So we made the decision to do the Haute Route this year. Ski touring usually makes up a good part of my mountain time, but this is another thing altogether.
5 days, hut to hut from Chamonix to Zermatt. The guys are looking forward to it and i’ve been studying the maps for weeks. If anyone has any experiences to share let me know…
Usually this involves far more climbing time than descent but with Shep as our guide we have been promised a slightly unusual route.
Hoping to do a heli up to the macugnaga ridge the day after we arrive in Zermatt to do the Marinelli Couloir.
This is the mother of all extreme descents in the European Alps. A nice video is posted here http://www.alpine-guiding.com/trip-gallery/Marinelli2002/marinelli_low_res.mov/view
The route starts on the top left of this picture, involving a very steep traverse across to the right, where the couloir starts. 2500m right down the white icy finger. I have been wanting to do this for about 5 years since skiing the Grober and Eagle couloirs from Gressoney.
Marinelli Couloir
Filed under: Extreme Week 2009 | Tagged: couloir, macugnaga ridge, marinelli couloir, monte rosa
