On Saturday 13th April Rosie and I made the short drive from Saint Gervais Les Bains to Val d’Isere. It had snowed the previous evening and we had a great day skiing both on and off piste on excellent snow. The ski area was very quiet and therefore it was not hard to find fresh snow for skiing. We stayed in the village on the Saturday evening before meeting up with Scott and Tina on the Sunday for more great skiing.
Rosie travelled back to Saint Gervais on the Monday morning leaving Tina, Scott and I to begin our five day ski touring trip. We began the trip by using the lift system to allow us to access the Col Pers (3009m). From here we descended to the Refuge Prariond (2324m) and following a short break we ascended the Col de la Lose (2957m). The avalanche forecast for the Monday and the whole week was ‘Considerable’ early in the morning rising to ‘High’ by midday due to the heat and this route gave us a ridge to follow to the col making for a safe itinerary.
After our ski tour we had a relaxing evening and night at the Refuge Prariond.This is a very friendly, small hut which is highly recommended.
We were up early on the Tuesday morning to increase safety and ensure good snow on our ascent and descent of the Grande Aiguille Rousse (3482m). The descent was at first on powder followed by beautiful spring snow in the mid section.
On Wednesday we linked France and Italy with the ascent of the Pointe de la Galise (3343m). It was important to complete the ascent of this mountain early in the morning as it passes through a narrow passage which is exposed to avalanches when the snow warms later in the day. This meant we arrived at the summit early and therefore had a nice relaxing break to allow the surface of the snow on the descent to improve before a brilliant ski descent to the Refuge du Fond (2324m).
The Refuge du Fond is a small hut located near the Refuge Benevolo. It is run by the owners of a local restaurant and serves brilliant homemade Italian food. It has showers, small rooms and provides a comfortable base for a number of excellent ski tours.
On Thursday we made the ascent of Punta Calabre (3445m). This mountain provides an excellent viewpoint from where it is possible to see the Barre des Ecrins, Gran Paradiso, Matterhorn, Grand Combin and Mont Blanc.
Following our descent we visited the Refuge Benevolo before refreshing crevasse rescue techniques and returning to the Refuge du Fond.
The forecast for Friday was for a deterioration in the weather mid morning. Therefore, we made an early ascent of the the Col du Fond (3081m) before our descent to the village of Rhemes Notre Dame (1723m).
Rosie picked us up at the village and we returned to France and Saint Gervais via the Mont Blanc Tunnel for some lunch and rest.
Ski resorts such as Val d’Isere and Chamonix (near Saint Gervais) can be accessed via the transfer company Alps2Alps. They can be contacted through their website www.alps2alps.com. They also have a blog and facebook page with interesting informatiuon for skiers.
The deterioration of the weather did arrive on Friday. This morning, in Saint Gervais at 850 metres, we have woken up to a large dump of fresh snow! Up high in the mountains I would expect large quantities which will need a few days to settle.
