Minimum altitude: 1,198 meters
Distance: 7.5 km
Slope Aspect: South-West
Vertical Climbed: 942 meters (3,091 feet)
Vertical Descended: 936 meters
Rating: 4.1
Avalanche Risk: 2
Snowline: 1,230
After Chapp's report on skitour (Virgule) I had no intention of going to Pas d'Oeille today but the prairie below the Dent de Crolleswas tempting. 15cm of fresh snow on a hard base. I stopped at the foot of the cliffs. There was a track in the Pas but I was not tempted. It was hot, + 5C and the sun was strong. I was worried about purges that I'd seen before on this exposed and restricted climb.
The prairie was good, but I could still feel the frozen base with my skis but the fresh snow was fairly well consolidated. At the bottom of the slope, I thought a jet-fighter had flowin overhead at 300 meters but no, it was a purge at Pas d'Oeille, luckily no one was climbing at the time but it could have been fatal. My gut instincts were right.
I finished with a climb to the Pravouta summit. A little dessert. The south-east face had powder that was heavier than the Dent but it skied better as you no longer felt the frozen base A low 4/5 for the conditions.
Parking full at 10 am this morning. Lots of people.
Fresh snow, more or less consolidated, on a frozen base.
