UKC

Blurring the line between skiing and climbing is Swedish steep skiing specialist Andreas Fransson.

Earlier this year, accompanied by Swedish film-maker Bjarne Sahlen, Andreas travelled to Patagonia in South America to climb and ski some futuristic lines. Perhaps the most stunning line of that trip was The Whillans Ramp on Aguja Poincenot.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67684

In reply to UKC News: Beautiful film.

In reply to UKC News:

Ace. Stoked for part 2.

In reply to UKC News:

.....the end clips for Part II - W..O..W!

In reply to UKC News: inspiring!

In reply to Erik B:
+1 Erik

In reply to UKC News: Utterly fantastic and the Lyngen films are equally scary and beautiful.

In reply to earlsdonwhu:

http://www.freeride.se/video/38686/

In reply to UKC News: I saw a tweet from one of them showing the picture of the Whillans Ramp in Powder magazine. It said something like "really happy to have my photo in Powder", but didn't seem to pass comment on the other side of the double page spread that was a full page headline saying something like "why do so many extreme skiers have to die?" A bit chilling looking at the pic.

In reply to DaveHK: Lyngen for utter punters: http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.fi/2010/04/lyngen-week-in-sun-at-top-of-e...

In reply to TobyA:

Doubtless an amazing place to be on skis and balls of steel on the man but...

Can't ski from the top, can't (from what I can see) ski to bottom, so not really a great line. Not devaluing the achievement but that particular route looks like more of a curiosity / photo oportunity than anything else.

In reply to DaveHK:

No problem to ski to the bottom.

In reply to Robert Durran:

You mean no problem to get to the bottom with skis

In reply to DaveHK:

No. There is just one little rock step below the Paso Superior which I am sure would be no problem for a gnarly skiing dude.

In reply to Robert Durran:

But nothing is really new, is it? Wot, no helmet: youtube.com/watch?v=Q4q6U-4l27w&

In reply to DaveHK:


Well using those criteria that rules out I'd say somewhere between half and 90% of the most highly sought after/extreme ski descents in the alps, as not really being great lines.


No, you're completely devaluing it, or at least the way you've phrased it, certainly seems like you are. It's doing something in a crazy location because it's never been done before and because he can do it. Using those same criteria I doubt it's much different to many climbing achievements whether they be hard alpine routes that don't end of summits, crazy ice lines that climb icicles or the like or even hard trad climbs that are effectively eliminate routes. Rhapsody for instance?

In reply to UKC News: Awesome film! Looking forward to the next one.

Jack

In reply to Frank4short:

I knew that post was open to misinterpretation which is why I was at pains to point out that I didn't mean to devalue the achievement.

Do you think it's a good line? It certainly doesn't meet my criteria but then the line is only part of the experience.

It's hard and it's spectacular but not a great line. I said the same about Rhapsody at the time. It's a sh!t line. Doesn't change the fact that it was an amazing effort by Dave.

In reply to Frank4short:

I'm not sure what you mean here. Can you give me some examples?

In reply to DaveHK:

Unlike Rhapsody, it's not exactly escapable is it?

In reply to Robert Durran:

True.

In reply to DaveHK:

>> Well using those criteria that rules out I'd say somewhere between half and 90% of the most highly sought after/extreme ski descents in the alps, as not really being great lines.


For instance there's not a single line on the nth face of the aiguille du midi that isn't slightly contrived e.g. requiring at least an abseil even when in perfect conditions. In fact the vast majority of the routes there require multiple abseils often linking obscure steep patches of snow in an obscure steep location. That I can think of, off of the top of my head, iin Chamonix the only really big lines you can ski that aren't in any way contrived are possibly the Courterier and the Whymper on the Aiguille Verte and maybe the Gervasutti and 1 or 2 of the other couloirs on MB du Tacul. Other than those (though i'm not silly enough to say it's exclusively those) most of the other big/hero lines require at least 1 abseil and in many cases multiple abseils often linking patches of snow by doing that.

In reply to Frank4short:

I never mentioned abseils. My criteria don't rule out any of the lines on the Midi as you ski in the top and ski out the bottom. All the abs do is link up snow fields. Quite different from the route on Poincenot.

I'm not sure why you sounded so peeved in your first post on this, surely a great line starts at the top and finishes at the bottom?