For my birthday, I bought myself a nice pair of carbon telescopic poles, but more than anything, I was looking forward to testing them out in the field. The conditions for skiing at lower elevations aren’t great anymore, and after the latest disappointments with “crusty” snow, we headed up high, to a place I’d never been before. The Refuge des Ecrins is a true eagle’s nest; the food is excellent and plentiful, and the view of the Glacier Blanc is breathtaking. We wake up fairly late, but the ascent is quick. Once we reach the Breche Lory, we leave our skis behind and head toward the Barre. The cold wind and clouds prevent us from getting a decent summit photo, so we quickly return to the breche to climb the Dome de Neige as well, where we meet a group that left the refuge with us. Conditions are very good: on the ascent, the snow doesn’t make carrying the skis on the switchback trail too much of a hassle, and on the descent, with a bit of clever maneuvering, carrying them is limited to about fifteen minutes. To quote an anonymous person who didn’t take part in this trip: “Ski mountaineering is the best—you get to ski and climb at the same time.”