Turncarver
A Photo Journal
V2_2505151625
Day 5: Plateau du Couloir
| Trip Date: | 04/22/2016 |
|---|---|
| Weather: | Dry and warm with high clouds, increasing clouds w/snow flurries late afternoon and early evening; no wind |
| Comments: | We started early and boot-packed from the hut direclty up to the Plateau du Couloir. After a "short but memorable" descent and a brief skin up to Col du Sonadon, we skied down the Glacier du Mont Durand to the valley floor. A short climb on skins brought us to the Chanrion Hut. |
| Location | Travel Mode | Ending Elevation (ft) | Elevation Change (ft) | Time of Day | Distance | Time this Leg | Cum Trip Time | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valsorey Hut | Start | 9,948.0 ft | 6:51 AM | |||||
| Climb skin track on Glacier du Meitin | Boots & Crampons | 10,932.0 ft | 984.0 ft | 7:58 AM | 2.10 mi | 1:07 | 1:07 | Boot pack up frozen skin track (some parties skinned; we walked to avoid a transition up slope) |
| Climb to Plateau du Couloir | Boots & Crampons, Roped | 11,958.0 ft | 1,026.0 ft | 10:05 AM | 0.54 mi | 2:07 | 3:14 | Climb roped on boot crampons |
| Traverse top of Glacier du Sonadon | Ski | 11,330.0 ft | -628.0 ft | 10:29 AM | 0.60 mi | 0:24 | 3:38 | Moderate descent on icy/chunky snow onto flat surface |
| Climb to Col du Sonadon | Skin | 11,538.0 ft | 208.0 ft | 10:43 AM | 0.30 mi | 0:14 | 3:52 | Easy climb on skins |
| Ski down Glacier du Mont Durand | Ski | 8,854.0 ft | -2,684.0 ft | 11:33 AM | 3.20 mi | 0:50 | 4:42 | Gentle ski; heavy wet snow |
| Traverse ridge to Glacier de Fenetre | Skin | 9,012.0 ft | 158.0 ft | 12:06 PM | 0.80 mi | 0:33 | 5:15 | Easy traverse on skins |
| Ski Glacier de Fenetre to valley floor | Ski | 7,420.0 ft | -1,592.0 ft | 12:49 PM | 2.00 mi | 0:43 | 5:58 | Easy ski; wet heavy snow |
| Skin to Chanrion Hut | Skin | 8,077.0 ft | 657.0 ft | 1:43 PM | 0.90 mi | 0:54 | 6:52 | Easy climb on skins |
Travel times in this table include, breaks, transitions, etc
| Max Elevation: | 11,958 ft |
|---|---|
| Net Elevation Gain: | -1,871 ft |
| Total Total Ascent: | 3,033 ft |
| Total Descent: | -4,904 ft | Total Miles: | 10.4 mi | Total Duration: | 6:52 |
Map (click on image to enlarge / zoom to fit small screens)
Elevation Profile
Chanrion Hut (click on image to enlarge / zoom to fit small screens)
