Home › Forums › Trip Reports › TR: L’Epaule du Tacul: Chamonix
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- March 6, 2014 at 7:48 pm #579795
LizDee
ParticipantFinally the month long storm has subsided here in Chamonix and we have high pressure forecasted for the foreseeable future. Not that I’m complaining about all the storm and pow riding we’ve had the past month :bananas: , it’ll just be nice to get out in the mountains and accomplish some bigger objectives!
Dave Searle, Emily Roo and I went for a mellow ride down the Mer de Glace the day before to get a look at the Aiguille du Tacul. The snow was deep and dry and the Epaule looked good!
Yesterday was the first sunny day of what looks like many. I’ve been wanting to ride the Epaule du Tacul this entire season. I rode it for the first time last season and it’s one of my favorite lines in Cham. It’s pure freeride (except for one small rappel in the middle). I’ve heard a couple horror stories of this line ripping out huge, so it always makes me a bit nervous especially with the blind powdery convex rollover at the top. If this rips there’s no hope for you. It’s in the middle of the Mer de Glace at the junction of the Leschaux and the Tacul Glaciers so it’s exposed to lot’s of weather and wind slabs can form easily. The line isn’t super steep as you ride down the clearly defined, wide ridge but has tons of exposure with each side dropping down 4,000 feet below you. It’s not the steepness that’s the main hazard in this line but snow conditions, sluff management and sharks getting to the rappel. Pic taken from http://www.tobiasgranath.com/
Stoked to get out with Paulie for this mission (fellow splitboarder) we set off from the Midi to send it. I thought we’d be breaking trail to the top but lucky for us there was a vrai extreme ski randonnée frenchman in front of us. Both his skis were as big as one of ours so we broke the other half of the track I guess, haha. Thanks anyway mystery dood! As we approached the bootpack we see two others catching up to us and it was Ben Briggs and Brendan, another splitter! They were off to ride something much more extreme but apparently it wasn’t in condition… and for these two it must have really not been in condition.
At the top. The blind rollover scares the shit out of me. If it had been just Paulie and I, I’d have probably had him belay me over the convexity and stomped around in there a bit. The snow felt really good but there was a lot of it and this isn’t a spot you want to rip for it would mean certain death.
But vrai extreme ski randonnée mystery frenchman was eager to open it. I watch him disappear over the rollover. Brendan got to a spot where he could see him and he said it looked good. Ben disappeared then Brendan, then I got up a bit to watch Paulie shred it. It’s always a relief to get over the rollover and see that it’s not that steep, is super wide and the snow is ideal.
Brendan shredding the lower section.
Getting to the rappel can be kind of tech because of route finding and sharks, but we managed. A short rappel then another 1,500 feet of freeride down the open 35 degree moraine.
Then for the scooch out the Mer de Glace.
I love this line. Super beautiful and really fun, cuz that’s what it’s all about right?
I got home and looked at my footage. Despite my memories of exposure and big turns in deep, light powder the most entertaining stuff on my GoPro was us eating shit on all the sharks. This inspired me to make this video:
[youtube:uk5ujbxs]J_ayyp3IQsk[/youtube:uk5ujbxs]March 6, 2014 at 9:01 pm #675774Jefe009
ParticipantNice Liz! Looks like a great line, you’re killing it this year out in Cham!
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March 6, 2014 at 10:31 pm #675775FloImSchnee
ParticipantBrilliant tour!
Look forward so much going there end of April!
March 6, 2014 at 10:49 pm #675776keffler
ParticipantRad! Thanks for the stoke!
March 8, 2014 at 1:22 am #675777barrows
ParticipantHey Lizzy, that is one sweet line with all that exposure at the top, just absolutely beautiful. Glad you got it in nice snow as well! Thanks for sharing…
March 12, 2014 at 7:17 pm #675778JimmyC
ParticipantBeautiful!
March 12, 2014 at 7:48 pm #675779aliasptr
ParticipantMy wife showed me the video before I saw the TR and it had me cracking up!
Beautiful line, way to do it!
March 12, 2014 at 8:37 pm #675780firstlight
ParticipantLiz
Great news you are killing it with Brendan, rode with him @ NZ Splitfest. He scored line of the Festival.
Make sure he doesn’t take you out to some of the crazy lines he and his mate ride!
CheersAdam West
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