Ragazer Blanken, Damüls

The forecast was for a brightening day with some snow from overnight lasting into the early morning, however when we woke up it was still snowing...  the green fields of yesterday evening are again white. We had a leisurely breakfast before deciding to head back to the Damuls ski area and head for a peak called Ragazer Blanken - there was an off-piste route up it between two lifts on parallel shoulders, however with the experience of our last trip up the toboggan run, the hope was that we could find something similar here.

In addition we were unsure of the state of the snow after two days of falls and this would give us an option to drop onto a piste if things got worrisome. The piste map was not a lot of help as it foreshortened the view, not really even showing the valley we needed to ascend.

Parking in the upper car park - this is further into the main Damuls ski area valley, after a controlled drive up managing the slush on the last section to the car park (much better than the rear wheel drive exec cars following us!). 

We set off past the ski lifts (Sunnegg and Hasenbuhel) and found a trail crossing over the river and heading in the right direction.
The trail was the access road for the Ragazeralpe farm buildings and shown as a summer footpath, so we knew it was right. At this time we also got passed by the first of a number of fellow tourers, which also helped identify the trail. 

As the trail climbed into the valley above the track we were following cut off some of the hairpins and ascended more directly over open areas.

At the top of one of these we met a party descending - they had come from the top of the second lift (Ragaz) which can only be accessed by unpisted trails which limits who can access it.

This was also a forewarning that all the way up there would be many parties screaming down around us - the call of the soft powder was far too strong for lots of people.

A pause at the farm buildings to enjoy the magnificent panorama offered by the valley and the ridges beside it, and we continued heading diagonally up the slope ...  this rolled with flatter and steeper sections undulating through the meadows and past wooded areas.

The summit was still in cloud and it was only the direction of the track that indicated where it was, however all the fresh tracks in the powder also showed that we were in the right area. As we climbed these rollers we were passed by several parties on a sprint for the top and the best powder down.

As we approached the top station of the Ragaz lift the view cleared and we could see the top and the cross at the end of a ridge going from the station. By now it was gettign busy and to a certain degree annoying with people racing down close to you working your way up, I guess they were locked in their little worlds too.

Passing the top station, leaving the vast majority of people behind, and climbing up the ridge to the cross alongside a superb cornice.

We were soon taking in the 360deg views from the top. the party before us left as we got there however we had to share it with a second party of 3 who had been trailing us for a while.

Stripping the skins and the obligatory summit photos over we dropped down the side of the ridge in almost perfect powder, blessed by the fact that only tourers had been down and then just a few, so we could take a route that was untracked.

Back with the masses we could take two routes down - a track that went around the head of the valley and down a trail on the other side or else back the way we had come up.

This was not a hard choice as the powder was so good, so we piled down the undulations looking for the less cut up lines - though these were rapidly running out.

As we got closer to the farm buildings, the supply of loose powder started to run out and we were forced onto harder packed snow from other parties transit. the section just above the farm was very much like a piste.

Now the going got a little harder, through the open areas below the farm (the bits that cut the corners of the access track). Here the snow was cut up at best and was also a little crusty, so was beginning to emulate a mogul field.

All too soon we were back on the track at the bottom of the steeper sections and heading along the valley back to the ski area. A quick crossing of the bridge over the river and down the main drag and we were back in the crowds hanging around the lifts and restaurant.

the car park had filled up and was now a mass of vehicles and people, however we could sit by the van and have lunch whilst drying off the skis, before heading back to the apartment.