With the weather still very unsettled we have been stuck in our Chalet for much of the time, albeit enjoying great views, as the pictures of the rainbow above and the mist to the right show. Of course we remembered to celebrate St Patrick’s day, and went to the Monal for drinks and to listen to the local “Irish” band. Andy – on lead vocals – started with a passable Irish accent, but slowly reverted to his native Yorkshire as the Guiness went down!
Our big plan for this last month in the Alps has been to do some ski tours. The weather has made that tricky – we did manage a trip over the Col des Fours (one of our favourite destinations for a day out), but encountered breakable crust on the descent, and were reminded of the dangers off-piste when we saw the aftermath of a full thickness slab avalanche on a slope we have skied more than once this season.
So… we have been studying the forecasts and the avalanche reports carefully. We thought we had found a window of two days of good weather, so decided to try something new. We headed off to Pralognan-la-Vanoise for a two day ski tour with an overnight stop in the Refuge du Roc de la Pêche.
Day one consisted of a skin up to the refuge in sunshine. We arrived in time for a late lunch (and, of course, a beer!), and relaxed for the afternoon. Our plan for the next day was to reach the Col du Génepy – a 1000m vertical ascent. Unfortunately, when we woke that morning the sky had clouded over. A guide staying in the refuge had managed to get an up to date weather forecast, which had deteriorated – now cloud, fog and rain were forecast, and we decided to play safe, climbing just a couple of hundred metres for the exercise, before skiing and poling back to Pralognan for an early lunch in the village. Despite not reaching the col, we had a great couple of days – it was good to stretch our legs and explore a different part of the national park compared to that accessible from Val d’Isère. Have a look at the short video I’ve posted of the trip.
We still have a few weeks before we head back to the UK, so fingers crossed for some more settled weather and better touring possibilities.