Monte Pintas, 2543m 22-Febrero-2011

Monday at Sun!

The big slope of Francous Pelouxe in the right hand side with 700 af 35º constantly. I must do that in the next...In the middle il Colle della Finestra, and monte Pintas in the left hand side.

From the summit...
Good descent in spring snow...fast and safety! Later to take out the car of the snow we had to dig....to dig a lot...and unworthly! We called the 4x4 of Claudio´s father.

On Friday I went to Prali with a formidable spring snow and sunny day. I´l try to do the most of tomorrow because on Sunday bad weather is coming. Perhaps, next week had more powder!!!

Punta Aquila, 2120m 19-Febrary-2011 (Alpes)

I arrived home at 7am...I was on the point of leaving directly but I decided to take a nap. I prefered to do this to not enjoy the day because of being too tired. Anyway, some day I should do that althougt it is really easy and frequented. There are just 50km from Torino.

I arrived in Alpe Colombino at 14:30 where the track starts. There are 850m of desnivel between the bot and the top part. I tried to go as fast as I can, and I got the summit in 80min.

Last slope to Punta Aquila...

In spite of being so frequented the final ridge seem to me more difficult than MS. In fact I put of my split to make the last meters by steps. It was a nice surprise...a little adventure!

Summit with the Sun getting down.

I ate something at the top to relax with the silence and solitude. The views from there are different from any point of the high valleys. It´s really close to the city...

Finally I could leave my own marks especially in the first slopes. There were some virgin parts. The snow kept on being good as before days.

Summig up, a good choice for cheering an afternoon up! Today is snowing again. I´ll have things to do this week but I´m planning to do at least 3 days. I´m realising that skiing in the resorts is boring...especially if the conditions off-piste are ok.

Punta Pala Rusá, 2290m 18-02-2011 (Alpes)

Today had been a perfect day for a longer descent. We were on the verge of going to Dormillouse. We ended up going here bcs there was for sure the skifoot and it was safer.

It was my firts time in Val di Viu, what´s more with autenthic powder! We started from Pian Benot. There are a lot of mountains here, but in advanced spring because untill that the roads are closed.

The descent looked good...

Claudio in the last meters.

Val di Viu from the summit.

Just two photo to make up and idea of the quality...

At 1800m we took the track of the abandoned skilift. It´s a really good thing that the skilift is abandoned...

For sure, it was such nice day! Now, it´s time for a party, although I must do the most of the snow tomorrow...I´ll see...

Powder a Pragelato...17-Febrero-2011

Un Giovedi in matino nell magico dello skilift di Pragelato....10e lo skipass, 10 persone e tutto neve farinosa per traciare!

Punta de la Pierre, 2653m 11-Febrero-2011 (Alpes)

On Wednesday and Thursday we visited Sestriere and Cervinia. The days were sunnies and warms and the snow was quite good unless in some slopes at the end of the day that appears the ice base. We really enjoyed it!

For Friday I chose this peak because is the classics of the classics in Aosta. Every single skier of Aosta has rised this peak. It is easily reachable by a forest piste till 2200m. I knew that the descent was not going to be the typical freeride shoots but the location is perfect to make an idea of all the valley. In addition, the piste would also help Cesar to ride up.

Huts and Mont Blanc at the right hand side.

Monte Grivola with almost 4000m.

Mont Blanc and Gran Combin from the summit.

Gran San Bernarde and Cervino from the summit, with the Aosta city below.

As I knew the descent was boring, although there were some parts more enjoyable! What´s more without sprints!

The last lights of the day brought "magic" views with the huts, trees and these glorious mountains and landscapes....an so close to bit cities!

On Saturday we rested and on Sunday we went to Monginevro. We checked the lack of snow...anyway this days are snowing and at least 30-50cm of fresh snow is forecasted.

Punta Sea Bianca, 2723m 8-Febrero-2011 (Alpes)

Cesar has come and for his first day I decided to have a backcountry day with alpine enviorement. We drove to Crissolo to rise a classic peak of the zone. We started at 1700m in Pian Regina, just 300m below of where Po river is born.

In this side there is neither forest nor any tree. There are just rocks. On the other hand, the best view of Monviso can be seen from the beggining to the top.


Cesar with the largest slope of the run.


The day is really hot despite being so high. Together with the melt of snow, the run was tiring especially for him.

Me on the foreground with Monviso at the backgrounds.

Our tracks on the first part of the descent.

Enjoying the descent with spring snow more and less skiable!

The next days we went to Sestriere and Cervinia! It turned out cheaper thanks to the discounts for students....just 18e the skipass for Via Lattea with more than 400km! I must go more in the next days...

M. Gaissiez 2588m 5-Febrero-2011 (Alpes)

On Saturday we went to Val Thures. It´s a valley really resourceful for skiing. I must come back here again to do two of the classics close to Torino: "Dormillouse" and "Terra Nera". Yesterday we did not have enough time. I should sleep more than the previous days. I caught up with Claudio at 9am.

The travel time took us longer than I expected. Anyway, we were not in a hurry. The days are already longer. The first part, rough 2km, are flat.

The photo is at 2000m, after 1h from the car.

Claudio rising the slopes.

From the summit we can see the big slope for us! There were places still virgin to leave ours marks!

The result was A W E S O M E! The best descent I´ve ever had here!!! 500m of descent with a perfet snow, with just some scattered pine and steep enough to go fast with that deep snow! I could not take any photo.....

This pic is at 2000 after the great descent...Later we followed the track to the car.

Typical construction of Piemonte Alps.

Vediamo cosa faremo questa settimana! Ciaoo

M.Giulian 2547m 3-Febrero-2011 (Alpes)

Another sunny day in Piemonte! That Thursday I went alone to Val Germanasca. This valley is also known by "13 laghi". Several lakes below peaks like Cialancia and others appear, fixing this valley as summer place near to Torino.

I left the car in Giordano with some others skiers who had already begun before. The first part consist of crossing the forest like in the most of the smallest peaks like these.

Going up through the forest is beatiful but it becomes unpleasent when you are descending because the trees do not let you to choose your way and turn over whenever or wherever you want.

Little by little, did the forest clear up from 2000m.

I started to have a wide views behind me. At the foreground a big rock buried under snow and strating from left-hand side a steep ridge with some pines in the right-hand side. There were 300m still left to the summit.

And summit! I was talking with a man in the summit who took me a pic. He said how worse was this year in amount of snow specially in some parts. He made me worry aboit it...I do not wanna to stop snowboarding until July!

The descent was good just until the first trees. After the descent turned out no so pleasent due to some factors like: deep snow, the big amount of trees and the little slopness of the terrain. Anyway as you can see the first slopes remind me of the greatest snow days in Asturias after the snowfalls.

Summing up, another good day in the Alps with a little bit more of 1000m vertical ascent and a greats turns specially from the summit to the forest. On Friday I went to Bardonecchia to ride faster on the pistes!

Cima Fournier, 2424m 2-Febrero-2011 (Alpes)

Siamo partiti da Bousson. Piano B dopo di vedere che si dovevano di mettere le catene per salire al paese del piano iniziale. Non tropo presto in mattina per svagliare il punto d´incontro con Claudio cominziamo a salire tra il bosco fino al laco Nero.

Claudio sulla traccia tipica delle cime piu frequentanti.

Io sopra 2200m e il mare bianco. sembra che c´e piu neve de la che veramente c´e, specialemente sulla versante sud fino 2000m. Mal ano di neve sull ovest dell´Alpi diceno...

Un po piu di tempo ci prendeva per riuscire la vetta. Ne guardiamo la discesa e con ancora posti senza traciare!!