Great days in the Alps

It doesn't get much better than this - sunshine, views, flowers, mountains, wildlife and great companions.

During a week of unstable weather we were lucky to get dry sunny conditions for our walks. This is a fabulous time to be in the Alps, with the flowers just coming into bloom (notably the Alpenrose), the trees in full greenery and the high mountains perfectly coated in snow.

Our first walk was a long day taking in the Aiguillettes de Posettes summit, followed by a slightly shorter day in the Aiguilles Rouges, where we saw mlore wildlife than you sometimes do in a week - marmots, ibex, vultures (big surprise that!), golden eagles.....I guess if you've come all the way from Massachussets for your 50th birthday then you deserve something special...

and it's always nice for me to start my summer season with a fun group - thanks guys!!

So now the bar has been set high for the rest of the summer - coming up, Annecy Summits, Creaky Knees Specials and then some hard treks across the peaks and passes.

It's summer time so let's talk snowshoeing!

It's hot and sunny and the summer trekking season starts in a few weeks. But as ever we're thinking about the next season.
Winter 2012 will see some new trips, notably the Queyras region.
Having relocated to northern Provence we're going to be offering areas further south than the Alps, as well as the classic trips in the Mont Blanc region, Aosta, and Swiss Valais.
The calendar will be posted soon on the website but meanwhile take a look at these snowshoe shots from this last winter. For a "lean snow" season, it was pretty good!!

http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/snowshoeing_2011.htm

Springtime in the Drome

Trekking in the Alps is branching out and will be offering hiking in northern Provence next spring.

What a beautiful area: rocky valleys and rounded summits, beautiful old Provençal villages and clear fast flowing rivers. Already people are bronzing on the rocks and bathing in the water.

Spring burst upon us in April and each week sees new flowers blooming.

The vines are green and leafy and the cherries almost ripe.

And the very best thing about hiking in this region? The vultures!

In certain areas you only have to look up and there will be at least a couple of beautiful huge graceful Griffin vultures circling overhead.

Then of course there's also the biking - Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence" is visible everytime you climb a hill so it's hard to ignore it. But here's more to biking here than that huge climb, good though it is. Small roads anbd passes abound and along the way you're sure to find a nice village café for a cold beer and a cake.

So watch this space for the dates for next spring, and of course for the 2012 Snowshoeing schedule.

Who says there's no snow in the Alps?

Admittedly I was quite worried when temperatures hit 27°C in Chamonix a week before my last Snowshoe trip! But with a little imagination, a willingness to travel and a certain amount of luck we managed to have a fantastic Easter week, largely on snowshoes with some flowery spring walking thrown in for good measure.



We had sunshine every day except one and so we enjoyed fabulous alpine views. Early starts were necessary to take advantage of hard frozen snow, and this gave wonderful alpine sunrises.

As is often the case at the end of the winter, we needed to have finished our walks by early afternoon, so hot siestas were enjoyed, sipping cold beer and watching the world go by.



We climbed 5 summits and one high pass in our 6 days, had several golden eagle and lammageier vulture sightings and were always joined by playful alpine choughs for lunch.
For me this week confirmed my view that snowshoeing is an extremely versatile way to explore the mountains in winter, regardless of the snow conditions.
Now it's time to hang up the raquettes for this year and to prepare for the summer season.

It's hot, snowy, very beautiful but just a little bit dodgy

We've just had more or less 2 weeks of sun, interpersed with the very odd snowflake here and there. The snowshoeing is still excellent, we've had some fabulous days as the photos show, but there's no doubt that the end of the season is shaping up to be one where you need to choose your slopes carefully and be ready to change plans if you have the slightest doubt.

There's plenty of safe snowshoe walks but you need to know what you're looking for. 3 days in Italy a week ago we saw slopes that were ready to slide all around us. We ourselves were perfectly safe but venturing off the track was certainly not an option.

The snowpack has been shallow all season and the long very cold period early in the year led to the formation of a deep layer of depth hoar. On top of this we have numerous wind slabs, and now that it's very hot the whole lot is ready to go in some places.

However, all that said, it's wonderful to be walking in bright sun with uninterrupted views, warm enough to picnic on summits and cols without wearing 2 coats and 3 hats.

Snowshoeing remains a joy but as with all mountain activities, the deal is - if in doubt turn back. The mountain will be there another day - we must make sure we are.

Fantastic snow, great conditions and brilliant company!

I sometimes think I have the Best Job Ever, and that was certainly the case these last two weeks. Obviously good weather and safe snow conditions make for great snowshoeing, but in my job there is an extra requirement - more than anything else the people I am with make or break the day for me.

I have just spent two weeks in fantastic company and I feel very lucky!! Of course that means I have lots to say and want to show lots of photos so this is a big post.

The first week saw the Alps finally have lots of fresh snow and although this meant I had to revise my decisions on where to go every day, the scenery and the descents were that much better for having had a fresh coat of the white stuff. My group of regulars certainly knew how to make the most of it, leaping and bounding down every slope they could find.

We had a memorable night in an unwardened hut when the group were treated to my cooking (well, just the custard actually, but it was a big hit). We also spent two nights at Simplon Pass - whilst the rest of the Alps were bathed in hot sun, Simplon was subjected to fog and high winds accompanied at times by blizzard conditions! But when it cleared......it was amazing. This new (to me) area is one I will certainly be returning to, there is so much to do on snowshoes and the pass itself is steeped in history.

Then last week I headed south to the Dauphiné Alps and spent 6 days in perfect weather exploring the Val Clarée, home to some of the best snowshoe walks I know. We did everything we set out to do in glorious sunshine, with generally great powder under-raquette. Again I can't think of anything to complain about - everyone kept me laughing for the whole time.

All change now - it's already snowing on the south side of the Alps.......winter hasn't said its last word just yet. For this 20th year of Trekking in the Alps it's certainly a memorable season so far. Hope it continues like this.

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.