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Guided walking – snowshoeing – via ferrata in the French Alps with Mark Tennent

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Chaos in the Alps – snow ? too much of a good thing!

The 27th December was a chaotic day in the Tarentaise from Albertville via Bourg-St Maurice to Val d’Isere. This chaos was the combination of several factors: the volume of traffic; a heavy snowfall arriving overnight after a long snow “drought”; poorly equipped vehicles; poor driving and the management of the situation by the local services and police.

The volume of vehicles was nothing out of the ordinary for a peak ?change over day? in the Tarentaise valley with up to 30,000 vehicles using the dual-carriageway from Albertville to Moutiers. The peak weekends for Christmas week, the New Year and the February half-term periods are typically this busy.

Up until this weekend there was virtually no lying snow below about 1600m. The roads were all ?black?. The snow started to fall late of Friday night and continued all night and by the morning about 40 cm had accumulated at my home overlooking the valley at 600m. I was on the roads that day but going across the flow of traffic into the Beaufortain.? I experienced no difficulty in driving despite the snowfall; so the amount of snow, per se, was not the key factor.

Living here all year I change my wheels over some time in November for another set; all equipped with snow / winter tyres. I also put a set of chains in the boot, alongside a pair of work gloves and a proper metal shovel. Many tourists from elsewhere in France or further afield understandably didn’t factor in this sudden change in conditions. So, they came with normal summer tyres and no chains. Those with chains had almost certainly never practised putting them on and being faced with the task in deep snow and with cold and wet hands struggled to do so.

With a high volume of vehicles it only takes one or two vehicles to become stuck for a traffic jam to quickly develop. Anticipation was lacking and rather than stop and put on chains before becoming stuck motorists pushed on until unable to move further; blocking the road or if on the dual-carriageway reducing it to one lane. There are designated ?putting on chains areas? off the road in many places.

Finally the management of the situation could have been better. On occasions the police check vehicles are properly equipped (chains or winter tyres) before allowing them to proceed. This appeared to have happened but not far enough in advance. If this had happened at the level of Albertville the chaos further on could have been avoided. Clearly once the roads become blocked with vehicles snow ploughs and other emergency services are unable to do their job.

What could be done better? In Germany and some other countries winter tyres are obligatory. Should France do the same for at least the Alpine areas? Encouraging the use of the railway that runs up the Tarentaise as far as Bourg St Maurice rather than having a colossal volume of cars that drive up only to be left parked for the whole week. This could be combined with coach services to take people from the ?rail-head? to the resort. Food for thought?

Highlights of the Tour of the Vanoise

The Vanoise massif (mountain range) is one of my favourite mountain areas.? The main area of the Vanoise is protected from the tentacles of the alpine ski industry by being a national park with strict regulations halting so-called ?development?.

With the heatwave still in full swing it was great to head into the mountains and lower temperatures.? The Tour of the Vanoise stays high for most of its journey, rarely dropping below 2000m except for the start and end of the trek.

The first day, having reached the Col de la Vanoise and the Refuge Felix Faure, we took a walk ?off-the-beaten-track? in search of wildlife.? We weren’t disappointed spotting several chamois. One, having moved a short distance, settled down to observe us from the top of a large boulder ? watching you, watching me.? Chamois are such elegant creatures in their preferred environment of rocky terrain high in the mountains.? Along the way we also came across the emblematic flower of the Alps; the edelweiss.

The next day we stopped to picnic by the Lacs des Lozieres; beautiful mountain lakes nestling at the foot of the Mont Pelve and the glaciers of the Vanoise.? The temptation to take a dip was too strong and astonishingly, even at 2400m, the water was warm enough to enjoy a few minutes in its cool embrace!? Further on below the Dome de Chasseforet we came across several female ibex with their young, called? ?cabri?, close by.? One of the females posed, perched on a rocky ledge beneath an overhang.? As we moved on she decided to come down, nonchalantly skipping across steep rock ledges to regain the ground.

A subsequent day a huge shadow cast on the ground drew our attention to a bearded vulture soaring effortlessly in the afternoon thermals.? It was joined by a juvenile vulture with its darker colouring.? Magnificent birds.

Mountain refuges come in all shapes and sizes.? One of my favourite spots is the Refuge de l’Aiguille Doran just below the valley of the Orgere.? We passed the time before dinner playing boules on the ?court? overlooking the Maurienne valley.? Fabienne’s cooking was, as usual, superb and we were treated to a lovely homemade soup followed by pork fillet in a creamy sauce.? For a mountain refuge with character, La Dent Parrachee, perched on a knoll above the twin lakes above Aussois is well worth a visit.? The Dent Parrachee is managed by Franck who presides over the refuge like a master of ceremonies.?? The new refuges at the Col de la Vanoise and the Refuge de l’Arpont gave me mixed feelings.? The ?soul? of the old refuges appeared to be missing; perhaps I’m too sentimental.? The new refuges are however very functional and clearly much easier to manage for the guardians.

Discovering Iceland

In the past month I’ve made two visits to Iceland as a Field Studies Guide. These trips are to show school pupils studying for Geography at GCSE or A Level various sites relating to various aspects of geography including plate tectonics, glaciers and volcanic activity.

Iceland sits astride the mid-Atlantic ridge that separates the American and Eurasian tectonic plates. These two plates are moving apart at the rate of about 2mm per year. ?Hotspots? where magma rises closer to the earth’s surface also give rise to high levels of volcanic activity.

A presentation at one of Iceland’s geo-thermal powerstations explained how they have the ultimate source of renwable energy. 90% of Iceland’s hot water is geo-thermal and electricity too is generated using steam turbines.

The ?Blue Lagoon?, a geo-thermally heated outside pool in the middle of an old lava field is a ?must do?. The water a milky blue from the high silica content, steam rising from the water and temperatures reaching that of a hot bath. A real treat. It was an environmental accident that has turned into a major tourist attraction.

It was wonderful to see the Aurore Borealis (or Northern Lights) on three consecutive nights from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. I had seen the Aurore Borealis on only two occasions before; both from the Highlands of Scotland. Once from a bivouac on the Cuillin of Skye and another time descending from Ben Nevis shortly after nightfall in early January.

We also visited Geysir and saw the eruption of the Stokkur the most active of the geysirs at the site. This geysir goes off every 5 to 10 minutes launching boiling water into the air. Also on the programme was the Thingvellir National Park and the middle of the ?graben? (the land between two tectonic plates) and we walked from ?Europe? up on to the ?American? plate.

Iceland hit the headlines in 2010 with the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallaj?kull that flung volcanic dust high into the atmosphere disrupting flights throughout Europe. Iceland has many volcanoes with Hekla and Katla being some of the most watched over in the south of the country.

Snowshoe Traverse of the Beaufortain in the French Alps

An amazing trip! We covered just over 50 km over 6 days. It doesn’t sound a lot until you start breaking trail in knee deep snow combined with days with up to 1000m of ascent.

After a very pleasant evening at the Hotel du Vivier at St Nicholas la Chapelle we took a short taxi ride to our starting point above Notre-Dame de Bellecombe. The forecast was good for the day and the low cloud promised to disperse. It soon did just that as we broke through the think cloud into glorious sunshine. A snow-covered track led upwards with clearings and snow-covered pine trees for company. Soon we were looking across to the Chaine des Aravis and down to the posh ski resort of Megeve. On up, zig-zagging through mature pine trees. We met the ski pistes below the Cret du Midi along with spectacular, 360 degree views of the mountains including Mont Blanc. Breath-taking stuff! The ridge roller-coasted along past the top of Ban Rouge (1983m). We stopped for lunch amongst sparse small pines feeling the warmth of the sun on our faces. Fox and hare tracks criss-crossed our route until we reached the Mont Vores (2097m).

The Mont Clocher with its white, tubular cross gave views across to tomorrow’s route and down to the village of Haute Luce and it’s baroque church tower. Soon we were descending past snow-covered chalets and then more steeply through woods before gaining gentler ground and chalets above Haute Luce and the end of our first day.

The next morning dawned clear and cold with a crisp crust crunching beneath our snowshoes as we headed in the direction of the Lac de la Girotte and La Commanderie. I was pleased to follow an upward ski-track rather than break trail as the path steepened. Soon we were in the sun again on this predominantly north-facing mountain side. We stopped for a snack in the sun-trap created by a old chalet, its wood darkened with the sun and age. Our path now diverged from the ski mountaineers as we followed the line of a forest track. An old avalanche had ?banked out? the track and we crossed this one at a time. A moment later we spotted a ?hard? of chamois. We stopped and watched one of them eating young shoots and branches of a tree by the side of the track. Now in the shade we moved on, silently brushing through deep, powder snow. We shared the work of breaking track. More chamois provided our lunch-time entertainment as they found thin pickings on a steep rocky hillside in the forest. Rounding a spur we stopped to check out the first part of our descent. Soon we were plunging effortlessly down through powder on a descending traverse to pick up the start of a track. We followed this until we came out in open ground interspersed with chalets deserted for the winter months. Soon we established ourselves on a broad spur that took us down to the hamlet of Les Curtillets. Shedding our snowshoes we followed a lovely footpath wending down past a waterfall and into the village of Beaufort and our hotel for the night.

The third day dawned with snow falling as we set off up a footpath heading in the direction of the Lac du Clou. Walking past a chalet a pair of dogs decided that we provided a great opportunity for an impromptu walk and they scampered along in front of us playing in the snow and snuffling around in the woods alongside. After two long days we were happy to keep today shorter and we used the time to practise avalanche transceiver searches, probing (with avalanche probes) and digging techniques with snow shovels. You can never practice enough. Soon we entered the village of Areches and our overnight stop.

  • Refuge Nant du Beurre Beaufortain
    The Refuge Nant du Beurre in the Beaufortain
  • View from the Col du Pre, Beaufortain
  • Snowshoe Traverse of the Beaufortain above the Cormet d'Areches
    Snowshoe Traverse of the Beaufortain – Alps – France
  • A “Mazot” in the Beaufortain
  • Snow covered chalet in the French Alps
    A snow covered chalet in the Beaufortain in the French Alps.

Now the most challenging section of our traverse commenced. Leaving Areches we followed the the gorge coming down from the Lac de St Guerin and its dam. Some skiers passed us carrying large sacs after spending the night in a chalet near the lake. Our route went onwards, gently but continuously gaining height through the alpine pastures blanketed in a deep cover of snow. The Cormet d’Areches lay beyond us but first we had to pass the enchantingly named Lac des Fees (the lake of the fairies). Three ski-mountaineers caught us up, rythmically ?skinning? up. Hang-on a moment it’s Jacques, a friend from Beaufort! We stopped to chat and he introduced me to his daughter and her friend all looking fit and strong. A final steepening brought us to the Cormet d’Areches in increasingly poor visibility.

Passing by the signs marking the col (Cormet in the local patois) we passed behind a rocky out-cropping with a cross. The ground started to drop in front of us and there, half-buried in the snow, lay the Refuge de la Coire. In the winter the refuge had no guardian but part of the hut was open for people to use. Shedding boots and snowshoes we put on the provided hut shoes. We laid claim to four bed spaces in the dormitories on the first floor with big windows looking down the valley. The hut ended up being chock full not entirely unsurprising as it was a Saturday in the February half-term period. Whilst crowded the atmosphere was great, we played cards and were invited to taste a cheese fondue prepared by another group.

The forecast for the ?key? section of our route was for wall-to-wall sunshine but with rising temperatures. So I was keen to complete the major part of this section before the snow softened too much. This was both to make the going easier but also to lessen the risk of avalanches prompted by the rise in temperature. We left at 7.30 a.m. in the cold dawn light. Mont Pourri in the Vanoise poked its shapely summit above a bank of cloud. Some spindrift created a banner flying from the summit crest of the Cret du Rey as we gained height up a broad re-entrant. Initially we made use of an uphill ski track to avoid breaking trail ourselves until it headed off leftwards. We then worked our way up rightwards towards the summit of the Cret du Boeuf (2384m). Dawn broke with the sun’s warming rays softening the shapes around us. We reached the crest, careful of cornices overhanging the Grande Combe and the valley de la Grande Maison. A short descent skirting a wind-blown wave of snow brought us to our first objective the Col de la Grande Combe. A quick peek to check out the best line saw us taking a descending traverse back into the shadows. The Col des Genisses was half in and half out of the sunshine in front of us and when we reached it a new panorama revealed itself. Spread out before us the summits of the Vanoise and further in the distance the high summits of the Ecrins, the Meije and the Barre des Ecrins. Magic!

The sun was already softening the surface of the snow as we skirted below an unnamed top and reached the Col des Tufs Blancs. Up until now we had seen no one. Now we met some people coming in the opposite direction and the Refuge du Nant du Beurre; our destination for the night. I picked a line down from the col and on to flatter ground looking all the time for the safest line to reach the next col which was protected by steeper ground with large ?pillows? of snow. Decision made and we headed right before zig-zagging upwards spaced out to avoid over-loading the slope. A final effort and we were on the col looking southwards to the Lauziere and the Col de la Madeleine.

Refuge Nant du Beurre Beaufortain
The Refuge Nant du Beurre in the Beaufortain

Relaxed now with the key section behind us we stopped for an extended lunch basking in the sunshine and drinking in the views all around us. Close by the summit of the Grand Cretet beckoned so we set off along the ridge. Several ski mountaineers kept us company on the top. Below us the refuge Nant du Beurre beckoned, you could almost taste the beer! So we plunged down the slopes to arriving eventually on the sunny south-facing terrace. Beers in hand we chilled out in the bright alpine sunshine watching ski mountaineers on the slopes of the Pointe du Dzonfie. Later the setting suns rays bathed the mountains in the pink of the alpenglow as it dipped below the ridge of the Massif de la Lauziere. An unforgettable day.

The morning dawned clear but with a bank of cloud heralding the forecast change in the weather. For us there was no hurry and we had a relaxed breakfast at 8.00 a.m. As we set off down the snow crunched beneath our snowshoes. Our route meandered down to join the cross-country ski trails that threaded their way along the contours between stands of birch. We continued our descent own passing chalets. A final steepening and we reached ?the end of the road? our Traverse of the Beaufortain and and the village of Grand Naves.

Replacing my Walking and Ski Poles

I recently lost a constant companion to my walks after completing the Traverse of the Beaufortain. My companion, my Leki Makalu poles that were still going strong after at least 15 years.

What should I replace them with? I had become irritated by the occasional ?unlocking? of the twist locking mechanism on my Lekis. So, I was keen for my new poles to have a ?cam? type mechanism less prone to failure and sudden shortening at inconvenient moments. I wanted poles that were multi-purpose to use for all my activities, walking, skiing and snowshoeing too. The Leki’s were titanium so were very light and picking up some poles they immediately felt heavy in my hand. I wanted them to be compact when strapped to the side of my sack or when travelling.

Being in the fortunate position of a ?good deal? with Komperdell I looked at their range of poles. I considered some of the ?folding? poles but was a bit unsure about the durability of the mechanism and how it would cope with dirt and dust. I’ve replaced them with a pair of Komperdell Compact 3 poles. They have 3 sections and are partly in carbon fibre so they are extremely light.

Carbon fibre doesn’t corrode like aluminium that gets that white powdery residue. The handle is made from a ?foam? so it’s comfortable to hold and warm in winter. The three sections are locked with a robust feeling ?cam? mechanism. The baskets are inter-changeable so I can use either large snow baskets or more compact ones for the summer.

Komperdell is an Austrian brand that is highly regarded by competitive skiers. So, the quality of the poles is high. If I hadn’t had a good deal I would also look at Leki, Black Diamond and Dynafit.

Via Ferrata in Haute Savoie

It was good to visit the northern part of the Haute Savoie north of the Arve valley.

The via ferrata ?La Via des Saix de Miolene? is located above the village of Chapelle d’Abondance not far from the ski resort of Chatel in the Portes du Soleil area and about 30km south of Lake Geneva.

The via ferrata is in the three sections of increasing difficulty; so ideal for those unsure of their abilities. The first section is called ?Le Cabri? (the name for a young ibex). An ?escape? route marks the end of this section. ?Le Chamois? follows on with an exposed traverse known as the ?Coucou? and a short steep section known as ?la Para Nera?. The final section has a superb steep wall to culminate the outing entitled ?Le Bouquetin? that leads to an exit and a descent path.

The next day it was off to Samoens and the entrance to the Tines gorges before the village of Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval. A short walk up through a beech forest brought us to the via ferrata. The route starts with ?La vire de l’Ours? (the bear’s ledge) that makes a gentle rising traverse across the cliff. A short steep ?wall? followed and then an exposed descent to the 15m long ?L’Oulzes? bridge. Later a ladder took us over steep ground before a final traverse and steep wall took us to the exit.

The via ferrata ?La Roche a Agathe? has a reputation for being one of the hardest via ferrata in France; that is if you take the final overhanging wall known as ?L’Ermite? (the hermit). Today one of the young lads was up for the challenge and after completing the lower section we made ready for the roof. In addition to the standard via ferrata shock absorbing system we also roped up to give me the possibility of giving a ?helping hand? with the rope. This finish is the scene of occasional rescues and has also sadly seen a few fatalities, so not to be undertaken lightly. The first metres are gently the wrong side of vertical; enough to dissuade those without the ?arms? for what is to come. The rock now bulges out further with an intial small overlap to challenge your commitment. And it keeps coming as the next few metres keep your arms working hard before it eases. Yes!

What makes a via ferrata hard is the unclipping and reclipping of the two lanyards as you need to ?hang? from one arm whilst moving the two lanyards to the next section of cable. Typically on these hard sections the sections are very short meaning more ?hanging around?. You can of course use a short ?cows tail? attached to the harness and clip in and rest but for the purist ? The other factors involved in the difficulty will be the duration and amount of these ?physical? sections and of course the ?exposure?. How comfortable you are with large amounts of air beneath your feet?

It was interesting to look at my client’s Cicerone Guidebook and possibly the only via ferrata guidebook for France written in English. I wasn’t overly impressed. He has created his own grading system rather than adopting the one used in France. The French grading system for via ferrata is based on the French alpine climbing grades which although incomparable use a well-known terminology.