New Year 2011: Col du Tour Noir, or just a good nightÂ’s sleep?
By Gareth Williams
The KMC’s 2010 alpine meet left me wondering what those mountains are like in winter. Remembering the beauty of the Chamonix valley, and still feeling the allure of Mt Blanc, I set off for a week of ski mountaineering with Stephen Girt (who, when living in Manchester some years ago, was a member of the KMC).
After forking out on avalanche transceivers, we needed to cut-back elsewhere. So we made the obvious choice, scrimped on accommodation and kipped in the car. Five days later, desperate to sleep in a horizontal position, and with New Year’s Eve as an excuse, it was time to investigate a hut.
Advice from the Bureau de Guides: “the winter room in the Argentiere hut is open, but there are not many blankets so you should take your own”. It’s a long-standing joke that my rucksack is always heavier than Steve’s, but today we knew why: I took a sleeping bag, Steve took a risk!
From the Grand Montets cable car, with the piste left behind, we skied down to the Argentiere glacier. Now with gravity against us, we skinned up the gentle slope of the glacier. Approaching the hut we crossed moraine and were confronted by steep slopes covered in knee-deep powder.
After flailing around for some minutes a flash of inspiration: the ski-crampons donated by Al Metelko! With careful footwork they bit into the firmer snow beneath, and we arrived at the hut shortly thereafter.
Top priority: bedding. We found none. The thought of one sleeping bag between two was inescapable, but neither of us brought up the idea of snuggling into one bag together! As we melted snow for tea, a solo Swiss skier entered, showing us the dormitory that we’d overlooked – complete with fourteen bunks and fourteen blankets. Excited by a flat bed and space to spread out, we were soon asleep and oblivious to the arrival of 2011.
Making the most of our first bed in almost a week, we had a lie-in, then a leisurely breakfast. The sun was high in a clear blue sky as we put the skis back on and turned towards the Amethystes glacier. Skinning uphill in the sunshine was hot work. Passing a small serac-fall, we reached the upper slope of the glacier, then relatively easy skiing to the Col du Tour Noir (3535m).
Now for our challenge: the descent! The pristine powder, spectacular setting and wonderful weather did nothing to improve our skiing. Several face-plants later, we were back at the Argentiere hut, brewing up, packing our belongings and tidying the place. Doing our bit for the alpine environment, we took down everything we’d brought up, having bagged our morning business!
Back along the Argentiere glacier we couldn’t avoid the hordes of off-piste skiers streaming down from Grands Montets cable car. We finally rejoined the piste to ski back to Argentiere, content that we’d achieved our objective of the Col du Tour Noir – and a good night’s sleep!
