Andy Hodges, author of the soon-to-be published Cicerone guidebook Mountain Adventure in the Maurienne, has just returned home from a trip to the area to find an advance copy of his new book waiting for him on the doorstep.
Andy says “We recently returned from a couple of weeks holiday in the Haute Maurienne. The snow was fair to middling – it was possible to ski back to the
valley, just. We managed to get in a few days ski touring, as the snow higher up was
pretty good. It’s always fascinating to see the simple paths we explore in the summer under a few metres of snow.
A forrage into Combe Clary was hard going. A couple of hours skinning up from Lanslebourg saw us reach the bridge. Some avalanche debris was a sober reminder of the raw power of nature, with tree trunks snapped in half like match sticks.
On the south facing side of the valley we also managed a walk usually reserved for summer, the ‘High Valley’ route from my soon-to-be-published guidebook. We walked all day snow free (up to 2100m) and were rewarded with glorious views down into the valley. The area has a wide variety of wildlife – we spotted a stoat, some marmots, squirrels and lizards that made the day even more special.’
Since discovering the Vanoise region in 2004, Andy and his wife Sue have climbed, walked and cycled hundreds of miles of this beautiful region.
Tags: 9781852843755, 9781852845902, 9781852846213
