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Year 2001 - Log file, Mathias - Show without notes

Date Area Terrain Conditions People
14 May Chamonix Glacier Perfect sun - very warm Alone
Got the randonee skis out and revisited the Grande Jorasse basin where Fred and I had been 7 years ago. Went up to Refuge Lascaux (2450m) and headed back. Brilliant trip. 6 hours.
29 April La Grave Off piste Sunny, slushy, avalancy Alone
Definitely the last run of the season. Lovely day, lots of sunshine but quite desperate snow conditions. I was almost caught in the biggest avalanche I have ever seen - I was completely alone on the whole "Vallon" side just catching my breath right under La Meije. I hear a "crraaaackk", look up and boy oh boy oh boy, the whole serac fall is coming down. Absolutely mind-blowing to watch (map). It was just getting bigger and bigger in classic avalanche style - you know, developing this huge cloud of snow thundering down toward the valley floor right where I was standing. I waited a few second admiring the spectacle and then I was like "okay, that actually looks like a bad job" and I started the engines and got further away while I could. I stopped some 500 meters further down and looked up again. Like some big disgusting animal the avalanche ate its way down the face and 30 seconds or so later engulfed the place where I had been in cloud and debris. Eventually it reached where I now was but was now a mere wind of snow. Absolutely fantastic to see. All other stuff was very avalanchy as well, but nothing as major as that baby. If only I'd brought my camera.
I switched to my skiis midday but changed back to the gun after one desperate run. Powder Gun
22 April La Grave Off piste Sunny, fresh snow, warm, perfect Alone
Brilliant day. Worked on trying to jump the big serac thing on the left of the drag lift in the top. It's a massive drop and the landing is not very steep so you really gotta go for it all the way. I was there a couple of times but didn't do it. Even Tigers has limits. :-) - I successfully did my usual cliff jump on the left of the telepherique which is always amazingly adreanline pumpy. Powder Gun
21 April La Grave Off piste Cold, snowy, cloudy Alone
Woke up. Looked at the webcam. Looked good. Headed off. Scrounged my way to a free lift ride. Conditions was pretty desperate actually. Fresh snow but very cold and the base was rock solid (not good for the big air landings). Also the avalance risk was quite obvious very high and I was glad to reach the bottom in one piece. Powder Gun
13 April La Grave Off piste Bit more run up, but still good Martin
Superb day. Excellent big air jumps and some really pumping carving. Absolutely shagged afterwards also partly because of heavy drinking at the previous night with Martin, Christian and forty bottles of bottles of vodka. Powder Gun
12 April La Grave Off piste Deep and plenty of fresh stuff Martin
Gnarled around a bit to figure out what the best descend would be with the access to P2 being unskiable. Perfect weather and only few people. Powder Gun
8 April Serre Chevalier On/off piste Pretty good. Peter, Pernille, Sanne, Søren
Plenty of untouched snow, but weather a bit unstable. Good fun. Powder Gun
6 April La Grave Off piste Run up 700 others
Derby de la Meije, a yearly off piste race of festive proportions. Came in 84th in the my category - time 12m 33s. Here is a copy of the results. Next year I'll win. Powder Gun
18 Mar La Grave 80 cm pwdr Best ever (in La Grave) Alone
Steep aaaaand deep. Did my favourite left side (facing the mountain) exclusively. Lot of queing in the lift unfortunately. Powder Gun
17 Mar Alpe Duez 50 cm pwdr Snowy Alone
Did some excellent cliff jumps. Visibility was poor but due to heavy snowfall.
10 Mar Courchevel Mixed Very mixed Sanne, Paola
Despite quite crazy conditions (fluffy snow, sun, fog, snowstorm, rain, slush - all in a day) we managed to get some good stuff done. Good jumps. Powder Gun
11 Feb La Grave 50 cm pwdr Excellent David, Annabel
Dave/Annabel joined me for the evening and we had a good day skiing/boarding. Still plenty of deep snow. Powder Gun
10 Feb La Grave 50 cm freshy Best so far (in La Grave) Ralf
It had snowed a lot the previous day and we arrived to a perfect morning. Perfect snow, lots of it, no people. Powder Gun
4 Feb La Grave 30 cm pwdr Excellent Alone
Ice climbed Saturday and it then snowed 30cm during the night and Sunday was a real treat on the gun. Excellent cornice surfing on the Vallons side. I think I've found my favourite line in La Grave. If only the lift didn't close so early (4pm). I was the third one down the slope in the morning though! Powder Gun
28 Jan Grandes Montes / Chamonix Off piste Very good Alone
Still powder left from the day before and an excellent snowdepth, soft and perfect for trying some festive jumps. Powder Gun
27 Jan 7 Laux Piste Frustrating Paola
It had snowed in the morning, and the bastards closed the top bit (avalance danger) so I was confined to the piste. :-( Winter stick
26 Jan 7 Laux Off piste Good Alone
First time in the local ski resort. Good potential. Powder Gun
21 Jan La Grave Off piste Pretty good David Rayner
Only fresh powder on the very top section - really good stuff. The lower parts was icy and tricky on the Powder Gun. Powder Gun
14 Jan La Grave Off piste Perfect Alone
Bought a Swell Panik Magistral board and had the most amazing day in La Grave. 10-20cm of fresh powder under clear blue sky. Powder Gun
2 Jan Alpe Duez Piste Damp Ralf
It changed from rain to snow mid day. We should have stayed one more day Winter stick
1 Jan Alpe Duez Piste Not ideal Ralf, Andy, Joanne, Rich
Highlight of the day was the lunch in the Marmotte Restaurant Winter stick

2000

Date Area Terrain Conditions People
30 Dec Alpe Duez Piste Not ideal HP dudes
Spend the New Year break in Alpe D'huez the closest big resort to my new home in Grenoble Winter stick
January La Grave, Chamonix Off Piste Pretty good Klammer, Jesper
A week to check out the powder in Chamonix and La Grave. Great trip together with the skiers Jesper Ritzau and Lars Klammer. No trip report. No photos. But we have a fully edited movie (9 MB!) Winter stick

1997

Date Area Terrain Conditions People
January Val d'Isere Off Piste Good Alone
Did the Col de Palet to Champagny run (alone!). A bit irresponsible in retrospect. Desperate on a snowboard. Winter stick

1996

Date Area Terrain Conditions People
December Chamonix Off Piste Good snow, not the best visibility Fred
We only had three days as the following days was ear marked for Christmas purposes. There where a lot of nice offpiste riding Winter stick

1995

Date Area Terrain Conditions People
Feb-
Mar-
Apr
Chamonix,
Val d'Isere,
La Grave
Off Piste Superb Mostly alone
Spent two months in Chamonix, one week in Serre Chevalier (and La Grave) and one week in Val d'Isere. The off piste conditions in Val d'Isere was unbelievably good. Winter stickSkiis
Trips Sport Tull © The Willerups 1996-2001 Frederik Mathias Index

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