First descent of the season!

First descent of the season!

That snow we mentioned in our last post has just not stopped! Les Gets is now covered in a seriously deep blanket with giant mounds all over the place from the now constant road clearing. Nina and I decided on Wednesday that we had to get out, make the most of it and get in our first descent of the season. We dusted off our boarding gear and loaded the van ready for the morning.

After dropping the kids at school, we kitted-up and set off (without snow shoes!) from the Lac des Ecoles. The plan was to hike up towards the Nauchets lift before turning left and plodding on to the Chavannes area to strap in and rip down the slope beneath the Chavannes chair, back to the Lake and the van.

Van loaded with boarding gear for the first descent this season.
Van loaded with boarding gear for the first descent this season.

Even on the track through the trees, the snow was deep and the going was hard but our snowy surroundings were magnificent! If it wasn’t idyllic enough, we were even treated to a young deer bounding through the woodland and across the path in front of us.

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This must be that young stag bounding across the path 😉

 

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big hike, maybe 25 minutes in summer but in the snow, without snowshoes, it took us an hour and 20 minutes to get to the top. Our legs were starting to get a bit of a wobble on by the time we got there. There’s no fitness like snow fitness!

Nina hiking up Bleuet, Les Gets.
Nina hiking up Bleuet, Les Gets.

 

You need speed when you’re boarding in deep snow to get up and floating. The snow was heavier than we’d expected, we’d be needing more speed! That meant a steeper pitch and wading downhill to get to it. Out of the trees the snow was much deeper, thigh deep and hard going. We puffed down to the Mont Blanc bar restaurant, caught our breath, strapped in and dropped down the banking hoping there would be enough speed to get us going. No such luck. More wading, puffing, panting and digging. We spent the next 20 minutes strapping in and out  of our boards and battling to get down to the steepest bit.

During the season, when it’s groomed, this is a pretty steep red run but in these conditions it felt like the pitch of a nursery slope. We finally got going but not fast enough to risk turning and it didn’t last long before we were back to wading, digging and panting. 45 minutes after starting our decent we plodded across the car park back to the van. Phew! Not quite the high-speed, powder-plume filled descent we’d envisioned but a great couple of hours none the less. What an amazing environment to enjoy – not to mention a serious workout!

First descent of the season in Les Gets 2016.
Nina fighting the thick stuff.

I’d been dreaming about coffee for the last hour or so and was now looking forward to getting home and firing up the pot. Heaps of snow had settled since we’d left but thankfully they’d ploughed the road home. We wheel spun our way up the hill but were met with a deep covering in our entrance and parking area. I could almost taste that coffee by now and couldn’t remotely be bothered to start shovelling snow to get to it. I drove on up the hill past the entrance turned round and took a run up. We got quite a way in then came to a standstill. Reverse was non existant… We were beached. The day’s exercise session wasn’t over yet then… We spent the next half an hour digging the van and the drive out and when I finally slurped that first sip of coffee it was pure magic… Mmmmm.

There’s been even more snow today as well as some really good signs for the Christmas and the winter season. The pisteurs have been grooming pistes all day and we’ve even seen some unwrapping snow cannons. People who’ve been here a while say they’ve never seen this much snow at this time of year before. Come on! Fingers crossed!

Piste bashers grooming the slopes in Les Gets - 11 November 2016.
Piste bashers grooming the slopes in Les Gets – 11 November 2016.

 

The forecast is for a bluebird day tomorrow and I’ve got a morning Ranfolly hike booked in with a mate. A groomed run with a bit more elevation and a powder coating should be just the ticket!

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