Glacier Pers

Today we skinned up to Glacier Pers which is accessed via a long traverse to the right of Col Pers. It was bitterly cold, and as Glacier Pers is almost entirely in shadow it was not a morning for hanging around too much. After the walk the snow was soft underfoot, like thick velvet, allowing for relaxed, languid turns. Brilliant skiing in an awesome environment.

Glacier Pers is a series of gently undulating slopes that lead down to the valley floor below the Glacier des Sources de l'Isere, where the Isere river begins its journey towards Grenoble and beyond. Over many centuries the river has cut a very impressive gorge - Gorges de Malpasset - into the rock. When there is a lot of snow the river becomes completely covered by a snow bridge and it is then possible to ski through the gorge to the Pont St Charles. When there is not enough snow, then beware! Best not to ski all the way down, but skin up to the Grand Torsai and then down to the Fornet from there.

I appreciated everyone's comments on yesterday's ski tracks photo, but as the light was very different today there was no blue sky back ground. So here is an atmospheric shot of guide Wayne Watson leading the walk up.

Just to reiterate, the ski action shots are taken by Jean Ribart, and if you like off piste skiing and mountain pictures, do have look at his web page:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jean.ribart