It's been a while since my snowshoes have seen the light of day - not much call for them in Provence! But I was back out in the white stuff this week, over in the Val Clarée near Briançon in very cold but clear conditions.
What a fabulous place this is for snowshoeing - every time I go there I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this region. This time it was so quiet - the New Year holidays are over and there were very few people around so I had the whole mountain and slopes to myself!
A brisk romp up to the Col de Buffère finally warmed me up enough to take some photos - if only I could operate my camera in mittens! As I got back down to Névache the sun had just hit the village - wouldn't much want to live there in the winter but once the sun comes out the place comes to life - and of course the sundials come into their own too.
This is definitely one of my very favourite venues for snowshoeing and I intend to be over there a lot more in future. Meanwhile I'm looking forward to taking a group there in March - it's going to be good.
Until then, lots of other great weeks coming up, based in Vallorcine, my village, and also in Italy's Aosta valley home of great peaks, fantastic wine and food to die for.
And get this - all weeks are full except Easter!!
