 Poster: A snowHead
|
The Breche de Grand Replomb is a classic couloir ecole visible as you pass through the peage de Crolles to the north of Grobobble.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4547329665561094751
after being repulsed by the avy risk in December we made it to the top last weekend. The snow was "worked" compared to earlier in the week - a thin breakable crust on top of nice powder. A range of styles were used to cope with this as you can see.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Looks fantastic... almost makes me want to get touring biindings for my next skis 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
OOOOOooeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Sa plan pour moi(sp)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| mdemon2 wrote: |
OOOOOooeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Sa plan pour moi(sp) |
Ca Plane Pour Moi!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| IanTr wrote: |
| mdemon2 wrote: |
OOOOOooeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Sa plan pour moi(sp) |
Ca Plane Pour Moi! |
Merci beaucoup mon amis!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
i'm not sure if this got lost in translation but isn't divan a bed spread?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most famous Belgians no 3.
Can't remember who I was in a hire with at the time (Roger C?) but wihin 30 mins of getting in the car it was on the radio. So pleased to have my french musical cliches confirmed 
Nice turns
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fantastic. (The climb looked like hard work!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Great slope...looked liked your earned your turns..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
davidof, looks fantastic - getting severe withdrawal symptoms here now my snow season is over (Dendix is way better than nothing - first race of the new season in 2 weeks - but even I have to admit it doesn't have quite the same attraction ;( ).
Scarpa, you need to do it - but be careful with them on the cliff-jumps .
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
davidof, Do you take turns leading when climbing through fresh snow?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
davidof, not done much skinning up steep couloirs myself. just wondering how you approach the skin vs bootpack question. seems a shame to trash the snow by putting a skin track into it; but i can see that if it's deep, booting it would be hard work
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
JT, it's all relative!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Amazing vid, loved it.
plectrum, a divan is a bed (from the old Turkish use of the word as a couch...and also a parliamentary council, perhaps because they used to sit on divans...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Not a helmet in site - thanks for restoring the faith davidof 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Guvnor,
ooo..!! A helmet debate.....!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Didn't take a helmet on last weekends ski tour but realized how much I missed it when going through the trees. Beanies don't seem to take the impact of small branches so well.
davidof,
Take it the avie risk was low for so many to be skiing down the couloir at the same time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Some interesting points.
1. avy risk
I agree, although moderate that day I don't think it is good for lots of people to be skiing at once, you saw "quicker" skiers getting in slower skier's paths. Not a very good example to follow... but the snow was not wonderful in the couloir so I guess people wanted to clear it as soon as they could. I've never seen that couloir avalanche, although the traverse you saw in the first minute of the film will slide (hence the gaps between skiers) and this was the primary reason we did a U-turn on the route on the 31 Dec.
2. helmets
If you wear a helmet in general then I don't see any reason not to wear one where we were.
3. boot packing
I personally try to climb as much as possible on skis - up to around 40 degrees if there is enough space to gain a bit of ground. If the snow is hard and more than 35 degrees I would climb and put on crampons, ditto if the slope is restricted. The ideal is to approach couloirs from the back and ski them "on spec" - bearing in mind the conditions may be less than idea once you are there!
Yes we all did our turns climbing, it just looks like I'm at the back all the time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
davidof,
So would the theorectical textbook way to ski a couloir such as that be? (for the benefit of anyone who doesn't already know ) ...
One skier / boarder to go down the couloir at a time. This person rides down and stops at a place out of the way (e.g. to the left/right of the couloir exit, at the side of the couloir behind a rock) in the unlikely event that an avalanche occurs. The next person rides down to the same / a smilar position, trying to avoid more than one person riding down the couloir where posible. If not possible (e.g. long couloir) then 'ample' space should be left between the riders.
The reason being more people on the slope increases the risk of collision, increases the risk of a slide and multiple burials are a nightmare.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 2-04-08 14:13; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| DB wrote: |
davidof,
The reason being more people on the slope increases the risk of collision, increases the risk of a slide and multiple burials are a nightmare. |
Good advice, thanks for taking the time to post it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
davidof, another interesting point on avy risk in couloirs. this is one i mull over a bit from time to time. like you, i haven't seen a slide in a couloir with rock walls (couloirs through trees formed by avalanches are another thing obviously!) and have never quite decided whether this is just chance or whether there is an reason in avy science why they would be rare. one part of me says couloirs can be quite prone to windloading and are often shaded so you will get less free-thaw consolidation. OTOH, they are often steep so slabs don't build up and/or the walls provide an anchor.
guess it's difficult to make generalisations - it all depends on the particular couloir but i'd be interested in your or anyone else's views
[this has gone from a stoke thread to an educational one - how often does that happen?  ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Generally .......
If the call was that the slope was deemed safe, the next issue would be a fall..and who you would/might take out on the way or what you would hit...rocks/cliff drop...etc
One of the reason why I like to be tail-end Charlie is that you can see the whole thing in front of you... the down side to that is that there is no-one to sweep after you..in the event of a fall and you lose a ski etc...
The other downside is that everyone else has had a rest and is off as soon as you get there... can be tiring in itself.
Ideally, you should ski with people you know and trust and call the plan of action at the top of the pitch and if it is singles, then all should adhere to that. Bad form to break ranks there at the very least, IMV.
I tend not to want to second guess what other groups may or maybe not do as you just don't know the conditions of the day and you weren't there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Arno wrote: |
davidof, another interesting point on avy risk in couloirs. this is one i mull over a bit from time to time. like you, i haven't seen a slide in a couloir with rock walls (couloirs through trees formed by avalanches are another thing obviously!) and have never quite decided whether this is just chance or whether there is an reason in avy science why they would be rare. one part of me says couloirs can be quite prone to windloading and are often shaded so you will get less free-thaw consolidation. OTOH, they are often steep so slabs don't build up and/or the walls provide an anchor.
guess it's difficult to make generalisations - it all depends on the particular couloir but i'd be interested in your or anyone else's views
[this has gone from a stoke thread to an educational one - how often does that happen? ] |
Well I was thinking of never having seen an avalanche in this particular couloir, I've seen avies in other couloirs, it really depends on the configuration though. I don't see why this couloir couldn't slide but even three years ago when conditions were very unstable I never saw an avalanche here (the photo about 1m30 into the clip is from my lounge window so I have a good view of this and other aspects of the Belledonne on a daily basis.
It seems to be true that steep vertically sided couloirs which don't have an entry funnel seem to purge naturally during snowstorms so are maybe less prone to avalanching. As you say the rock sides may provide some resistance to sliding.
Part of the problem with all this is not having enough data to make a sound judgment.
In the end I agree with you about making generalizations, at least until I see some sound data on this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| JT wrote: |
=
I tend not to want to second guess what other groups may or maybe not do as you just don't know the conditions of the day and you weren't there. |
All the people in the video were part of "my" group. The clip makes things look a bit more chaotic than they were. We climbed the couloir as a group of 5, there was a group of 4-5 behind who only engaged in the couloir when we had exited at the top.
I took the decision that we should let them climb to join us so that they could use our tracks and we wouldn't be knocking snow down on them. However we didn't have any formal idea of a group leader or decision maker - maybe an error.
I then skied down to mid point in the couloir and parked up on the bank behind some rocks but with a view up the couloir. I was a bit surprised when everyone starting hacking down together. I would have thought it better for everyone to ski to the mid point opposite me (in another island of safety) then continue to the base. Would have made filming easier anyway.
To be honest the snow wasn't great in the couloir, very dense powder with a crust on top and we were all searching for the easiest snow to ski on. Funny the rest of the time we were much more organized.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Oh no - not Plastic Bertrand!!! 
Great video though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
