12 March 2006, Irony
"It's irony Baldrick, do you know what irony is?
"Oh yes, Blackadder, it like brassy, only made of iron."
During the last week we have had some of the best snow this year. It has been snowing on and off for the last ten days. Weather men were comparing the quantity of snow to 1999 when, on 8 february, seven feet of snow fell in 48 hours. (This time the difference is just that, the time. Ten days of cold alternating with warm foehn and melting up to 1600m has created a stable base in the valleys. The strong winds at altitude have loaded many of the east facing slopes higher up.) As in 1999 for a week most of the ski lifts in Chamonix were closed, and Vallorcine was cut off from the rest of France. Les Houches was crowded being the only ski station completely open within an hour of Chamonix.
Then last Monday something interesting happened. The clouds were predicted to clear briefly in the morning but there were supposed to be accompanied by strong winds at 4,000m. Looking up we could see only the flimsiest of snow plumes from the the Aiguille du Midi. A quick phone call confirmed there really was no wind, and the lift would be running to 3800m. The guided Vallée Blanche crowds were absent (the forecast was for gale force winds after all) but the usual locals were there with their wide powder skis. The first lift of the day was filled with the urgency of a football crowd on their way to a grudge match. They were going for the Grand Envers and Col de Plan variations. Not one track led into the the "normal" Vallée Blanche. Patrick, Miles and I opted for the Petite Envers and then gingerly traced a route through the maze of crevasses and seracs into the bottom of the Vraie Vallée. Beautiful untouched champagne powder was our reward.
Photo: Patrick McGrath, 6 March 2006
In the afternoon we picked huge sweeping lines through La Combe des Glaciers. The next day was special in a different way. The weather was great, the Vallée Blanche and Grandes Montets lured the off piste skiers. It always seems slightly ironic that the the great off piste zones become so quickly tracked out that the best off piste skiing is in the lesser areas, where the competition for untracked snow is less. We spent the day tracing sublime lines at La Flégère and on the ski lifts we talked about irony. Irony and politicians in particular.
Our minister of culture, Tessa Jowell, has been forced to save her political career by dumping her husband who is accused of accepting bribes during a corruption trial. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4773468.stm). Ah well, if you are going to take alleged bribes, what better place than a corruption trial?
Meanwhile the top policeman in Britain, Sir Ian Blair, has apologised to the attorney general and the Independent Police Complaints Commission for secretly taping calls." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4801032.stm). The phone calls were about wire tapping rules. Well, if you have to secretely tape conversations, when better? What a great day. We almost choked with laughter as we sliced through the spraying powder.
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