9/12/11: Who Needs Lifts Anyway?

Well, there's still snow on the ground, but the temperatures have been yo-yoing around freezing point over the last 72hrs. That means melt/freeze/melt/freeze, which created a tricky little crust on snow beneath 1500m. There's still snow in the valley, but the roads are clear and the trees bare.

Had another brilliant little splitboard mission up to Lognan (nearly) today. Was with a buddy who hadn't splitted before, although he's a good snowboarder, so it was cool showing him the technique. I felt like a pro even though I only started splitting last year. The feeling of skin gliding on snow is addictive, even if it's up the steep Pierre A Ric slope.

The big news is that the Pierre A Ric is groomed and I wouldn't be surprised if they got it open tomorrow for the Grands Montets opening day. Thankfully, if you feel like avoiding the knifefight and elowy lift queues of the Marmottons, head to Les Houches; the Prarion and a couple of other lifts are opening in the morning.

Exciting piece about a new Chamonix backcountry clinic coming in a couple of days...until then get the plank, or planks, sharpened for the Grand Opening tomorrow.

Tom