Replying to Look Back: Le Couloir Des Pisteurs Mont Charvet February 20th 2005

Skiers: Punx/Lil Punk
Date: February 20th 2005
Route: Le Couloir Des Pisteurs Mont Charvet
Aspect: North
Vertical Drop: 450m

Pisteurs couloir is an impressive north faceing, 450m couloir on mont charvet. With it been easy assemble from the top of the grand pre chairlift. This has to be another decent in the espace killy, what see’s a lot of traffic.

On, february 20th 2005, I attempted to ski a different variant in to le couloir des pisteurs solo. The weather was another perfect bluebird day, with some high clouds blowing around. The temperature at 2100 meters was -7 in the morning, rising to -3 by the afternoon.

Fast Forward To 11.55am
From the top of the grand pre, i boot packed towards the summit of mont charvet and along the wide crest for 200m to the true entry of the couloir. Then i boot packed another 30 meters to the highest point. The snow on the last 30 meters of the boot pack, was pretty much non existent.

Fast Forward 5 Minutes
I looked into the entry point of the line for 10 minutes, trying not to think about the 300 plus cliff above me. A few more minutes past, till i plucked up enough courage to drop in. I clicked into my left, then my right ski and counted to 5 and pushed off into my line. The snow in the top section was hard grippe snow with pockets of wind slab. After 10 or 12 turns trying to avoid the pockets, i reached the entry to the first couloir.

Fast Forward 2 Minutes
I counted to 5 and navigated my way through the narrow 2m wide passage into the couloir. When I got passed the passage the snow went from been grippe, with pockets of wind slab to full on bomb proof. 5 minutes of turning and side slipping i made it into le couloir des pisteurs in one piece. The snow in pisteurs was a horrible re-frozen chopped up mess. So i skied another 10m down, to have a look at a other variant on the right. It looked a way bit better, but not much.

After another 15 minutes of touchier i made it out in one piece.