Vanoise Ski Touring

This guidebook provides an introduction to ski touring in France's Savoie and covers the Vanoise National Park and surrounding area. Covers all the major areas of the region and includes tours of all levels of difficulty and of all styles, from one-day trips to multi-day, hut-to-hut journeys.

There is no denying that the mountains of Savoie are spectacularly beautiful. The proud pyramids of the Aiguilles d’Arves, the austere north-face of the Grande Casse and the sparkling ‘Dômes’ of the Vanoise Glaciers are as fine examples of mountain architecture as can be found anywhere. But there is more to the area than a collection of points of outstanding natural beauty. The geographical diversity of the region is a reflection of the different facets of Savoie’s complex personality: from the savageness of the Belledonne to the gentleness of the Beaufortain, from the ostentation of the Aiguille d’Arves to the aloofness of the Haute Maurienne. The tours described in this guide reflect the variety of landscape and skiing that makes ski touring in Savoie so special. The area is however best known to skiers for the Olympic ski-resorts of Tignes, Val d’Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne and The Three Valleys, which lie on the northern edge of the Vanoise National Park.

The Vanoise National Park, situated in the département of Savoie, was the first national park to be created in France. As the park has been protected from the encroachment of the ski-resorts, it has been preserved as one of the great ski-touring areas of the French Alps.

The richness of the area for ski touring also lies in Savoie’s lesser-known massifs, such as the Lauzière, the Belledonne, the Beaufortain and the Haute Maurienne, which surround the Vanoise. This guide provides an introduction to all the different parts of this region and corresponds, more or less, to the French département of Savoie (with minor incursions into the neighbouring départements of Isère and Les Hautes Alpes) giving an overview of the wonderful and varied ski touring to be had here.

Vanoise Ski Touring is aimed at both experienced ski tourers and mountaineers who would like to get away from the hurly-burly of the ski-resorts. Ski touring is about much more than skiing ability; mountain skills such as navigation, glacier travel and avalanche awareness are indispensable. The safest way to start ski touring is with a mountain guide, this being especially true for skiers with no previous mountaineering experience.

Many of the tours start from resorts, though tours that are basically off-piste trails are not included; good off-piste skiing guides already exist for many of the major resorts. The guide should, however, be useful for people who would like to tour for just one or two days as part of a resort holiday.

The organisation of the guide follows the natural division of the Savoie département into its various geographical areas. The various types of tours were selected, as far as possible, to reflect the atmosphere of these areas and to provide interesting and homogenous excursions. In general, preference has been given to multi-day, hut-to-hut tours but in some areas it is more logical to do a number of day trips from a mountain hut or a base-camp in the valley. The tours involve up to six day’s skiing, although most can be lengthened or shortened to suit time constraints, weather conditions and fitness.

Given good snow conditions, most of the tours are within the capabilities of any competent skier (ie. someone who is at ease on black slopes), but it must be remembered that snow conditions are not often perfect when you are touring. A final chapter describes some classic tours that fall more into the realm of ski mountaineering than ski touring. None of the tours in the guide can be considered extreme skiing.

It must be remembered that ski touring is both a physically demanding and a potentially dangerous sport; it is important not to over-estimate your fitness or technical abilities. Skinning uphill, with four kilograms of ski, binding and boot on each foot and a 10–15kg rucksack on your back, is an exhausting business. Do not expect to be able to do a 1500m climb every day unless you are very fit.

Most serious accidents are caused by avalanches, although crevasses, seracs and steep slopes, especially if there are cliffs in the fall-line, can also be extremely dangerous. General mountaineering knowledge and experience is at least as valuable as skiing ability if you want to have a long and safe ski-touring career.