Day 4: The unexpected day

As we aspected, the plan changed, after an havy snow fall during the night it’s not thinkable to go up to the Vernag refuge, the avalange risk is too high. Along Vallunga there are steep slops and it’s too dangerous to traverse it with a group like ours. So we’ve decided to move in the val Roia and go up towards the Griankopft spitze, that presents a terrain much more suitable for a grade 4 avalanche risk. It’s not possible to change the weather, and striving to travel the planned route can only lead to bad consequences.

Anyway, an “epic” day awaited us, sunshine and 30cm of fresch snow, so let’s go for “first tracks” in Val Roia, that today seams to to be a Norway fiord … The climb is simple and pleasant, everybody happy to enjoy this beautiful day, but unfortunately the unexpected is always there around the corner, and the transition from fun to terror is immediate… as short as a curve, as fast as the detachment of an avalanche.

During the descent, Thomas (the german guy), was involved in an avalanche accident, traversing a small slope came off under his feet also if we where skiing one by one. It was a small accident and fortunately with no consequences, but obviously unexpected and certainly not fun. Later I will try to better describe what happened, because it was an experience that taught me a lot of things both negative and positive.

We’ve spent several hours talking all together what had happened and what to do, the mood was not the best, and it was rightly decided to give up the next day’s trip and dedicate the day to safety by doing of ARTVA research and self-rescue exercises, so as to find the right spirit and go on with the last day of Transalp.