One more step in his quest for the Alps. Since he decided to ski down the 82 peaks at more than 4,000 m of the Alpine arc, Vivian Bruchez has been scrutinizing, inspecting, and analyzing the surroundings of the Rochefort dome (4,051 m), a of the most difficult to access peaks of the Mont-Blanc massif. “I’ve been circling around for a while,” admits the guide, happy to have finally been able to ski this mountain, eclipsed by its neighbors, more visible and more pleasant.
“What encouraged me to believe it was the abundant snowfall this spring”
Last year, the man who has become a world reference in steep slope skiing had already tried to drag his edges there with Mike Arnold. “The bottom slope was completely made of ice. We therefore carefully descended via the Mont Mallet glacier, joining the classic descent of the Puiseux breche,” he explains. Stubborn, he who almost never ventures without his spatulas at altitude has nevertheless always kept an eye on the snow in the area.
“This spring, I continued my scouting from the viewpoint above the Chapeau refreshment bar. I took photos, analyzed them, traced my ideas and sent them to a few friends to motivate them to accompany me,” he says, long subject to doubt. “I was always uncertain about the feasibility of my ideas, but what encouraged me to believe in them was the abundant snowfall this spring resulting from generously bad weather.”
