 Poster: A snowHead
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Day 2 tomorrow...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bonus day 1 material: view from the hut showing reflections in meltwater sitting on top of the ice.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Sharkymark, tagging this thread - sounds like quite an adventure!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@HossDoc, thanks! It certainly was...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Fantastic, I look forward to the follow-up!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Good post.
Looks kinda bare.
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@Whitegold, yes, unseasonably high temps (9 deg.C when we arrived - boardies and flip flops on day 1) and a naturally thin snowpack means that as soon as some of the ground is exposed, it goes very quickly. Fortunately, the couloirs were well filled in and we had perfect spring snow down to 100 - 400m depending upon aspect. We could often ski to the beach whilst at worst a 250m down climb over heather.
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Day 2: Getting skiing.
The sun rose at 4am and set at 10:30pm*. That gave the snow a lot of time to cook off so it was a 5:30am start each day. This photo was taken at 5:20 when the sun was already reasonably high.
* There was no 'night' or even a proper twilight. The sun sets just below the horizon and at midnight it's much like an eerie overcast day.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Our first objective was 'Destiny Couloir' (first skied 2 years ago by another British Guide also hosted by Andy and Janice, hence named after their yacht). Here's @offpisteskiing approaching the foot of the line.
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@arno on the climb. The hut is out of view on the near edge of the fjord.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In the guts of the couloir...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The snow was still firm so boot crampons and, further up as the slope kicked, axe in hand required.
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After 4 flights, 2 nights in hotels, 30km on a boat, 12km on a skidoo and a 1000m climb, it was finally time to start skiing! It was no surprise that the Springsnowfinder General got us perfectly timed spring skiing amongst spectacular orange rock walls. Bang on.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Arno having a go.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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We climbed again to attempt to so-called 'Musk Ox Couloir' but the entrance had melted out and with no sensible anchors, abseiling was out of the question. A quick pano of the fjord and a mellow ski back to the hut on very spring-like snow for mid afternoon aprés ski.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Very interesting.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great start
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ty for the posts
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks all. Day 3 subject to a day’s delay whilst the excellent weather draws me away from my laptop...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I’d post some pics if I could work out how to get pics on iCloud to appear 
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| HossDoc wrote: |
| tagging this thread - sounds like quite an adventure! |
Hi Mark, (sorry to impose on this thread), I still owe you for the Oakleys, I PMed you but didn't hear back, give me a PM when you get a moment and I'll settle up with you.
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Day 3 kicked off with the first taste of cloud hanging over the peaks we were intending to climb and ski.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Over the next half hour, the cloud thickened considerably but it started to become clear there was an inversion forming so hope of good weather on the peaks. Packing the skidoos for the 1km crossing of the fjord to our start point.
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Dramatic interplay of light and shade as the sun cast deep blue shadows of the peaks onto the cloud below. A bit GoT.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Climbing through the inversion on an ancient glacier (now permanent nevé) towards 'Walrus peak' and our line 'left tusk'.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Sharkymark wrote: |
| Dramatic interplay of light and shade |
'Juxtaposition' surely 
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You know it makes sense.
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@offpisteskiing, you got me!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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A good few hours in and the view from top of our first line on Walrus peak at about 1200m.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Skiing the 'left tusk' of Walrus peak in perfect (again) spring snow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Having descended, we donned skins and lugged our way up to the peak on the opposite side of the bowl, just out of shot on the right of the above pic. The inversion made for some surreal minimalist views.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The clouds finally opened up just in time for the final descent. Here's a view looking west down the fjord to the open sea 15km away. You can just about make out where the ice meets the open sea.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Finally, after 20km and 1500m vert of climbing and skiing and 8 hours since leaving the sleds, we arrived back at the fjord. Hut is on the far bank of the fjord in the distance.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Sunset happened at some point in the late hours - I got bored at about 9:30pm:
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wow!
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Day 4 started overcast, trapping the previous day's warmth. This made climbing conditions 'interesting' and we were beaten back from plan A by unstable sugar snow, wet rock slabs and poor vis. Our high point was a summit at only 644m but afforded a decent (if short) ski nonetheless. Here's @offpisteskiing making the most of it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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An early return to base provided the opportunity to fiddle about with the wide angle lens. Plus the sun came out, which helped.
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FAQ
