Ski Tour, Areches

Monday, it started snowing after breakfast, but with the low cloud and snow Steph and I chose a tour, while Katie went skiing with Lloyd. We would take the lower of the "prepared" routes beside the Areches ski area and see how it went knowing that we could bale out at any point and return down the piste. The ski area had a closure (energy prices) and was only operating between 9-10, 12-13 and 15 something, so we had to hurry to get there before the morning closure - I later understood that Le Planay would have been open all day, so maybe something for tomorrow!

We bought a one up ticket to the mid station and left the others as they continued higher. The ski area trace “rouge” started just behind the beginner lifts to the left of the main descent piste, and we dropped over to put the skins on. Initially the route starts over a meadow area under the liaison cabane lift from Le Planay, then moves into the woods.

Several zigzags in the woods before it comes out on the side of the piste above the final schuss to the mid-station, where it continues up to the turn. By now the snow was falling thicker - time to get the goggles out.

At the turn the route left the piste and climbed up in the trees once again to come out in the play area..

More zigzags through this off-piste area to go through the entrance notch, (where we access it from the piste in descent). This bypassed us around the top of the little bump here - the Tete de Cuvy.

The final section moves over another meadow area, before the final ascent up to the top chair lift station. It had developed into very much windier as we climbed with some very fierce gusts from time to time, visibility was variable depending on the wind situation, and the top station floated in and out of sight until we were almost upon it. 2.2km and 330m in an hour was not bad

Wind blown but not too battered we chose to continue on the Trace Blue was “closed”, however a large party we had been following set off so we just followed.

As we hit the ridge the wind became constant and slightly to the right hand side, so it was just a case of head down and follow the tracks made by the big party ahead.

This section of the Trace meets the piste just before the top of the first poma lift in this bowl, and we took the sensible decision to stay on the blue piste (especially as there was little sign of the trace on from here (it climbs back onto the ridge).

There was no shelter from the wind and we had frozen up - even my eyebrows were frosted, so as came to a convenient hut in the middle of nowhere we stopped to remove the skins and retreat - it turns out we were about 400m and 90Hm away from the top of the trace, but it was the right point, as we were frozen. This section had covered 1.6km and 241m in 50 mins - so a very similar speed.

Removing the skins and changing to downhill mode was a challenge with frozen hands and just a small amount of shelter, but we were soon ready for the descent. This was relatively simple - just follow the pistes blue all the way back to the mid station. The visibility improved as we dropped, from near white out to start with, to much better on the final schuss.

Luck was with us as we came into the station - the lift down was running (we had made it down into the lunchtime slot), so we forwent the warming in the restaurant and picked up the lift down. We met the others in the car park as we piled in and like yesterday dropped wet bags, and equipment. The journey back to Beaufort was “interesting” as the road was slippery with the fresh snow, but not as bad as the next time...

I had forgotten to take the apartment survey back to the agency, so after a late lunch Steph and I returned up the road to Areches to drop it off at the agency. Going up the switchbacks was complicated by the slush and snow, although we did not have to use chains there was a fair bit of drifting and wheel spin on the corners. Across the top to the village was easier, but needed care.

After dropping off the survey we returned - very slowly as it was now on the border to needing chains.... So much that at one hairpin there was a car straddling the crash barrier - it was not there when we had gone up a few mins earlier!.

Back safely and rest.