Epic snowfall in the Chamonix valley and it continues …

Latest post from Jess Whiskin and the Whitedot team who are currently out in Chamonix testing and photographing their new range of Fall 12/13 skis as well as some of our Winter 12 Product.

Were not jealous of the snow here in the UK...honest! 

"At the beginning of December the prospects for a good winter in the Chamonix valley were looking bleak; these pictures of a jog along the rivershow there was not a snowflake to be seen at 1100m on the 5th December.We’re pleased to report however, that it is now an entirely different story and snowfall in the French Alps has smashed hundred year records.

There was general chaos as hundreds of tourists flocking to Chamonix for the holidays, grappled with icy roads and parking spots blocked with piles of snow.The Mont Blanc tunnel over to Italy was closed for two days over the new year due to avalanche risk and the pisteurs have been struggling to keep the lifts and runs open. Here at Whitedot skis, however, this is prime testing conditions to really get to grips with how the skis behave in powder, so our team have been skiing hard, testing the new prototype, all in the name of research of course.

Controversially I even broke out my snowboard as metres of untracked, powder just off the sides of the piste was irresistible. (Usually it is either too icy, too steep, too cruddy, too wet or too heavy so it has been a real treat to snowboard in near perfect conditions). I have also been testing a new ski touring set-upready for later in the Spring. Being a bit of a vertically challenged girl, it is really important that I find the perfect balance between a pair of skis which is wide enough to respond well in the powder but which is also manageable for my little legs to get up the hill in the first place.

Obviously, it goes without saying that this amount of snow requires a considerable degree of caution and awareness in terms of being intelligent in assessing the avalanche risk. Conditions this good always demand caution, proper equipment and local knowledge, even if just venturing a little way from the piste. Over the last week alone there has been 2 metres of snowfall in 48 hrs, a thaw cycle and now another metre of snow is falling today (the 5th January) down to the valley floor. So, first task tomorrow morning for team Whitedot when the snow stops is to dig an avalanche pit to analyse the snow pack before heading out with our pro-riders on a back country photoshoot."

Jess

http://whitedotskis.com/

Stephen Venables: Update & Lecture Tour

Over to Stephen....

"Last month I returned from a hugely enjoyable expedition to South Georgia.  Skip Novak and I were accompanied by a boatload of surgeons and physicians, a website mogul, a venture capitalist and a novelist.  We were blessed with generally fine weather for a generally uneventful repeat of Shackleton’s famous crossing of the island. 

On the way home I stopped for a few days in Chile, as a guest speaker for Fundacion Vertical’s annual Geografica conference.   I had a wonderful time with Rodrigo Jordan and his colleagues, did a little rock climbing, and visited the street in Viña del Mar where my grandmother was born in 1898.  And, to accommodate me in the style to which I wish I were accustomed, our man in Santiago, Jon Benjamin, generously put me up at the British Embassy.  

Now to 2012.

Rosie and I are looking forward to a couple of quick holidays in Amsterdam and India, on the back of speaking engagements.  At some stage we will also go out to the Alps, to visit Edmond, who is working in Les Arcs.

Back here, I will be touring my Eric Shipton lecture sponsored by Mountain Equipment

JANUARY 
Thurs 26th  STREET, SOMERSET Strode Theatre 01458 44 28 46
Mon 30th SALFORD The Lowry 0843 208 6000

FEBRUARY 
Sat 11th BUXTON Opera House 0845 1272190

MARCH 
Mon 5th  BIRMINGHAM Town Hall 0121 780 3333
Thurs 8th LLANDUDNO Venue Cymru 01492 872000
Thurs 22nd DURHAM The Gala 0191 332 4041
Weds 28th RADLETT The Radlett Centre 01923 859291
Thurs 29th INVERNESS Eden Court 01463 234234

APRIL 
Sun 1st TUNBRIDGE WELLS Assembly Hall 01892 530613
Tues 3rd SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn 01743 281 281

more info available here at Speakers from the Edge

I will also be doing a similar presentation for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling and Edinburgh. more info here http://www.rsgs.org/events/

Looking further ahead, 2013 is the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest.  It is also the 25th anniversary of the Anglo-American-Canadian expedition Everest 88.

I am celebrating our wonderful Everest adventure by going to the other end of the world. Several people have already committed, but we still have one or two places left on the Everest 60/25 Antarctic Peninsula Expedition in February 2013.  Details at:

http://www.stephenvenables.com/expedition_2013_antarctic.asp

The following month, back in London, my American, Canadian and Nepalese companions and I are staging the first reunion for 25 years of the entire Everest 88 team.  The main public event will be a champagne reception, lecture and dinner at the RGS.  So please make a note in your diary:

14 March  2013

The Party of the Year

Royal Geographical Society

London

With very best wishes for 2012

Stephen"  

Return of the Mild

Drizzley, Grey and mild.... it feels nore like September than December here at ME HQ today and with emails coming in from our pro partner team that conditions have dropped off a bit it looks like winter maybe back on hold (for now at least!) 

We did however see some great winter climbing conditions across the UK over the past few days, so what better than to take a look at some images of the team in action to keep the dreams of the white stuff alive for those of you like us sat in the office waiting for the winter break to arrive.

I've also thrown in a bit of comedy courtesy of Ruth and Lukasz - in the form of Andy T doing his best "Anger" during his studio shoot last week.   

For full reports on all the latest action check out our Team Blog opposite -

   2 photos above... Andy on a New routing mission in a Secret North Wales location with fellow team member
Baggy pictured in action below  

Nick on 1st ascent of Ride the Wild Bullhorn on the Ben p: Dougal Tavener

Jens: New Route SW Poincenot

Just had this quick email in from Jens who's currently out in Patagonia, where he and fellow climbers Mike Schaefer and Joel Kauffman have just had an epic 3 days on the South West Face of Poincenot.

Photo: Joel Kauffman collection, check Planet Kauffman in the coming days for more photos and more stories 

Jens...


"Hope life is good in the UK and that you are enjoying the holiday season.


Wanted to give you the most current update from down south...warm temperatures have made our ice objectives on the west side of the Torres suicidal at the moment, so we changed focus and chose a wild first ascent objective on the south face of Poincenot, one of the most beautiful big walls in Patagonia.


Two days ago, Joel Kauffman, Mike Schaefer, and I finished our 900 meter first ascent that proved to be one of the most difficult climbs of our lives. I am so grateful to have lived this experience. 


Our climb took three days and involved several types of climbing including difficult aid climbing on a wild steep big wall. A malfunctioning stove caused severe dehydration and several other crazy events happened as well. We are all safe, but barely functioning at the moment...trying to come back to life here! Once we have recovered a bit I will send some amazing material your way. We shot video and pictures and have a wild, wild story to tell"


We look forward to hearing more in the coming days!!!

Welcome to the team week... Helena Robinson

The final new member we'd like to welcome to our pro partner team is Helena Robinson. 

Helena is one of a rare breed of Guernsey climbers. At the age of 14 she began sea level traversing along the island’s south coast, armed with a book of treasure map style topos called ‘Guernsey Coastal Walks and Scrambles’. Illogically, this led to an interest in winter mountaineering which became her passion when she studied at Edinburgh University, and is still her favourite discipline today.

Helena recently spent a year in Switzerland as a climbing nanny, exploring the mountains around the house by ski and by foot, which led her on to compete in her first ultra trail running race.
Helena is currently based in Llanberis, North Wales having just started a PhD in cancer research at Bangor University.

We first got to know Helena after she won herself a place on the Gore Tex Experience tour trip to Norway with Dave MacLeod back in August and were all pleased to have her onboard, and look forward to seeing what she gets up to over this winter season.

You can keep up to date with what Helena's been up too at her blog here

Welcome to the team week... Mark "Baggy" Richards

Next we'd like to officially welcome Blue Peris centre manager, AMI and MIC instructor and the Perez Hilton of Welsh Winter Conditions blogging, Mark "Baggy" Richards to the team.

Over to Mark

"For me, finding myself in amazing outdoor places, having a great time sharing adventures with others, feeling good after achieving one’s goals and seeing young people achieve more than they ever imagined is what is so good about the outdoors. Over the years, I have become fully absorbed in the outdoor way of life. Partly because of the personal benefits and meeting new people, but also to give back and share my passion by enthusing and teaching others.

My professional experience
My, teaching, instructing and guiding experience spans 26 years. I was introduced to the outdoors through my secondary school by very enthusiastic teachers. It is that opportunity which has allowed me to gain a career in the outdoors. Originally training as a carpenter, then building site foreman, I started university as a mature student undertaking an outdoor education / science degree at I M Marsh. After working and holding positions in a wide variety of LEA outdoor centres, I gained the post of mountaineering/climbing instructor for 5 years at Plas-y-Brenin (the English National Mountain Centre) I have also worked in the capacity of freelance instructor for a vast array of establishments such as Glenmore Lodge (the Scottish National Mountain Centre), Jagged Globe and a wide range of Local Education Authority centres.
Currently, I manage Blue Peris Mountain Centre, alongside guiding and teaching all over the UK. I am a member of the ‘themic.org’ which identifies the highest standard of climbing and mountain skills instruction in the UK alongside being a member of Association of Mountaineering Instructors. (AMI) 

Interests

Well this first has to be Welsh Winter climbing and in particular climbing new and classic routes, being the co-author of the North Wales Winter Climbing. Whilst not winter climbing, then hanging out on sea cliffs,  road biking helps keep me fit and gives another opportunity to see the great outdoors and help burn the calories off, as I just love cakes!
I have two young girls, who like fashion more than the outdoors and a house which I have been refurbishing for far too long. Any regrets, not being part of Team Sky (some say as their bike cleaner!)"

If you don't already then make sure you check out 'Baggys blog' for all the latest North Wales winter action here  

Welcome to the team week: Mary Harlan

Next athlete we'd like to welcome to the team is Mary Harlan

After a career as a professional ballet dancer in New York, St. Louis, and Russia, Mary decided she wanted something different in life. It was then at age 22 she began to pursue a career in mountaineering, rock climbing and ice climbing as a guide. Since then, Mary has climbed and guided in many parts of North America, from Grade V routes on the glaciated peaks of the Pacific Northwest to routes in Red Rocks Conservation Area in Nevada and the high altitude mountains of Alaska.

Mary on a Belly Full of Berries (5.13a)

Mary has a natural gift for offwidth climbing, and in 2008 she was one of the first women to climb the offwidth Belly Full of Bad Berries in Indian Creek, UT (5.13a) and more recently established several new routes across the western United States, including the multi-pitch route Roadhead, Grade IV, 5.10+, in The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Mary has completed the Rock Discipline courses of the AMGA and is currently pursuing IFMGA certification. Last winter she completed her first ski mountaineering race, and plans to compete in several ski mountaineering races this winter, all while raising her 1 year old son, Samuel.

Were all looking forward to working with Mary and excited to see what she'll get up to this winter.