Back on the skis.

I haven't ski as much this year as I did last year for various reasons, mostly as I've wanted to concentrate a bit more on climbing. It felt great though to get back out and have fun on the skis.

Dave's goggles done on the first 5 min!

Walk around to the Cosmiques.

Setting up for the rappels.

Davide on the abb.

I finally managed to get around to skiing the Cosmiques Couloir and the Glacier Rond on the aiguille du Midi. Probably the two most classic big ski lines in Chamonix. The weather was a bit mixed but it turned out to be a pretty sweet day in the end.

Bottom of Rap, before the fun begins!

Ross putting first turns in.

Davide doing some sort of dance!

Jim.

I've been here for 3 years now and for some reason I've just not got round to actually doing them. I suppose my first winter here I was a bit new to this type of skiing, but last winter when I was just skiing all the time they should have got done. In a way though I'm quite glad to have stayed off them until now.

Faceshots in the Cosmiques!!

I've hardly skied this year as I've been wanting to get my focus back into climbing, so going out after not skiing properly for a month to ski these lines and with Dave, Ross, Davide, Jim. I knew it was going to be a tiring but awesome day.

Dave.

Davide.

We didn't get the lift up until 11 as the clouds were surrounding the Midi and was just a minging looking day. But at the top the clouds lifted a bit to give the place a very dramatic and atmospheric feel. We all went for the Cosmiques first. Once at the top of the couloir you have to abseil into the start of the line to get past a lot of rocks. We took 60m ropes so that we didn't have to faff around doing two 30m rappels. Off the ropes the snow was very hard packed and icy so you have to take your time them about 100m down the snow seemed to be deep and steep. We all got a few shots of each other skiing before we reached the exit couloir and then we all just ripped down the gully which was full of fluffy sluffy pow! Ross said this was the best that he'd seen the Cosmiques this year, which made it feel even better for me as this was my first time on it.

Myself having fun in the sun.

Ross.

At the bottom of here we skied down the Bosson glacier, then off that and through the trees for a bit which brings you out at the Mt Blanc tunnel. After this it's a lot of ski, stop, skis off, walk, ski again... Then you have the fun of skiing past the gypo camp and being chased by inbred chiwawa's!!  

Dave walking back to the start of the Rond.

Waiting for clouds to clear.

Ross and Dave on the Bosson Glacier.

 We just walked back to the Midi station when there was a bin about to leave, so we all just jumped back on for another lap. Dave, Ross and I went for a Rond lap. Whilst Davide and Jim went for a Grande enver lap. Chamonix is an amazing place that even though you're skiing in the mountains, you sort of are just 'Skiing the lifts'!! Once we got to the top of the Rond the clouds came back in and we had to wait a wee while. The top of the Rond is the worst part where it's always icy, but this time it wasn't too bad as the ice was quite granulated which gave you better grip. The main part of the Rond wasn't in amazing condition so we cut out right and then traversed over to the exit couloir where we had to side slip in a little. Ross went first and fired off down to the bottom, followed by Dave. I then followed with my screaming thighs that hadn't skied like this in over a month. We then caught our tracks again and skied the bosson glacier and through the woods back to Cham.

Have a nice day!