘walk-mode’ as well as a much more high performance and evenly flexing ’ski mode’.

Not being that much of  a die hard ice climber (I can always be talked into skiing over ice climbing), I am nonetheless trying to change that, and have invested in some new gear to help me motivate on broadening my horizons besides skiing in the winter….besides, all the other guides seem to love it. So I have outfitted myself with some leashless Camp AWAX tools, that are super light, and whose aggressive re-curved shaft makes vertical ice a breeze for solid placements. Coupled along with a new set of Black Diamond Express Ice Screws, that are ridiculoussly easy to place, and some La Spotiva Trango boots with Primaloft insulation for my chronically cold feet, and I’ve enjoyed venturing out on the ice more then usual, and am realizing that ‘lack of snow blues’ can be remedied by venturing onto the ice more often. 

Lastly, of course every guide is attached to their pack(s), and unlike CBMG Guide Johnny MacKinnon and his ‘old pack museum’, I prefer new, light, and streamlined designed packs for multiple functions. Out of the 7 or 8 in my closet, I seem to settle on 3 for most endeavors summer or winter. The 40L Mammut Spindrift is my pack of choice for just about everything, as I have it retro-outfitted with an AvaLung for ski touring season, and use it on anything from day tours to overnight hut trips in the mountains, the Haute Route and anything else that I need a good, low profile and comfortable pack to carry gear in technical terrain. For ice and alpine endeavors in the summer months I prefer the Black Diamond Revelation 35L pack for it’s clean and simple design, easy to access top lid, and pick-pocket ice tool holders for quick on the fly grabbing of gear. Lastly, is my Black Diamond Bandit pack, a great little on-piste pack for carrying some avy gear essentials, food, water and a light layer, as well as being my pack of choice for multi-pitch rockclimbing in the summer months for it’s great carrying capacity and low profile.

Of course, the rest of my gear closet is a mess, and as long as I can get to the usual case of Red Bull, then I can get enough clarity in the early morning dawn hours to dig through the rest of the junk and find just what I need for the days adventure.

—JSJ (CBMG Owner / Guide )

Starting last week winter has again returned to Crested Butte, dropping over 3 feet of fresh in the backcountry, and still snowing once again as of today! Timing of these storms could not have been better as they arrived in time to kick off our second sold-out AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course of the season.

Along with all this snow, was also had a natural avalanche cycle and a brief window of high avalanche danger, allowing for some optimal learning conditions of which to study snow stability analysis…the core of the Level 2 curriculum.

All the snow has also been bringing some excellent backcountry ski conditions, with the warm and wet nature of the storms allowing instabilities to settle out relatively quickly for a Colorado snowpack and of which to enjoy some fantastic backcountry ski touring conditions with decreasing avalanche danger.

This week, we are also promoting our newest package with Cresed Butte Mountain Resort, in offering a guided backcountry skiing adventure through CBMR & CBMG. Get a full Dynafit AT set-up (skis, boots, bindings, skins) a lift ticket, Mammut Avalanche Package, and AMGA Ski Guide for a lift accessed excursion onto Snodgrass Mountain for some backcountry turns. Returning to the base area via chairlift and a quick stop at Camp 4 on mounatin for a coffee before a final ski back to the base area. All for $416 / person.

And…..finally…..Crested Butte Mountain Guides is finally taking bookings for the brand new ‘CS Irwin’ Snowcat Skiing operation at Irwin. Call us to reserve your cat seats today.

–CBMG Staff

Crested Butte Mountain Guides is proud to announce our latest trip offering for the Winter 2010 season…..Our NEW ‘Intro to Backcountry Touring Course’

This is a 3-hour mini-tour offered in conjunction with The Alpineer. It is designed to introduce beginning backcountry enthusiasts to the use of alpine touring skis and skins, how to use an avalanche beacon, skinning techniques, and of course, some backcountry powder skiing.

Cost is $150 for 1 person; $100 each for 2 or more people. The Alpineer is offering $20 backcountry rentals for this program (skis, bindings, skins, boots). Tours will be offered daily from 9-12 & 1-4 and need to be booked at least 24 hours prior through the CBMG offices.

Over the Xmas week, longtime backcountry ski guest of Crested Butte Mountain Guides, Jason Leonard & I went out and got in a few days of great fresh powder turns despite the lack of any new snow in a while now. Once again, coming straight from Oklahoma didn’t hinder him at all, as we went to some shorter ‘lap’ type places where we were able to get in between 3 and 5 laps for totals of about 3,000′ of vert each day.

Great powder skiing, clear but cold weather, and a lack of any other backcountry skiers on our terrain all 3 days made for a wonderful experience, and one that Scott Palk (another Okie) juumped in on to experience with us on the 3rd and final day.

The big news, was Jason’s new switch to a Dynafit set-up for his backcountry skis. A longtime user of the K2 Mount Baker ski, with Fritschi Freeride’s and Garmont Endoprhin’s for the ability to use this set-up both on and off-mountain, after many miles of ski touring with me on my Dynafit’s, he is now a convert.

Freshly outfitted with some Dynafit Manaslu’s, Dynafit F12 binders, and Garmont Radium AT boots, he is now even more stoked then ever to be out in the backcountry ski touring with me, and is now also skiing better then ever and now (unfortunately for me) hiking like a CB local jacked up on too much Camp 4 Coffee.

As always, thanks for spending some of the holidays out in the Crested Butte backcountry with me making some turns. Looking forward to doing it again this year, and to making some turns in Alaska as well this spring !   And over 2 feet of fresh snow in the Crested Butte backcountry this week, means there is plenty more powder skiing to be had out there for the rest of you also….

–Your Guide, JSJ

Winter has made an abrupt arrival in Crested Butte, with back-to-back winter storms hitting us over the past 2 weeks, leaving us with 5 feet of fresh snow to start off December. With the sudden arrival of all this snow, we have also been brought our first cycle of avalanche danger, and perfectly in time for the beginning of our avalanche course season, bringing us a very real-life learning and educational situation of which to teach from and experience in the Crested Butte back-country.

The first weekend in December saw Crested Butte Mountain Guides running two separate AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Classes to full capacity; one an open enrollment course and the other a college specific course targeted at the local Western State College back-country community in Gunnison. And just in time, as the first storm of the season arrived on the third day, the field-touring day of the course, in which we were able to see the beginnings of our first avalanche cycle of the 09/10 season first hand.

Then as another major winter storm slammed into Crested Butte again this past weekend we held two more AIARE Avalanche Courses, our super popular 1-day Avalanche Refresher Course & another sold-out Level 1 Hut Course in nearby Gothic, CO. Bluebird skies were overhead on Day 1 as we made our way to the hut on Friday, only to find ourselves breaking trail in nearly 2 feet of fresh snow and a raging blizzard on Sunday.

The local Maroon Cabin in Gothic, CO makes for an ideal retreat of which to learn the basics of avalanche education. Situated amidst some of the largest avalanche paths in Colorado, it is a state of the art, new age ‘hut’ with in-floor heat, electricity, running water (usually), and even wireless Internet of which to study weather and avalanche reports. All with the Elk Mountains just out the door, allowing for immediate immersion in the winter mountain environment from which to study snow stability, practice companion rescue, and plan and prep for the courses back-country tours.

This week CBMG will be running our first AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course of the season, and another completely sold out course. With some clear weather on the way we should have some excellent snowpack dynamics to study in the wake of the past two storms, and enjoyable weather of which to go touring and stand around in snow pits looking at snow grains and performing snow stability evaluations.

Also, NEW this year is our classroom space located in the conference room at the Grand Lodge hotel at the base of the ski resort in Mount Crested Butte, CO. Having run one course out of here already it is turning out to be a fairly ideal classroom with easy access to local trailheads, gear shops at the base of the resort, and lots of good coffee and restaurants in walking distance. As well as offering available lodging discounts just down the hall from your classroom, it is as easy as it gets for visiting folks to learn about avalanches in the place that AIARE (American Institute For Avalanche Research & Education) got it’s founding from.

Unfortunately, the beginnings of the winter and avalanche season, have also brought it’s first casualty of the season, when world-renowned Canadian ice climber, Guy Lacelle, was killed in a small avalanche this past weekend outside of Bozeman, MT in Hyalite Canyon, while taking part in their seasonal Ice Festival.  Our thoughts go out to his wife, friends, and family. Read more….

Here’s looking forward to a great season of classes, guided ski and climbing day, and safe back-country travels all around…..

—JSJ

Well, it’s here ! Crested Butte is getting pounded by our first big winter storm of the season, with 24″+ in the last 24 hours, with more in the high alpine, and more on the way!

Itching to get some backcountry powder turns in, a few of us guides decided to brave the winter burliness this morning and try and get some turns in, as well as get a handle on what is happening with avalanche conditions during our first natural avalanche cycle of the season.

What we found was a lot of new snow, with cold temps and gusty winds near treeline, creating very poor visibility and an incredibly touchy snowpack, as anything over 25 degrees seemed to be cracking and collapsing.

The sheer amount of the new snow, coupled with our previous thin and weak snowcover, meant ski penetration was full depth, resulting in lots of leap frogging a downtrack between us, the occasional load of powder being too much for forward momentum, and a few great face shot worthy backcountry ski turns on the steeper slopes.

Looking forward to letting the snowpack settle out a bit over the next few days, and then really being able to get after it.

—Jayson Simons-Jones (CBMG Owner / Guide)

This is a delayed posting from the winter storm that hit the Crested Butte area the week prior to Halloween. Great skiing and quite a bit of snow for late Oct !!

This past weekend Crested Butte was again hit with another winter storm, dropping 18″ of snow in the high country and settling in with current nighttime temps in the single digits. Folks…..winter is here !

Besides our usual offering of guided winter backcountry adventures, look for some new and exciting offerings from Crested Butte Mountain Guides this winter as well, such as: An AIARE Level 1 Cat Skiing / Avalanche Course; CB – Aspen Ski Tour; expanded terrain offerings for our CB Adventure Guides program with the ski resort; another spring trip to the world-famous Haute Route;  a spring multi-sport desert combo mountain-biking & climbing or skiing trip in the Utah / Western CO desert; and stay tuned to our website for up coming info on the re-opening of the Irwin Lodge Cat Skiing operation…book your cat ski trip through the CBMG office today.

Pray for more snow—

The CBMG Team

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