Mallory
On Sunday after yet another dump of snow I headed up the midi with the idea of skiing Mallory without rappel in the back of my mind. The day didn’t get off to the best start, after meeting Luca for first lift, I realised I had skis with pin bindings and alpine toe pieces on my boots. Oops! So I drove back home to swap them and ended getting a lift up by myself. (more…)
About 3 weeks ago now i met Luca Pandolfi and Cedric Bernardini at the Aiguille du Midi lift with the aim of skiing the Mallory. There had been a lot of snow over the weekend and the face was looking good. All 16 people that went up to ski that day ended up skiing Mallory, the young Chamoniard’s beat us out of the tunnel and dropped in first. We went in straight after and skied down to the demi lune with them, where we waited so we wouldn’t sluff them out on the first crux. Just as we set off again the Black crows team appeared behind us, they were closely followed by Seth Morrison and the Ordinary skier team.
The decent was full on, powder in places, wind slab in others and icy rain crust on the steep cruxes where the fresh snow had fallen off. We had to use the rope in two other places than the mandatory rappel but were expecting this as the route is not as well filled in as it has been in previous years. Cedric’s and Luca’s photos are below.
Mallory
At the top, under the cables.
Cedric at the top.
Me skiing at the top.
Luca under the cable car.
Luca and me making our way to the demi lune.
Luca about to drop in to the hanging snow field and me sorting out the rope after the first crux.
Luca made a few big turns here on the hanging snow field before a slab broke away and swept him down, luckily he stopped before the cliffs!
Me on the hanging snow field, Luca still taking photos after his scare!
Cedric finding great snow in the same place.
Me on the mandatory rappel.
Me enjoying the skiing safely in the exit couloir.
Me at the bottom of the exit couloir.
Cedric opening it up out the bottom of the exit couloir.
Ben Briggs 