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Few years ago I met Eric Loizeau in Dijon adventure festival, he was menber of the jury and I was thee to present « sound of the void » and a bit, or a lot to enjoy French gastronomy. Éric is kind of the sailing legend, a super dynamic and really nice personn. He told me I should come to the trophy he organise all winters with sailers and climbers. This winter I finally got the time to come. The super thing is to meet so much interesting people you share the same passion with about elements and nature. So on the competition side I was in team with Leo and Franck Cammas. Great all of us were happy to get together and on the first day we fastly were super on top at the transtation until I fell on a vicious blue slope side, head trauma direction hospital! After the promiss my flat mate Gilles and Martin would take care about me the doctor decide I could go back to hotel. This was for me the end of the sportive side but I could enjoy the last 3 days of meeting and sharing experiences. Next year I promise I try to don’t fall on the blue slope!

A big thanks to Eric for those super moments and all this super energy!

Let say beginning of winter is it funky here, some snow but away with the terrific strong wind. I got the idea to take a look closely to places less touch by wind and remembered some opened two guys ( https://www.steile-welt.de/2016/05/koloskopie-des-buendner-ungeheuers/ ) in Ungürhœrner.

Full of hope I and my friend Guillaume started from Pischa cable to Pischahorn facing shadow and cold wind, we took then the flat way on south face to reaching the start of the couloir.

Ulrich Steiner and Peter Albert equiped the two entrance rappel on bolt, a must luxe! Due to lack of snow we are oblige to unlimb the first meters then we start ski into a narrow couloir.

Later tee couloir open and the atmosphere is fantastic.

After the couloir we start a cross country adventure to get back to Monbiel.

This day even with little lack of snow allowed us to some super nice ski in a great awesome place. Thanks Guillaume to believe in my steep couloir snow predictions!

Few years ago I did a run in the Cho d’valetta north couloir, I knew it had a twin just near. Those two couloir are bombed oftenly by gazex to avalanche don’t come across the railway just under. Yesterday was serious avi situation at 8am so with Guillaume we have decided to try this option. All the way up we felt the south wind coming and allowed us to skin up with t shirt.

At start snow reaction was unpredictable but soon we had great powder pack and allowed us some nice turns.

The last part offered us some nice powder turn before back on the cross country slope heading to Bever. A nice day before next week summer attack!

Yesterday I started my skitouring season directly after a Wonderfull city trip in the Wonderfull city of Roma. The joy of the Italian gastronomy and the happiness to get warmer temperature are strongly opposite to the Splügeln Pass climat. To begin this new season I had the objective to skin up until Piz Tambo and ski down the north face.

The ski resort still close The uphill is something 1900hm high and some kilometers. The landscape is awesome up there and I was back in Italy just few hours after Roma. I made almost all the way up the track and at the end a friendly group broke the last meters.

I was bit worry about snow stability, a huge wind slab went away and I was wondering how the upper part would be stable. The first few turns made me confident and I decided to drop in. The snow was bit wind blow and powder pack, but super nice to ski, the last hundred meters were powder cinema. From the bottom, skin on and back to the resort to dont risk any rocks contact. That was a day, a cool way to start the winter!

Nothing better than a long alpine tour at home Calanda to forget all worries and wash bit my head. I wake up, work and face this mountain all time so it was time to watch the scenery from the full ridge.

I ve discovered for the first time the fantastic beautiful way to Vazer Alp, super smooth it drives me fast to the beginning of the ridge.

I decide to take the ridge all time and don’t cut to Rossfallenspitz, the T6 little climb is super pleasant then pass the Luggen and head to the Napoléon. At beginning I have to make a little traverse in wait steep unstable sand, the only place I would recommand an rigid shoe. Then traversing on north, back to south and head up to Napoléon. Two abseil have been build but I have decide to avoid carrying rope and harness and unclimbed those 25m in climbing shoes. Something grade 3, bit more in axe of rappel.

After the Napoléon, 4m traverse on north and direct to top of Haldenstein Calanda.

Then adventure goes to Felsberger Calanda. I am missing water so take ll snow as possible in my flask to make kind of granita.

The last part is climbing on a not super stable rock. Kind of giant Micado but it’s short.

Then I begin to see the end of the story.

I enjoy the super beautifull view and try to hear and watch all could be a river. I pass fast the Taminser Calanda and take the way to the little cut village with the same name.

A great day up on this ridge! A nice way to focus about just one thing « does the rock hold or will I fall with the rock 1000m down », good sometimes. Thanks to Scott for the super new supertrac ultra!

Bon voyage ma grand maman ❤️

Sometimes all goes super, the mother godness was with us but yesterday Eole was furious. With Marco we were and bit hesitating between few possibilities of tour and we ended up on sardona. That was the occasion to use for the last time the laax skiresort cable. All the way to the top was a dream with warm temperatures, on the Sardona ridges all changed. Marco with his paragliding experience explained me the whole foene process cause we were straight in! The entrance with wind pushing and icy snow was a commitment.The top couloir I skied so easely with Adelin and Michal was just an ice skating ring. From that we moved on the left to join the classic way.At no moment the wind allowed us to come too close to the ridge to attempt our wished project.We arrived later to drop into the bottom couloir were the snow was slightly better.We maybe didn’t made great ski day yesterday but still we had lot of fun to leave this adventure. Thanks a lot Marco for the great time!

Last week Marco send me a draft on Fat map with a line looked really interesting not far from Piz Sardona and from our previous last week en descent on Vorab Garner north face. The line looks nice on top section but bit more gnarly on the low part, but I dont mind, I am super happy to be in for this super nice, sunny and cool day.Two days before my mate send me a picture took at the top with actual condition, it looked jus « wouah », meeting was setting for Monday for a great day.After a full safari on the beautiful freshly prepared slopes of Laax and Flims we fastly arrived at the top of Piz Dolf (3027m). From the top we enter 10 meters on the right side. The way is easy to find, the slope is steep but the snow is awesome. then the condition oblige us to make a rappel.From the bottom of the rappel we traverse slight on the right to turn around a cliff on the way, the last meters were quite steep.Then we had to make a second super short rappel above a small ice fall. To close this super nice descent we should make a last 2 meters jump to exit the couloir .Super happy of the line, we decided to head down Bargis. After some little mistakes we arrived in a super cute couple of chalet I promised myself I would go back next summer.That was a great day and an awesome adventure with a super friend! In fact that was « waouh“. A big thanks Marco to show me all those new places with smile and laugh. I had an amazing time.

A huge thanks to all my friends made this week end great for me with nice exhibition, nice talk, super ski adventure.

Yesterday I have shared a great day with with a local young gun and friend, Marco. Pretty much one year ago I was at the same place with maybe two more meters snow. So yesterday was the second time the lift guy at the top saw funky guys going on this side. For booth of us it was kind of special, Marco grew up in Flims and Vorab is there a special mountain, for me life and heart were bit different.

After a first nice week in my new graubunden home it was time to get up there. Weather was wondering if it should let us have fun or fight. At the top after 5min approach from lift it cleared all.Compare to last year we had to unclimb the top snow lipp, I say unclimb and not abseil because we forget a dead man wood piece.

The top section was even easier this year, the snow perfect and not much problem with the little sharks. This year I didn’t forget to don’t ski so far down to the bottom cliff and we did cut a bit earlier.

I was aware the last year dry ski section would have been impossible with so less snow, we decided to turn around the cliff by the west side, it’s a super easy and beautiful variation too. The lower part offered us nice pack cold snow to move fast away from this high risk avi place. Even the bottom part except a little crusty moment was great snow.

Happy us!

Photos: Sébastien and Courtesy of Marco for the first two.