Sunday 20 February 2011

Fresh snow - if you're in the right place!



This last week I was with a group in the Valle d'Aoste in Italy - thank goodness as this is where the powder is!
Okay, so to get good snow you have to have some bad weather, but our week started and finished in sunshine and in between we had a few days in snowy forests with some fabulous wildlife spottings.




25cms of light cold snowfall on a hard base makes for perfect snowshoeing conditions and we certainly made the most of it.



Not everyone wants to take the descents at speed and this week you could enjoy the soft snow under raquette whether bounding or strolling.


There are advantages to this relatively lean snow winter - the avalanche risk right now is minimal and in good weather we can go almost anywhere - the only downside being icy slopes in places. Hence the snowshoes are kept on at all times as the traction has proved to be essential on slippery forest trails.
As the days get longer and the sun gets higher in the sky the valleys will heat up and we'll move into spring like conditions but for the moment the shots tell it all - it's still winter and if you're lucky enough to be in the right place, it's a very good one.

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