Ski touring the Haute Route - Day 4
La Fouly - Lacs de Fenêtre - Fenêtre de Ferret - Monastère du Grand St-Bernard
Skinning up the beginning of the steep icy part
Early to bed, early to rise, and we were not so happy about the 5 o'clock wake up call, nonetheless, we had to get up, and this morning was a bit more comfortable than the last one, more room, less people, and therefore a better mood.
We started off in the dark, skis on the back first, to get out of town followed a pretty flat raod until it stopped being cleaned, then skis on and past the little village of Ferret , where we had to slow down to respect the cows crossing and the 50km/h limit, then up into the valley. Some more semi flat area, until we reach a trail crossing.
From now on, we will be going uphill, and the nice weather of the last few days, has nicely softened the snow, but the cold night that we just had, turned it into a nice hard frozen slope. Knives on... even with the knives, we still had to be carefull, as we slowly and carefully skin up the steep frozen slope.
More than once did my heart skip a beat, feeling my skis starting to slide backwards, but all in all we managed to get up the slope without incident, except for Mike who, as a joke, pretended to slip down the slope, but his smile turned into a frown and then a panicked yelp, as he realised he was really slipping down the slope, and that the others, were racing to get out of the way instead of trying to help him.
Rob enjoying the scenery
Funny thing is that inside the monastery itself, is a sign warning people that theft might occur... humm interesting contradiction isn't it??? but then again, a warning of things to come.....
Since we started so early, we were in time for lunch and got some good wine to go along with it. The wine (or the quantity) having its effects, some whent to take a nap, while others explored the monastery. a story better not told as it turns out.
Before dinner time, some of us went to the evening service. Dinner was again copyously wined and after desert, we were treated to a little film explaining the origins of the monastery and going through its history up to the present.
The evening was once again quiet as another early rise and the hardest day was waitingforus
little break after the steep part
Thankfully all ended well, as he managed to stop himself, inches from a gaping precipice.A bit more and the steep slope is passed and now we need to traverse the Lacs de Fenêtre (good that the ice is thick and snow covered) then go up a nice safe slope up to the Fenêtre de Ferret.
We have a quick snack just before the col itself, to keep from the wind and then ski down, most people following Philippe, whereas Spike, the only one not paying attenction to what was being said, skis down lower and winds up all alone and scared.
No worries, he gets instructions and continues down to meet the others on the other side of the ridge, where he falls upon the half chewed remains of a Chamois. Humm, maybe the monks at the St- bernard are not as peacefull as everybody makes them to be.
Even more scared, our airehead races, around the corner, releived to see in the distance, the group emerging from their downhill, at least they did not get any more powder than Spike did, so he is not flustered. As the others are a bit higher than he is, Spike decides, unwisely, to go into the tunnel to save time.
To make a long story short, they all meet up at the end of the tunnel, and skin up a few more minutes, across the lake and into the Monastery, well they did not ski into the monastery, of course.
end of the steep part, nobody spent much time taking pics during the steep part... wonder why...