Minimum altitude: 975 meters
Distance: 3.6 km
Slope Aspect: East
Vertical Climbed: 399 meters (1,309 feet)
Vertical Descended: 403 meters
Rating: 1.3
Avalanche Risk: 2
A return to St Hilaire du Touvet, this is becoming a habit but it had been raining for days with a lot of avalanche activity. We would also avoid the scrum of cars at le Sappey or Barrioz. The climb was efficient but skiing the first pitch was not wonderful on variable snow: too humid in places. Below 1200m it was harder packed and not too bad at all.
Double layer of cloud: valley and mountain but visibility okay. We heard three purges in the avalanche couloirs while we were climbing. Hence decision not to ski back down la Combe which is partially exposed to avalanches. Relatively warm. Fresh snow from 1200 meters but not very skiable, better below.
