 Poster: A snowHead
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How tricky is the north face of the bellecote?
Basically what level of skiing and boarding would you need before you start to think about hiring a guide to do this?
I understand there is a variety of runs down with varying difficulty.
tux
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Maybe this will help
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The Bellecôte massif is composed of some 6 km of ridges forming a maze of valleys and couloirs. The prevailing winds deposit large amounts of snow on the North face which is prone to enormous avalanches. Many of the couloirs are very steep and tend to purge themselves immediately after fresh snowfall but there is a constant risk of wind slab formed on a poor base.
Many of the entrances and exits of the couloirs are difficult to locate, and coupled with the exposure mean that people should hire a guide or ski with someone with local knowledge. |
http://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Savoie/La-Plagne-Bellecote
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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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tuxpoo, yes indeed and there are varous SH on here who regularly ski this area. I would suggest hiring a guide for sure as the area is riddled with potential dangers if you don't know it. In terms of ability you should be confident off piste and be happy on blacks, narrow and steep terrain. Some of the ways to drop onto the northface are tricky.
Some experts will be along to tell you more........
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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thefatcontroller, Have just watched the first 3 minutes of this video and now know why I am sticking with the Montalbert Villaroger challenge this year!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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thefatcontroller, yes and meet you for a coffee at that nice cosy restaurant at the bottom 
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thefatcontroller, How hideous. The snow looked awful.
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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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Frosty the Snowman, Mouth, I was talking to Cockofthenorth and he seems to think that the challenge is in which entrance route you choose 
I should add this from the CGSki website,
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| ..... formally ex England FIS Racer and extreme skier has lived in the Alps most of his life. |
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Boredsurfing, it will be .....
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formally ex England FIS Racer and extreme skier, with 2 black eyes and a broken nose
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, if he tries taking me down that
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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There are about 12 ways down the huge main face (the total is about 1900metres vertical). Some of the photos here will give you an idea of the steepness. Some are steeper than anything I have skied.
Often it is not skiable because of avalanche danger. I have done the Grande Face Nord, the Couloir du Cairn and the Canadiens.
The steepest black pistes (such as the Grande Couloir at Courchevel - now not a piste I think) are only about 35º at the steepest - most more like 30º. Here you must expect at steady 40º for the first 1/3 with the first few hundred metres at close to 45º. A guide will assess if you are up to it.
There is a much less steep way, further left, called the Classic which I have done a couple of times. It is still moderately steep and magnificent and probably a guide will take you that way. You need to be able to ski any snow and often the snow nearer the bottom can be crap - and much of the valley at the bottom may be avalanche debris which your guide will hopefully find a way down, but the Classic (and Rodzins even further left and even less steep I am told) avoid the main valley and cut back right through trees for the last third or half.
Expect to take at least half an hour, perhaps up to an hour with a group.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 27-11-08 20:02; edited 5 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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snowball, Great pic! Thanks for posting that. I may take some friends over in April, with a suitable guide of course.
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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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snowball, is that avalanche debris in the bottom half of the pic?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Frosty the Snowman, I thought they were houses
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Above the houses ya twonk!
Very bizzare whatever it is.
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brian
brian
Guest
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Frosty the Snowman, it is. A bit of googling reveals the pic is from Feb 1995. 95cm of snow had fallen in the previous 48 hours on very high winds. 
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Full marks for bottle. Not so sure about technique though! He / she doesn't come across as really being comfortable with the whole thing. The guy in front looks a lot happier.
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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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| snowball wrote: |
The one we skied last year was Cairn |
And here's a photo from when snowball and I skied the Cairn (I think he's above me, though, or it might have been him taking the photo, can't remember). It doesn't look too bad...
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I WANT TO GO SKIING!!!!!!! 
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tuxpoo,
I have done the easy version a few times with guides in groups. The skiing as in most off piste depends more on the snow for difficulty than any particular features. The easy way is not particularly steep or frightening but it is sustained. Fitness is usually what I lack, the dangers of avalanche should not be underestimated and a guide is definately recommended.
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Thanks everyone.
Im a boarder personally, and happy on steeps and powder... not so happy with running over rocks tho:(
I wouldnt dream of tackling something like this without a guide. You would have to be mad!
What are the best conditions for do this?
Tux
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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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tuxpoo, you are absolutely doing the right thing in approaching these routes respectfully no matter what your ability, even the best need familiarity and knowledge.
by the way tuxpoo, were you caught short on a glacier? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Scary how close those houses were to disappearing!
horizon, I think that photo was taken past the steepest part. But no, I don't think I took that one.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Fri 28-11-08 9:36; edited 8 times in total
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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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I had a guide booked to do the North face, but the vis wasn't so good, so we had to play around lower down, not so bad for a "beginners" resort is it.....
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| tuxpoo wrote: |
What are the best conditions for do this?
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tuxpoo, you need to ask a guide that. But I would imagine that any substantial falls needs to have strongly consolidated but without a thaw to have made it hard or icy (which might cause long falls). What the French call "souflé dure" - ie fairly firm but grippy is how it has usually been when I have been in the big bowl, but I have done the Classic in fresh powder, which was fabulous. Being very North-facing and steep the snow on the main face can often be good when most of the slopes have turned to boiler plate in sun/freeze cycles (though this may not apply to the gentler slopes at the bottom!). However I can imagine wind plaque might keep the slope out of bounds unless it releases in avalanches. Which is another reason for needing a guide (along with route-finding).
In the big bowl guides have asked us to tighten our bindings before a descent.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 28-11-08 9:44; edited 2 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm told by my OH who has done it a few times that the bottom can be a bit unpleasant if the snow isnt good, due to all the avalanche debris - something to watch for Boredsurfing, if you're planning to do it in April
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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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Yes, genepi, but it is still worth it IMHO for the main slope. But I have been with a guide who got us to cross a big avalanche track to ski OK snow on the other edge of the valley. Still, I experienced lots of breakable-crust down there one time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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you need to take the rough with the smooth...
snowball, are you all sorted for skiing this year? i'm doing something at the end of feb where we're hoping to tackle a bit of this type of thing
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes, all booked except a possible opportunistic Scottish weekend around late March.
Earlyish Jan I shall be at Chamonix with SCGB (& Remy Lecluse), start of Feb I shall be at Jackson Hole (including the Steep and Deep Camp), start of March I shall be in the Dolomites with our guide Zeb.
Where are you thinking of doing your Feb thing?
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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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it's an instructional thing based in BSM
don't normally darken the doors of the Tarentaise but it's dedicated to steep skiing (with our very own offpisteskiing) so it looks pretty good
might well be up for a trip to Scotland if the timings work
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| snowball wrote: |
Yes, all booked except a possible opportunistic Scottish weekend around late March.
Earlyish Jan I shall be at Chamonix with SCGB (& Remy Lecluse), start of Feb I shall be at Jackson Hole (including the Steep and Deep Camp), start of March I shall be in the Dolomites with our guide Zeb. |
Let us know how it goes, they would be he sort of trips I would be on if I didn't have kids and St Anton wasn't just a train ride away. Are you going to do corbets? Italy is having a great season this year for snow (some Italian resorts are forecast over 1m in the next few days) sure you will have a great time with Zeb.
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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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DB, Corbets is possible - I hope I do it (I've only seen it in photos). I gather up to about 1/5th of those on the Steep and Deep do it - but it depends a bit on conditions. My main worry is with my "ligament insufficiency" in one knee (they reckon I only have part of my ACL) I don't dare crank up my bindings, and if there is a very big jump in I don't know if my bindings will simply release! I reckon fresh powder would be the easiest conditions since it would be easier to wash off speed after the jump (and before having to avoid hitting the rock wall). If it were my last ski holiday of the year I would certainly do it but I don't want to risk missing the Dolomites.
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snowball,
There's a thread on Epic about Corbets with a lot of good tips by a guy based over there (Bob Peters I think is his name) . Seems to be that the first couple of turns are critical. Even with fresh powder the ruts that form underneath throw a lot of people (literally) and some hit the wall. Looks like its another one of those 'only approach when the conditions are right' runs.
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Bob Peters is a real friendly guy, I skied with him when I was in Jackon eons ago.....(and no I didn't do Corbets!)
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DB, Oh yes, it is only the big jump in (onto a very steep slope with a wall ahead) that is a problem. The actual slope would be no problem - I've skied steeper. But I've never been into big air anyway.
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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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FAQ
