2. 2012

Vallee Blanche in April

For years I've been searching for the elusive European yeti, Gigantopithecus modernis yetii. My first expeditions to the alps (see here and here) yielded important clues about likely yeti habitats, but no actual sightings (a big furry beast located on a mountain ledge one night turned out to be a misplaced hiker named Jacques see 'In search of the yeti Part II'). However, I'd had my suspicions about the remote Vallee Blanche for years. Skiers regularly disappear without trace here, and the numerous deep crevasses provide ample shelter. Surely if the yetis were out there it would be an ideal place to find them. So when surgery to repair an old arm fracture prevented me from working, I seized the opportunity to go searching... Don't miss the published story of this adventure!
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    Even though I normally ski black slopes in good conditions, I discovered to my mortal embarrassment that the deep powder from 2 weeks of constant snow had rendered my 2 days of practice skiing in semi-whiteout conditions woefully inadequate. Accordingly I was falling even on the flat, and slowing the entire team. The stress and extreme sunshine also stopped me from noticing when my camera switched to black and white :( In short, a complete c--k-up. Which means that some day I'll have to return...
    It looks gentle from here, but the slopes we skied down (top right) were massive, more than steep enough for me, and covered in deep powder. Fortunately, intense concentration resulting from fear of death or worse - public humiliation - resulted in only one further fall, and I was deeply gratified to notice that even my expert team-mates were stacking it too. Note the crevasses to the top left - this is the top of the Geant Glacier.
    Heading towards the next big drop.