Roche Faurio (3730m): Versant Sud Direct

Getting Back on the Horse: Anniversary on the Glacier Blanc

Traversing at the base of Roche Faurio, with the Barre in the background

After a month-and-a-half-long hiatus from the mountains(for me), Brad and I decided to take advantage of a layer of new snow, a sunny weekend, and the opening of the Ailefroide trailhead  to venture back into the "inner sanctum" of the Glacier Blanc.  I kicked off my "spring break" and Brad took advantage of the three-day weekend to celebrate our 4-year anniversary on high. 

The last time we traveled up the Ailefroide valley was in July, and I remember gushing about it. Looking back at my blog post, I declared it "the most beautiful parking lot in the world!"  And, as it turns out, even in the brown shoulder season of March, Ailefroide is still pretty darn beautiful.

Evening view of Mont Pelvoux from
Refuge du Glacier Blanc....someday.... 

Sunday afternoon, we began our approach to the hut on skis, traversing the big glacial flood plane and then strapping the skis to our packs while we mounted the steep switchbacking trail out of the valley.  As the gnarled toe of the glacier came into view, so too did the Refuge du Glacier Blanc--looking dwarfed by the toothy seracs off to its left.

We'd had our suspicions since searching for a space in a packed parking lot, but arriving at the hut confirmed that we were not the only folks who decided to take the three day Easter weekend (the French take 'Easter Monday' as a holiday) to venture into the hills. A warm and loud refuge filled with some 75 enthusiasts bustled through the evening hours, but quieted down quickly as everyone remembered the business-as-usual wake-up times of 4 and 5am.

Descent on the Glacier Blanc

Your average couple probably wouldn't find sleeping in a crowded sweaty snore-filled bunkroom and a 5am wake-up to begin a challenging ski in the dark to be a romantic way to celebrate their anniversary, but I guess you could say that Brad and I are not your average couple...(though we are probably in better company than you would think up here in the Alps...).

Brad stands proudly in front of Les Agneaux (see last post)

The initial climb was a little icy but we soon found ourselves on the big open Glacier Blanc looking up at the Barre.  Our objective, Roche Faurio, was just to the south, facing Les Ecrins' biggest peaks.   Several other teams were heading in the same direction, but we were able to make good time and get out of the rat race.  From the base of the climb, we continued to work our way quickly up the hill, thanks to the skin tracks of those that came before us.  We joined two guided parties on the ante-cime just after 11 o'clock.   Making our way up as high as the snow would allow, we looked at the final rocky scramble to the true summit before deeming it too exposed for the gear we brought. Despite the sunny weather, the wind was strong, so we shared a quick happy anniversary kiss and we began our transition to descent mode.

Serac-side skiing on the way back to the refuge. 

Our ski back down to the refuge had a little of everything--starting on firm snow and transitioning into a few glorious powder turns; then hitting the big flats across the glacier before picking up some great spring-skiing corn snow conditions to round things out.  The last hundred meters or so included some incredible turns on low-angle terrain with the most ridiculous setting--sneaking down next to giant seracs and shredding above the jumbled toe of the glacier. 

Happy to be back on skis

Returning to the refuge, we stretched out in the sun, nearly 1200m lower than where we had just been.  We ate the obligatory sausage, cheese and bread lunch (not that I'm complaining!) and then struggled to motivate ourselves to leave such a beautiful place.

When the snow runs out 

We arrived back at the car barely 24 hours after we'd left it and packed ourselves back in for the beautiful trip back to Grenoble.  I fought back my body's urges to sleep (defense mechanism against the winding roads) and enjoyed the ride back with Brad, discussing our safe and successful trip.  Before heading up the mountain, there had been some discussion and anxiety over how easily I'd be able to get back into the high mountains, and whether or not previous experiences would dampen my enthusiasm.  This tour was the perfect way for me to "get back on the horse" by testing just one thing at a time.  We skied terrain that wasn't too physically challenging, but that brought me back into the ambiance of the big mountains, tested my mental readiness and saw where my limits are.  While I wasn't chomping at the bit to try an exposed ridge scramble, I was thrilled to ski in a serious alpine setting, and re-ignite my love of the mountains.  And, I am pleased to report that the passion is still there, and I'm scheming and feeling excited about the all of the adventures that are sure to come.

"Si la montagne te laisse passer comme ça, c'est qu'elle a envie de te revoir"   --Thibaut Capblancq