UKC

How are conditions for ice climbing in the alps at the moment? I'm off to la Grave in early Jan and want to know how things are shaping up.

R

In reply to Roberttaylor:

By early Jan, it may be reasonable, at the moment there is virtually nothing there. So it will be starting from a non-existent base.

It is currently going below zero at night (mostly not that far below), but getting above during the day. This would preserve existing routes if they had formed, but is not very likely to substantially bring them on from nothing. Rather like here, there is a hint of Winter but it is not really there. You will need to watch conditions/meteo/CampToCamp etc to see if it is forming over the Christmas/New Year period to see how good your chances are.

In reply to Simon4:
Cheers, not the answer I wanted but thanks for the heads up. Also if anyone else has more up to date info later please feel free to post here.

R

In reply to Roberttaylor:

not in la grave but further south near ceillac i spied two long easy lines forming nicely with a team climbing one of them. always good to look around the area

In reply to Roberttaylor:

Any more updates?

In reply to Roberttaylor:

Bump? Camp to camp not showing much, anyone know anything?

In reply to Roberttaylor:
Ice-fall.com is usually reliable for conditions reports..... All looking a bit grim at the moment though sorry

In reply to JHolland:

No doubt you know about the very substantial dump of snow last Saturday that spread as far out as Chambery and Lyon, causing mayhem? (that was the changeover day before New Year, so there would have been mayhem anyway.

Unfortunately that won't have helped much, as there will be no base and there will now be lots of fresh unconsolidated (and quite possibly dangerous), snow around. There have however been some sustained low temperatures for a while. The dump won't help that much for skiing either, as there will be no base, may be all right on piste where it will be bashed to concrete to conserve it, but best not to go off piste as there will be white cover disguising the fact that you can go right through to the ground and may catch rocks or grass, a la Schumacher.

Probably best to stick to strictly water-ice lines, and be very careful and aware of any snow basins above them. They will NOT have had a chance to stabilise, nor will there be any underlayer to hold them, avalanche risk is likely to be high both for ice climbing and ski touring.

In reply to Roberttaylor:
Yeah The snowpack situation is complicated to say the least. The forecast warm up just after new year isn't encouraging either...

In reply to JHolland:


Although if followed by a subsequent renewal of the cold snap, it could be ideal for ice-climbing, consolidating while clearing much of the crud from the areas around the climbs.

Is there a decent avalanche forecasting service (a la SAIS in Scotland) for the French alps, or are they more area specific than that? I'm aware they fly the flags in resorts, but an online resource would be good so I can monitor conditions in the weeks approaching a trip. Thanks!

In reply to NottsRich: For the avalanche bulletins:

http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-montagne/bulletin-avalanches

Choose the mountain area then the département.

In reply to EwanR:

Perfect, thanks.

In reply to Roberttaylor:

I'm heading to La Grave at the end of Feb. Anyone out there at the moment know what the conditions are like?

In reply to Running_Board:

as said above, Icefall.com is usually a good source of info but http://www.ice-fall.com/Page_Secteur.aspx?IdSecteur=45 suggests its not looking very good at the moment. But by the end of next month it could be very different

In reply to Running_Board:


Very poor with limited skeletal buildup on some north facing routes. Generally been very mild and dry compared to normal with scrapped and icy pistes in the ski areas. Forecast for some snow midweek so hopefully conditions will improve? Apparently, according to the Meteo, conditions are the poorest for twenty years

In reply to Ron Walker:

Wow thanks Ron, fingers crossed! I saw some recent pics in the latest photos gallery. Looks abit thin but do you reckon there will be a good build up over the next month?

In reply to Doug:

Thanks for the link Doug, super useful site!

In reply to Running_Board:
Recent photos (13/1/2015) of snow and ice in the La Grave and Alpe D'Huez at https://m.facebook.com/TalismanMountainGuides/photos/np.361661655.727554882...

In reply to Ron Walker:

Hi Ron, My mate who lives there says the same - worst in years.

In reply to Roberttaylor:

It was then when I was there...Pylone, Coupe de la Poufraisse and Colore du Ciel were climbable but just.

Then the thaw started when I left and I doubt there is much left at all.

R

In reply to Running_Board:

A few more photos in the album from today. Who knows about Feb, but looking colder and very snowy next week
See https://m.facebook.com/TalismanMountainGuides/albums/577104462390105/?ref=b...

In reply to Ron Walker:
Conditions now much improved from last week but still thin compared to normal. Another cold week and conditions could be good, unfortunately the forecast is for milder weather!
Photos on my Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/TalismanMountainGuides?_rdr if anyone is interested. I'll upload the La Grave 2015 album once I get back this weekend