Still found some nice powder above 3000m on the Grande Casse on Tuesday—saw about 12 other skiers—but I would not recommend going back there now after all the warm sun that day. Even better powder was on Monday I skied the Grand Pic de la Lauziere with some friends from Lyon. Photos to come.
Below 3000m on the Grands Couloirs slopes was already a bit crusty when climbing up (because much of it is SW facing, had gotten sun on Monday). High powder was a bit heavy (also from wind? - though I was able to go on skis all the way to the summit). Later in the day there were some surface sluffs as I skied sunny slopes around 2700m—lots of snowballs and donuts to mess up photos of my tracks, but nothing deeper (there had been a good refreeze). Looking back from Lac Long up at the main slope, I saw a bigger sluff that came off a big dark rock alongside the ski run, but it didn’t run over the ski route.
Some N-facing slopes below 2500m had some powder in the morning, but with the big warming it was mushy in the afternoon. So I expect that the climbing skin track will be disrupted by frozen ruts from downhill skiers. And frozen snowballs interfering with downhill runs off the track. And crust.
Grand Pic de la Lauziere by way of the Col des Aiguillons was an interesting + pretty tour. Less than 20 skiers, so there was still room for us to ski untracked snow on the descent of Combe de Vallette. But I’m sure it’s not powder any more.
Other than some sheltered N-facing couloirs, I think now we need some sunny days and clear nights to transform the mid-altitude S-facing slopes—and start a new discussion thread . . .
Spring 2010 snow conditions
Ken