One of the things I love most about ski touring is exploring new areas. If that can be combined with skiing a great line in good conditions then for me skiing doesn’t get much better. By some careful planning and a good dose of luck Joel and I managed to tick all these boxes earlier this week when we went to check out the peaks around Loriaz, an area neither us had skied before. We ended up skiing the NNE couloir of the Cornes de Loriaz, an aesthetic line that snakes its way down the face and offers about 500m of moderately steep skiing (according to the guidebook, the couloir averages 42 degrees, the crux being the first 70m or so where it is steeper and quite tight).

We found the line in great condition, with perfect spring snow on the approach slope and cold powder on the face itself. Hard work on the ascent…