Winter starts with fab weather and perfect conditions

The Alps have had plenty of early snowfall this season so conditions for my first week snowshoeing were excellent.
We were in the Val Clarée, near Briançon in the southern French Alps based at the tiny and very snowy hamlet of Névache.

 

The weather was remarkably warm for early January - Névache has a reputation for being one of the coldest alpine villages in France - but this week even out of the sun we weren't really cold.

 

We did 5 days of good walks which took us to many fine vantage points, climbing up above the tree-line on either side of the beautiful Val Clarée. A rest day mid-week allowed for muscles to reccover as well as a visit to the fascinating fortress town of Briançon.

Fun and enthusiastic people made this week a really inspiring start to the season for me.

 

Photo: Geoff Armstrong