No Snow Here, but there's snow there...

Until it snows more here, we can dream...  from a friend visiting Leysin, Switzerland.  Side note to anyone that followed the pioneers of Scottish mountaineering:   These photo's are taken on basically the same slope that Dougal Haston died on in 1977, age 36. 

The Swiss ski resort of Leysin is part of the Glacier-Alpes Vaudoises Ski Area and has direct access to 60km of downhill skiing, with 28 individual pistes, served by 16 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing in Leysin itself (60 kmkm of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Glacier-Alpes Vaudoises ski resorts of Anzère, Château d'Oex, Gstaad, Les Diablerets and Villars - Gryon.

With skiing above 2000 metres, snow cover is generally reliable.

Dougal Haston was a cult figure in Scottish Mountaineering and despite surviving some of the most heinous exploits in the mountains including an open bivvy at 28,000 ft on Everest after he and Doug Scott had made the first ascent of the SW Face, he died skiing , in an avalanche, alone.

Thanks for the reference and pictures. Haston was my boyhood hero and I always wondered what the slope looked like that took him. Now I know.

The exact spot is about 300 meters or so down the hill from where these pics where taken. The slope does a downward northeasterly traverse and the area that slid is very benign looking and I had a hard time understanding how such a small slope (much smaller than these in terms of vertical relief) could slide. But it did and he was caught, alone, in a terrain trap.

He's buried in a small cemetery about 5 KM from here, along with another Mountaineering hero from the US, John Harlin II. They, and other mountaineers, used Leysin as a base, and it's the home of the International School of Mountaineering... neat place and I'd like to live there someday.

I too idolized Dougal as a lad. His exploits, along with Doug Scott, Don Willans, Joe Brpown, Doug Scott and Chris Bonnington were the stuff of dreams for a young climber, It is bittersweet to remember those giants (all gone now), Thanks for stirring up those memories and also for the great pics.

Thanks for the Swiss report! Heading there in February. They are off to a great start! We will be staying close by in Villars sur Ollon.

great thread & fantastic photos.

sir chris bonnington is still alive & kicking