Roche Malotte and Petit Fourchon

The forecast had made it pretty clear that today wouldn’t be quite as bright as yesterday — that ridiculously perfect day! For another day of ski touring from Refuge de Terre Rouge, we still get up early, hoping to sneak through during some hypothetical break in the clouds… One quick look out of the window before breakfast: we can’t even see the chalets 50 metres away from the hut. The GPS and compass are going to get some serious use today!!

Yesterday’s powder experience confirms my feeling that we need to aim for north-facing slopes. Without any sunshine today, the rest isn’t going to be much fun to ski… After a hearty breakfast of homemade jams and local honey, we feel ready to brave the elements!

We’ve already been through much worse together, like at the Col du Chardonnet two years ago, when a headwind was blasting red rain into our faces at 60 km/h, or last year at the Col de la Noire, where we practised ripping off our skins in extreme conditions… Compared with that, today is practically a walk in the park!

I try to stay focused on the route, keep track of where we’re going and rely as much as possible on the instruments… A bit of instinct can certainly help when there’s no visibility, but experience shows that you always end up drifting away from the bearing you think you’re following! We reach the ridge above the Rochers Malotte. Visibility: 10 metres. Enough for a selfie!

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We drop into a north-facing couloir. The advantage of a couloir is that once you’ve found the entrance, the route is fairly easy to follow! The snow is up to its usual standard: light powder, an absolute treat! Despite the poor visibility, we make the most of it. We even get a brief break in the clouds and pick up the pace through the lower part of the couloir and the wide slopes below… Obviously, it doesn’t look quite as impressive in the photos as yesterday, but it’s the same good stuff!

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A 250 m climb takes us to the summit of Petit Fourchon, the first summit with a proper name on our trip — about time!

Another 500 m of powder to round off the festivities in style… It’s almost getting boring!

And so ends our single-base ski touring trip in Savoie, vintage 2018 — one that will definitely go down as a great year!! Savoie has finally earned its stripes!