Skiing the Passerelle Couloir in Chamonix - A Step by Step Guide // DAVE SEARLE

[@tomthaw3314]

So cool to find a British guy creating this kind of content! Love it

[@DaveSearle]

Aw thanks. We aren’t taken that seriously in the ski world I think.

[@luc4662]

Fantastic format. Love the commentary.

[@DaveSearle]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@madvacca]

Very much appreciated. Thank you. Perfect compromise between a tutorial, a vlog, and influencer content.👏

[@bdbarnes22]

I would love to see more of this format in the future. I really enjoyed this approach and the commentary.

[@octavian9138]

Well said

[@DaveSearle]

Noted!

[@patrickhazlehurst8472]

Great video. That's a hell of a rappel from the bridge. Nice to see someone skiing with some caution rather than the gung-ho videos.

[@DaveSearle]

Thanks!

[@markthomasson5077]

Thanks really enjoyed this episode. It gives a much clearer impression of what is like to ski such an amazing line (not that I ever will). Real skiing like the majority of us do. Far better than watching a pro charging it.

[@markthomasson5077]

More like this please

[@sprecklesville]

Loved hearing your thinking behind the decisions you made - super interesting

[@A_WoW_Player]

The step by step guide was a really nice addition to the skiing/scenery

[@mk-2]

Really impressive ! I remember seeing seeing people rappelling down from this bridge, I ignored it was to ski this couloir. Now with your video, it's definitely on my bucket list. Love the format, I learnt a lot.

[@patrickzottmann743]

Loved to see this style of video. Please more of that!

[@recrdx]

Super cool content. Appreciated seeing and learning about: A. The different diameter rap set up with explanation of which rope goes on each side of maillon. B. Carabiner Block to Carabiner Block transition between P1 and P2. C. Flaking the rope ahead of you All three things immediately made sense, but are not intuitive if you haven't seen it. Thank you for sharing!

[@tjb8841]

Way to go Chris! That’s some solid skiing period, let alone for your first turns out!

[@regattagarage]

i appreciate this perspective. as someone who hasnt skied or climbed with a guide yet, i've wondered what to expect there

[@FendCore]

I really would have been with you on this one

[@joshbrown3002]

Bloody good video, Dave. Love this format. More please!

[@provotrout1]

It's such a gnarly entrance to a line. Was up on the Passerelle this fall, looked at the rap & though "oh hell no" 😂

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Brilliant stuff Dave, you've come so far on your journey as a guide, fantastic and a great video and tutorial. Cheers, Robert...

[@Nico-bv6hi]

One of the best videos i've seen so far! Really entertaining and informative! Have a great winter! 🙌

[@SingaporeSkaterSam]

Can’t believe he did this straight off the transfer bus! Kudos.

[@DaveSearle]

What a savage!

[@johanengstrom9847]

This was really nice. Liked everything with the video. The talking along the video and the explanations. The show with rapell with smaller dimension rope. And of course the magic rapell and the skiing 👊 Looking forward to next video 🙂

[@DaveSearle]

Awesome, thank you!

[@joew245]

This is a great video. I’m not a skier (I’ve done it once!), but really enjoyed it, I’d love to see videos like this for Alpine climbing.

[@martinandrews2860]

Kudos both. Brilliant.

[@linuse.9420]

Loved it from the beginning until the end 🙏

[@DaveSearle]

Thanks!

[@benronayne]

Brilliant inspirational video, and a really interesting prospective on how you guided your client (fair play to him too for getting to the level hes at!). That absail at the top is epic, just make me want to go to the mountains and spend money on gear

[@Ssadesc]

Loved the commentary! more content like that would be lovely.

[@PaulBeiser]

Awesome Dave, thanks so much. Too old to do that now, but so great to see you all doing it!!

[@javierpena1455]

great activity and great to view with all the explanation, thanks!

[@limitlessbrave]

Awesome experiential video Dave, I will keep you in mind if I get to Cham

[@keithbibby6076]

More of these kinda videos pls Dave 👍

[@DaveSearle]

👍

[@Simklink]

Great format! Wish there was more similar content out there :)

[@aimelez_]

this is actually incredible. I dream of being able to do something like this one day, and your explanations are so helpful to understand whats going on

[@DaveSearle]

Thanks!

[@keenoh]

This is equal parts entertaining and informative, an amazing ski vid format. Haven’t really seen anything else like this around - I’m sure it’s quite high production effort but more would be so great!

[@DaveSearle]

It’s actually pretty easy to make these so I will for sure try to make more!

[@walterfrosch5034]

Very great Clip 👍 Great to hear you talk about your Strategie and descision making. Would love to see a Clip of a technical asent and decent

[@mountainmandoug]

Good to see you getting use out of your RopeLite Micro Prussik. Keep doing rad things.

[@szabolcskiraly6323]

Nice vid, mate. Congrats. Please remember to tie a stopper knot while rappeling, I know, it'annoying, but saves lives 😊 Cheers and keep on sending. Stay safe 😊

[@DaveSearle]

I had a stopper in the bag of the radline which is shorter than the other rope so you’d stop on that but yes I agree stoppers save lives

[@DrewWithington]

Awesome video. You are obviously really good at your job. Seems like you do a lot of thinking about how your clients can enjoy doing exciting things whilst being aware that they aren't as aware of potential hazards as you are. I had a few weeks climbing in Cham as a 20 year old and we learnt by doing routes which was well dodgy at times.

[@cXilion]

nice format dave. nice to have a look "in the kitchen" of fellow climbers. abseiling is an awkwards mess sometimes that noone likes to talk about normally ;)

[@DaveSearle]

It is awkward and more so with skis on!

[@albinholmqvist]

Very generous! Great work.

[@maciek4379]

Great work with that vid, definetly keep doing those kinds of tutorials :)

[@jbm2293]

Love the type of video! Thx Dave

[@jasonmaxted9852]

Great video! Keep them up

[@nicolaschausse5299]

Super cool vidéo Dave thank you

[@drclimb]

Interesting to watch as a non-skier but climber!

[@andreasschubertekelund]

Super cool video Dave! Hope you're doing well down in Cham!

[@irideaduck939]

For this type of fun activity I could see the use of some Rockie Talkies helpful.

[@stephenclark15]

The snow conditions looked pretty stellar considering there was no deep instability like you mentioned, and that it was May....

[@tonymankey520]

Really cool video.

[@petr-podrouzek]

Amazing, Dave :-)

[@Nopha-Kingway]

Super helpful and interesting

[@DaveSearle]

🙌

[@guillaumel.8610]

Great video and step by step ! So sad for the abseil itself, it was definitly on my 'to do' list :(

[@flinrodgers1356]

loved that

[@pawelsz4825]

Gr8 content. Thnx

[@tf2hypex963]

More of this!!!

[@DaveSearle]

🙌

[@acmethunder]

Awesome video. One question I have is you said you were not super thrilled with the stability. What would normally happen at that point if you got in there and it turned out to be too unstable?

[@DaveSearle]

Short answer is you’d have to belay down to a point that you felt comfortable to ski. Ideally you have a pretty good idea or feel for the regional stability and you are only dealing with localised pockets. The nice thing about going top down on a line is you can assess the stability and control it on a rope as you go which is exactly what we did. When we realised it was actually pretty good but initially looked bad it was game on. The nuances and experience that is needed to make those decisions are pretty complex and we don’t always make the right decisions. Trying to ski good steep snow will always carry some risks. I’m personally also always learning about this kind of stuff with every experience and even watching this video back I see things that I would do differently if faced with it again. For example I might have made another hand pit after the couloir opened up.

[@DaveSearle]

I Hope that helps!

[@lorenroot7667]

Don’t recall the Factions from your ski quiver video. New addition? Like them?

[@DaveSearle]

New Partnership this season!

[@gregorymcnally9257]

Great footage Dave. You've obviously built a great working relationship with Chris. What type of anchor was there just off the bridge? It looked like some king of metal step?

[@Henchmedias]

Clipping the loose carabiner end of the connect-adjust through the pulling strand of the abseil rope can melt the plastic do-hooky thing. Coincidentally managed to do that to mine on this very abseil a couple of years back. I avoid doing it now unless I'm using a sling. Instead I clip it to my belay biner extended on the connect adjust, but doesn't look like you are doing that here. Hopefully a useful insight! Great vid btw!

[@DaveSearle]

Yeah it can but doesn’t always. I normally always clip the pull strand of the rope with my CA as a reminder. If the rubber Keeper is on the spine of the carabiner then it’s normally out of the way. But it is something to think about.

[@jpmmustonen]

Thanks for really great, informative and super interesting video! It's really nice to see how You work & interact with Your client "in action". Do You use Petzl Altitude or similar "lightweight" harness on such long rappel, or are You using more robust & padded ones? Those Faction Agent 3's are just fantastic skis, have You tried their La Machine -series yet? They are also superb

[@DaveSearle]

Im using and very light harness The petzl Fly with the padding in. It was totally fine, obviously not super comfy but it did the trick for that day. Love the Agent 3's my favourite skis from last winter and also really liked the La machine 4 (the massive) I abandoned my old quiver for faction now!

[@ScottRosa2008]

Dave you mentioned about having gloves which are warm enough but dexterous enough to be able to do things. What do you use that time of year where it can still be really cold as it’s not summer yet?

[@Benzknees]

Love the detail you put into this video. Can I ask when those belay anchors were attached into the rock, and how long they're considered stable enough for use? It strikes me that rock is a potentially brittle material affected by the expansion of any freezing water that gets into the drilled holes.

[@DaveSearle]

No idea sorry. Yeah I’m sure it could become a problem and they need to be checked. They used to get used very regularly though.

[@Fabianwew]

Maybe you could use a simple purcell prusik for your clients without a petzl connect or similar variable tether? If you tie it single strand it's very light.

[@DaveSearle]

Yeah I guess I could.

[@nickb1966]

Bummed this is banned now, I have always wanted to do this line off the bridge. Would be cool if you post another vid if you do the new way this season.

[@apeiron1984]

very informative. could the "carabiner block" can get jammed somewhere when you pull down the rope?

[@DaveSearle]

Yes for sure in the wrong terrain!

[@jacopolerda6280]

Hi Dave, Super nice and informative video! One question: this looks like a perfect scenario for the beal escaper combined with the paso guide. Are there any specific reasons to go for the rad line/paso guide setup?

[@DaveSearle]

Did you see the stake that is sticking out when I step over the barrier? That would love to snag your escaper! I brought two ropes as i didnt know what I was going to do until I got to the top of the midi and looked in and saw this was looking primo!

[@jacopolerda6280]

@DaveSearle thank you for answering! Do you find yourself going with the escaper when you don't know if the belay may have this kind of issues?

[@colinwatt00]

I’m sure it’s client-to-client specific, but I’d love to go out with you for a day where you take the time to teach me as we go and let me into your thought and decision making process. As an aside - it’s a pet peeve of mine ‘shouting in the mountains’. Is it common in your area to use two-way radios? Everyone uses them in my area. It makes for clear communication.

[@DaveSearle]

Yeah I try as much as possible to include my clients in the decision making process and also give them information and ways to learn during the day. As for radios, they work differently here in Europe with more restrictions and are basically less “strong”. They certainly tried to use them and basically had little to no luck. A WhatsApp call and a AirPod pro can work well though!

[@ByronBohte]

Where you guys finished the couloir on the rond glacier, is it possible to get there without the abseil? Great vid 👏

[@DaveSearle]

Yes you can normally ski the glacier rond without having to do any rappels but it does often involve some dry skiing at the top which is often very awkward.

[@ByronBohte]

@DaveSearle thanks, dude! Looking forward to a fantastic season

[@itsnowjoke1381]

Great vid ! Are you using airbags ?

[@DaveSearle]

I’m not. In fact I don’t own one. Sometimes I wish I did but mostly there are too many cliffs and crevasses around here to get buried.

[@TheDaveCoates]

Is this still the case. I’m reading elsewhere that it’s completely banned now and you have to go off the end of the Cosmiques.

[@mathiasobmascher6152]

very nice!! which bindings are you skiing on your faction agents?

[@DaveSearle]

ATK freeraider 15 evo! I’m about to drop a video about it.

[@claudelorda6679]

Love this, thanks so much. How long were each of your 2 ropes ?

[@DaveSearle]

60m

[@JohnGM96]

When i have done dapells on diffrent size ropes, ive always connected them with a double fishermans knot, and clipped the carabiner through a alpine buttlerfly. Is this setup a problem, or is it just a diffrent way of doing things? And is there a reason for not using stopper knots on the end of the rope? To keep it from getting stuck? Thank you for a great video, as always.

[@DaveSearle]

Just a different way to do it! The rad line has a Knot in it and it was 4m shorter than the paso guide so that would be my early warning to stop!

[@davidp.ritchie6526]

Awesome video some incredible stuff there. One question and i know they weren't yours but do you know the feelings on the black crows Navis free bird especially in deeper snow as I'm torn between them and the Corvus as a touring with a bit of skimo ski any thoughts are good to know. thanks in advance.

[@DaveSearle]

No experience with black crows skis I'm afraid.

[@tjb8841]

What is your rappel extension? A dogbone? Girth hitched to your harness or clipped with a carabiner (so basically a locker draw)?

[@DaveSearle]

Its a Canyoneering cutaway. Like a dogbone but pre twisted.

[@rc666]

You ski with big foots, see blizzard of Ahh. Those are real skies.

[@DaveSearle]

You win the weirdest comment of 2025!

[@bengt_axle]

Why doesn't Chris thread his hand through and grip the pole straps?

[@DaveSearle]

I’m be coached him not to use them on the downs…

[@andyman127]

Curious how long that repel was? Also, I have been on the fence about buying the petzl adjust personal anchor... Yeah I think its time to stop fussing with cheap loops PAs.

[@kocot.]

it's a 2x60m, which is a major demotivator if you only own 50s :P

[@DaveSearle]

They were both around 55M

[@giuseppepetruzzella8548]

che cordino hai usato come mashard?e che diametro aveva?grazie

[@giuseppepetruzzella8548]

😇 attendo risposta

[@DaveSearle]

I think you are asking about the prusik loop I have. It’s a ropelite one from the states.

[@ShunkopleX]

When and why was this banned? Is possible to go from the railing then?

[@DaveSearle]

Did you watch the video??

[@gabrielmarias972]

As usually, amazing line and content, will be great some stuff like that of Couloir des Cosmiques, Col du Cristaux or Glacier Rond. What are your thougts about this kind of free falling rappels with full equipment with 2x Rad lines, using double carabiner to add extra friction? Enough or dangerous? Cheers

[@DaveSearle]

Yeah with two carabiners 2x radline would be good!

[@davidgdgdg]

This is also of course an absolutely historic video because it’s probably the last time anyone is going to film this.

[@DaveSearle]

Yeah it just might be…

[@Mecholable]

How do you like the Faction Agent compared to the other skis you have?

[@DaveSearle]

I liked them so much at the end of last year I’ve gone full faction this year.

[@mettflow2648]

@@DaveSearle interesting, I actually didnt like my agent 3 that much, but skied them like 3 times in awkward spring glacier conditions this year and had issues with my atk bindings, so looking forward to testing them properly this year

[@DaveSearle]

@ of al the skis I tried last year the factions put he biggest smile on my face..

[@kocot.]

damn, I kept making excuses not do it (mostly due to no way back if snow conditions are risky) and now the rappel is gone. It won't be the same again :/

[@mettflow2648]

still there bud, just be fast so you don't get shouted at in French :)

[@DaveSearle]

The good thing about this line is you can top down control it.

[@PompeyBoy66]

No way would I attempt to ski that first one!

[@izarscharf7845]

10:22 why not just clove in ?

[@DaveSearle]

With what?

[@monstermegahoschi]

That snow doesn't look safe at all. When that one dude skied above the other one I saw the floe going... On the other hand, there's not much you can do if the guy in front of you stops almost in the slope line.

[@DaveSearle]

Probably some of the safest and best snow I skied all of last winter actually.

[@monstermegahoschi]

Looked really stacked and a little glazed in the footage, but you were there so my bad 🥴

[@kocot.]

the real problem there is that there is no way back anyway, you do the assessment from the bridge and you just need to send it, in the best scenario you had some friends checking it from the glacier ronde earlier that day or the day before.

[@mettflow2648]

bomber conditions

[@edjack1993]

Well done. And very informative. But seems like a massive faff.

[@DaveSearle]

Just the normal amount of faff actually. People just generally don’t show the faff as it’s not the cool part. Actually it’s not uncommon to do 3-4 rappels on this line. Faff tastic.

[@TheoDor-k6t]

chris didnt do much right this day didnt he

[@DaveSearle]

He did great! Give him a brake, he had literally just got off an airport transfer 1 hour before stepping over the bridge.