After nearly a week away in the endless Steppe of the west of France, including last weekend and the excellent Saturday, it was time to head back to the mountains. The tot and I decided to spend the afternoon off piste at St Hilaire in the Chartreuse. We know lots of little runs down the woods and with the sun and fresh snow the Phantom Village seemed like a good plan.
There is currently 50cm of very very light powder which is not easy when you only weigh 28kg. Ok for me who is 2.5 times that weight though.
The whole area is off limits, part of the village, although not the part we were skiing, is in an avalanche couloir and although the last major slide dates from the 1980s the whole zone has been evacuated, it is a bit like the Chernobyl of the Chartreuse.
Great view here of the start of the village and the Belledonne chain behind.
Deserted chalet with the Rochers du Midi behind. This face was first climbed by Gary Hemming in the early 60s.
We did a couple of laps of the village, it is a great place to explore in these conditions but you need to keep clear of the buildings.
