Steep skiing, Vivian Bruchez shares his experience dealing with the unexpected

Among the currently active steep skiers in the Mont-Blanc Range, Vivian Bruchez has a reputation for pushing until the very last minute before taking out the rope. His goal is to remain on skis as much as possible to respect the logical line of descent, even if this means sometimes scraping his edges on rock or ice. In this frame of mind and to keep his backpack as light as possible, he only carries the minimum amount of rope required, just enough for a short rappel or to deal with the unexpected.

Lightweight equals both fast and safe

The most spectacular ski descents often happen after meticulously scouting out the line, and by following weather and snow conditions day-to-day to avoid any unpleasant surprises. On the Aiguille Verte, Aiguille du Chardonnet, or Mont Blanc's west face, any rappels are planned for in advance, as with the approach climb. This careful preparation translates to choosing the right gear to bring no more or less than absolutely necessary. Ski-mountaineering lightweight means moving fast, which also translates to being safe.

RAD SYSTEM: carrying an essential safety tool that won't weigh down your pack

If the ascent route involves any technical climbing, then you will need to bring the appropriate mountaineering equipment as well as a dynamic rope. Last January's first descent of the "allumette" (the matchstick) with Jeremy Audibert, a new line through Flammes de Pierre spires, required a 60-meter single rope for one pitch of mixed climbing in between the sections of skiable terrain.

However, most of the time when steep skiing, skiers do their best to travel as light as possible, especially if they plan to climb their line of descent. Roping up on a snow slope that one intends to descend unroped on skis does not make sense. In this case, Vivian brings his RAD SYSTEM for any potential rappels and to be able to carry an essential safety tool that won't weigh down his sack.

When the unexpected occurs

Of course, one easy solution would be to leave the rope at home, as too many skiers still do from Chamonix to La Grave. In this case you need to be absolutely sure that everything will go as planned. The problem in the high mountains, even for experts like Vivian, is the unexpected. At least once in a ski-mountaineering career, everyone has experienced a sudden change in weather, difficult snow conditions, or sketchy snow bridges spanning crevasses. Last May, when taking photos for this article, we faced unexpected fog, which forced us to seek a plan B in zero visibility on easy terrain near the Aiguille du Midi. Our project did not call for a rope, but we still had a RAD SYSTEM with us just in case. Given the change in weather, we were glad we did: without this key piece of gear, we would have had to cross a heavily crevassed area in whiteout conditions with no rope at our disposal, a situation best avoided. Thanks to this emergency gear, we were able to rappel down the rocks, avoid any crevasses, and even make a few good turns to salvage the day.

Text and photos: Boris Dufour