Late season powder is always the best...

Thurs 30th: Grand Envers / GM top bin - Blower powder all day...

Arrived at the Midi at 7:50am to reports of 40cm fresh and info at 9am. Not totally convinced by conditions but oh well. Made the first bin easily despite the large queue. As the lift doors closed Lukas' face dropped - he'd left his bag outside. Queue insults, laughter and general hilarity from me whilst he was swore and fretted he'd lost it forever (including his passport - moron). Over an hours wait and we missed first bin because of that...

Moody skies making for a glorious traverse

Lukas asked the lifties to bring it up in the second bin. The guy had a massive grin clearly finding it just as funny as I did. All sorted. Up to the top with Lukas desperately apologising for missing the first bin. Seven people were already on the plan ridge... However three dropped in low and four were heading to Col de Plan. PERFECT. After cutting the slope I dropped in to find epic conditions. Deep and uniform. Incredible skiing.

Lorne et al preparing to drop into the Col de Plan NF

Incredible first pitch from the top

Cutting the slope so Lukas can blast it

Blast it he did

Disliking the pretty open terrain to the requin exit and the avalanche danger we cut off into Petit Envers to skier's right of the rognon. As we descended the snow transitioned to corn but still perfect to ski. Some heavy spring moguls (the worst skiing of the day) and we were crossing the very open salle a manger. The exit was simultaneously way better and way worse than we expected. There was no snow on the lower part but we could ski over the ice to within 10-15 mins of Montenvers. A nice stroll and we were back sunbathing at Montenvers whilst we waited 40mins for the train.

Crossing salle a manger as fast as possible. Thin...

Still skiable honest

Montenvers looking pretty grubby

Liberating

I had been totally apathetic to skiing GM in the afternoon but the morning was so good I figured I'd join Lukas for some spring corn. We arrived at GM at 1:30pm and instead were greeted by hardly tracked cold blower powder and no queues. Insane. After a lap of the face in fresh tracks to mid station I noticed the Alaska looking line skier's left of the face had been skied so we went for a look. A nice big 3m drop to hard mandatory traverse to dodge the rocks immediately below into a steep couloir. Two skier's were hesitantly waiting above looking unwilling and Lukas sounded nervous so I just went for it, admittedly bricking it a little. My edges held and was greeted by face shots all down the couloir. After another of the same the entrance was getting pretty scoured and ropey so we just lapped la face. Each lap the lower sections got slower so for the last few we blasted the bottom of the piste. 6 laps later we were cut short by a closed sign. Damn. A quick Bochard and down the Plan Joran.

Much steeper and rockier than it looks...

Absolutely incredible day. So much better than expected and snapped me out of the existential crisis I've been having recently. Days like this are what it's all about...