The last week has been kind of crazy. After only a few days in Chamonix I went on a quick tour around the world. Chamonix – Geneva – London – Miami – Santiago – Lima – New York – Zurich – Geneva and back again to Chamonix. It’s been extremely overwhelming in many ways and now the travelling will just continue. Next is a weekend in Geneva before I go to Champoluc in Italy to work with Swedish ski instructors for three days. 

A familliar mountain, isn’t it?  

Times Square, NYC

Yesterday I got a quick morning lap with Bjarne on Glacier Ronde. It was my favorite conditions with transformed snow and no people. The cold and stable weather have changed the snow back to old pow, and not many people seem to realize how good skiing it is. Although, heads up when we get some new snow on all this surface hoar – it can become really rock n roll with fresh snow on top. I tried my new Salomon Rocker2 with the Guardian binding as well, and I was super impressed how good and easy they where to ski. Afterwards I spent the rest of yesterday and today in Annecy at Salomon to sort out my boots for the season. I can’t wait to get out there again…

Unfortunately I have to leave the valley for a week, but ill be back beginning of February! 

The north face of Aiguille du Midi

Glacier Ronde with the Salomon Rocker2… 

Bjarne enjoying some chalky snow

And powder lower down

The exit couloir 

Myself skiing some transformed pow

And again

Claude at Salomon used to fit Stenmark’s boots…

And here they are… 

Yesterday morning I got back to Chamonix, and went straight to Helbronner together with Max. We had a great day of skiing with perfect timing. First we went up Tour Ronde and dropped down on the south face towards the Brenva glacier and hit the left finish just when it was starting to get to warm. Then we enjoyed a pizza before we skied one of the couloirs under the top lift and on our last run skied Marbree in the sunset. Days like this are definitely what skiing around Chamonix is for me – great quality skiing in a high mountain environment with a good friend! 

La Tour Ronde

Max Turgeon cruising  

Max on the top with Mt Blanc in the back ground

Guillaume catching up with his client

Max skiing

Looking back at Brenva and the skiers left exit

Max in one of the cooers under the lift

On our way to Marbree

Skiing back to La Palud after a good day out… 

Last week I did the first course on the Swedish guide scheme. It was an avalanche course run by European Avalanche School in La Grave. Day after day we went out among the mountains looking at snow crystals, digging snow pits and talking about how to move among the mountains. It was great to meet the whole group that are going to rock n roll together for the next three years or so and to finally get on with the courses. There will be lots of updates on this kind of stuff in the future! 

For more info on the Swedish guide program – check www.sbo.nu (Swedish only) 

Hanging around in a snow pit

Magnus, Morgan and Eva discussing snow crystals… 

Sami and Tobbe working hard

Per Ås checking the snow pit status for HK and Eva

Magnus and Jesper really excited over a fracture… 

Morgan showing where the locker should stand (swedish expression) 

Per Ås, guide and instructor, leading us in to the banana couloir 

Probe line 

The 2012 SBO candidates… 

Last Thursday the téléphérique in La Grave was closed, so I had a sought after rest day.  The following day it was still closed so we hitched a ride with Swedish guide Per Ås to the little ski resort of le Chazelet where we ended up having a wonderful ski day.

Nothing but the kid’s slope was initially open, but as the day went on the two other lifts, that are actually serving some decent skiing, opened up. We where almost alone on the mountain and where skiing fresh tracks all day.

Yesterday, finally, they opened up the La Grave gondola. Being fortunate, we got to ski with the locals who showed us just how great this mountain can be.

Thanks boys!

La Meije finally enjoying some sun after a long storm

Morgan Sahlén and Lars Åke Krantz with high expectations…

Of pizza, and then…

Some good skiing

Sorry, my camera is broken, thats why I keep on shooting poses 

Morgan checking out down to down

L-Å examining the snowpack. A hell of a season could be on its way… 

Joe Vallone and Ville Niiranen enjoying the swedish goods over a coffe

Half the gang in the False Freaux

L-Å getting ready to finnish of the day

Joe Vallone showing the way on his day of… If you want to hire a guide in La Grave, Joe is one of your best picks! Check him out on provallone.com…

The last few days I have been spending in my car going from Ylläs to Luleå and then Stockholm, Göteborg, Orust, Frankfurt and then La Grave (France). After four to five days of driving and almost 4000 km I’m finally in La Grave where it’s puking snow and the mountain has been closed the whole first day.

I’m here to enjoy some (hopefully) great skiing with friends as well as doing an avalanche course part of the Swedish UIAGM mountain guide scheme. Last time I skied in La Grave was 2004 and I’m really excited to get back up on the mountain. 

Morgan Sahlén on the ferry between Helsingborg (Swe) and Helsingör (Den)

La Grave in a snowstorm

Having a day back home I felt like I had to check the ice conditions at Källsberget outside of Älvsbyn, Sweden. It’s not a great place to start with, but I was really keen to use the tools again. Last time I was ice climbing was on the Shield of Huascaran, so this time it felt kind of small.

I started up soloing the normal route that is around grade 3+, and then thought I clog the vertical section on the upper part of the icefall. But as it was really thin and wet the clogger did not really work. So after three laps of semi soloing this part I went home again, happy to have started the ice climbing season back home.