Back ski touring in the Hautes-Alpes with Ludovic on his splitboard: the crête de la Lauze, untouched forest powder and a look at how we make decisions.
After an autumn between Jordan and the Mediterranean islands, it’s back to the much-loved Hautes-Alpes, which have wrapped themselves in a thick white blanket unusually early this year! I meet up with Ludovic, who has come straight down from the Vosges hoping to send powder flying for three days... and those hopes were more than fulfilled!
Of course, heading into the mountains after heavy snowfall and sometimes storm-force winds calls for a few precautions and careful terrain choices. Our first filter for this outing is very simple: we’ll keep to slopes no steeper than 30°, while also paying attention to the slopes above us. The trick is to turn that noble intention into actual choices on the ground, without letting powder fever take the controls or make the pilot a little too optimistic about snow stability!
Anyway, there’s no need for an overly complicated plan on this first day. In the car, I explain to Ludovic how I approach a ski touring outing and mountain adventures more generally: technical factors, certainly, but human ones too (perhaps above all?). This “human sphere” isn’t always easy for a “young” leader to grasp when they’re tangled up in the details of the terrain. It draws on inner resources and clear thinking that can sometimes take a battering in the mountains. And it can grow, and grow, and grow until it obscures all sorts of things and leads to unfortunate decisions... Recognising the unconscious factors that can influence our choices, establishing effective communication within the group, managing uncertainty without chasing certainty, and so on. I can tell this strikes a chord with Ludovic, who has already become aware of all this through previous experiences!
Ludo is on a splitboard. Literally, a “board that splits”. A snowboard that divides into two skis for the climb. A clever piece of kit, a little heavy uphill and not always easy to handle on steep sections. But the descent is a wonderful reward when the conditions come together, as they do today!
Today we climb to the crête de la Lauze, on the edge of the still-closed Puy-Saint-Vincent ski area, with hardly anyone around. As so often here, the weather is better than forecast, and we finish the climb in the sunshine. The untracked descent through the woods, on powder that’s settled underneath but beautifully light on top, leaves us with silly grins plastered across our faces! A perfect way to get stuck in... and sink in!
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