PDA

View Full Version : TR: La Grave+ 4/3-10/2004



Ripzalot
04-12-2004, 04:43 AM
Too tired and lazy to write up a full report now. The short version:
Went to La Grave for a week with my wife. Met up with Vertigo (Bobby) and Rich for a few days on the mountain.

Day 1: La Grave. Tracked out powder day. Reportedly 30cm fresh from the previous day. Still plenty of fresh to be found. Great day touring around and tracking out any pow that could be found (which was alot!).

Day 2: Alpe d'Huez. Some snow the night before and dismal looking conditions at La Grave, so I went to Alpe d'Huez. It cleared after we got there and found some 10cms of fresh on the top part, turning springy toward the mid station, and sloppy down to the resort. Great day with no crowds and bluebird skies.

Day 3: Serre Chevalier. No new snow so went to SC for a fun spring day. Spring on top turning to slush towards the resort level. Blinding bluebird day.

Day 4: La Grave. Snowed all night for a nice 30cm fresh powder day at La Grave. Met up late with Bobby and Rich after farming out the pow turns on the glacier run. Did some fantastic pow runs down the back of the glacier and in the Vallons de Chancel.

Day 5: Col du Lauteret. The day before had completely knackered me, so we went to the small station in the Col du Lauteret for an afternoon session. Probably the smallest "resort" I have ever been to but was still fun. Still found some untracked there. Another bluebird day.

Day 6: La Grave. Snowed all night again and through the morning leaving about 20cm fresh. The plan was the banana coulior but we missed it in the low viz and ended up in the hidden (?) coulior. On the traverse back I got bounced outta the traverse and smacked into a tree with my ribs & back. Cut my day short with only one run.

Ripzalot
04-12-2004, 04:58 AM
Day two at Alpe d'Huez.

Ripzalot
04-12-2004, 05:06 AM
Day three at Serre Chevalier. Spring conditions.

Ripzalot
04-12-2004, 05:24 AM
Day four. Back at La Grave. Snowed all night. Powder day!

Ripzalot
04-12-2004, 05:51 AM
Day five. Takin' a halfday break from La Grave at the Col du Lauteret station.

Ripzalot
04-12-2004, 06:00 AM
Day six. Back at La Grave. Snowed all night again. Another powder day. Short day due to unwanted contact with tree on my first run.

Tantrum
04-12-2004, 10:20 AM
Day 4 looked awesome. However, this isn't so cool:
http://forums.outdoorreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=329&stc=1
Nice write-up and pics.:D

NoKnees
04-12-2004, 11:58 AM
Good stuff... Nice to see ya getting more good stuff... I'm going in for surgery tomorrow so it's nice to have some fresh photos to remind me of why I bother...

jibnot
04-12-2004, 03:04 PM
Nice pics, makes me feel like a turd for not going camera happy.

CanariaChick
04-12-2004, 03:26 PM
You gotta love stuff like this! :D
http://forums.outdoorreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=329&stc=1

Ripzalot
04-13-2004, 02:20 AM
You gotta love stuff like this!

only when it's not me! ;)

poor guy didn't have enough air to clear the cornice - clipped it and then ragdolled down the face. he was movin' mighty slowly afterwards...

Tantrum
04-13-2004, 07:43 AM
Lovely sequence nonetheless.:p