Category: French Alps

French Alps, Mountains, Val d'Isere

From couloir du Mont Blanc to Cugnai

Returning from Cugnai: ferme de l'Arcelle
Returning from Cugnai: ferme de l’Arsellaz

Yesterday’s miles of skinning are already a distant memory. Today, we’re skiing; just skiing. After a less than auspicious start –  from the top of Bellevarde down the Super-Santons on yet-untransformed snow and amid brown grassy patches – we headed back up the hill, then through the jardins de Borsat, across to the Charvet and down a depleted but good couloir du Mont Blanc. Once again, with snow being in limited supply, guide Chris ushered us about the mountain in an attempt to avoid crowds, and mostly, as usual, he succeeded .

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Unknown's avatarJean-Yves Gilg1 Comment
French Alps, Mountains, Val d'Isere

Skinning up to the glacier Pers

Skinning up to the Glacier Pers
Skinning up to the Glacier Pers

The north-west wind was still blowing in big gusts over the hill. Overnight it had pushed snow around and further sculpted the upper layers into crinkled sheets. Banks of clouds were sweeping across the surrounding peaks. As the morning began to unfold, the main question was to figure out which parts of the mountain would be most sheltered. In the end, we opted for Glacier Pers. The upper lifts had remained shut because of the wind, so from the Signal drag, we began the long traverse behind the Rochers Pers and above the Lechoir.

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Unknown's avatarJean-Yves Gilg2 Comments
French Alps, Mountains, Val d'Isere

Sunshine and powder at the Col Pers

Chris making fresh tracks in Pays Desert
Chris making fresh tracks in Pays Desert

Last week’s snow falls seem a long time ago but there is still some powder to be had if you’re prepared to get up early and break a bit of sweat on skins. This morning, Chris took us to the further reaches of the Pays Desert before hiking over to the Col Pers and across to the Lechoir for some fantastic skiing.

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Le Monal: winter wonderland, for real
French Alps, Sainte Foy Tarentaise, Travel

Le Monal in winter: wonder and peace

Le Monal: winter wonderland, for real
Le Monal: winter wonderland, for real

“Do you mind if we move our tour to Le Monal to Thursday?” the guide asks.

It’s a sunny enough day but apparently there is too much wind on the other side of the mountain, whereas the forecast for Thursday is sunny all day and no wind, which would be ideal. We could still do it today, but really Thursday would be better.

I got up at 6.45 and drove half an hour to get to Sainte Foy, the starting point for the trip; so I do mind a little. The only possible answer, though, is: “Of course, that’s no problem”.

But having come all this way and being so close to Le Monal, a place I have been meaning to see in the winter for so long, I’m not going to give up just like that – I am going to walk there instead.

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Unknown's avatarJean-Yves Gilg1 Comment
French Alps, Travel

Bonneval-les-Bains: tales of a failed spa project

Bonneval-les-bains: the pool with no swimmers
Bonneval-les-bains: the pool with no swimmers

The road that winds up the vallée des chapieux from Bourg Saint Maurice has been cleared as far as Bonneval-les-Bains. This is where we’re heading with former instructor M, who has suggested we go snowshoeing away from the Val d’Isère crowds and explore the lesser-known parts of the Tarentaise.

She tells me about Bonneval, a small settlement of scattered houses on the way to the Cormet de Roselend, a popular destination in the summer. Now, in mid-February, this is where the road stops. There is nobody else around apart from a couple of cars parked on the roadside opposite the ruins of a hotel that was never completed and a derelict open-air swimming pool.

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Unknown's avatarJean-Yves GilgLeave a comment
View over the glaciers du Mont Pourri from Le Monal
French Alps, Sainte Foy Tarentaise, Travel

Early spring at Le Monal

View over the glaciers du Mont Pourri from Le Monal
View over the glaciers du Mont Pourri from Le Monal

In peak winter season Le Monal is a favourite destination for backcountry skiers in the Tarentaise area. Skinning up to the Unesco-listed hamlet you get breathtaking views over the glaciers on the Mont Pourri on the other side of the Isere valley. The site is also awash with walkers in the summer months thanks in part to the ease with which it can be accessed; a pleasant hike from the Echaillon parking area in Sainte Foy at 1500m, along a gently sloping path to reach the 1874m settlement. Even senior folk such as Godfather P can undertake it strain free. And the likes of Dr K can be lured aboard with promises of rural baroque chapels – even though most of them are shut or their pretty altars visible only from behind bars.   Continue reading “Early spring at Le Monal”

Unknown's avatarJean-Yves Gilg2 Comments