| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
tomski
Joined: 12 Dec 2004
Posts: 686
Location: Leadville CO
|
 Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:45 pm Post subject: Any backcountry ski touring Val d'isere??? |
 |
|
I have a chance to go on a trip to Val D'Isere next year jan 24-feb 01, 2014. Most people going are lift jockeys which I usually am not. Most places in high Alps I know before march is too early for ski touring. With all the lift contraptions around this town and surrounding areas are there any worthwhile ski touring at this time of the year. I only at rare times use a lift if there is a good easy to access peak above worth skiing. I hear about place called Ekilly area? Anyone familiar with BC touring in the area? Some people say the BC in this area is too avalanche prone?
_________________
Get High on a Mountain skiing! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
yugi
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 1767
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:16 am Post subject: Re: Any backcountry ski touring Val d'isere??? |
|
|
| tomski wrote: | | Any backcountry ski touring Val d'isere???. |
Yes. Lots.
| tomski wrote: | | … Most places in high Alps I know before march is too early for ski touring. … |
NO!
| tomski wrote: | | I hear about place called Ekilly area? |
Espace Killy is the name of the Val d'Isere and Tignes [joined] ski area
| tomski wrote: | | Anyone familiar with BC touring in the area? |
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Vanoise+tarentaise+ski+rando+guide+books
Just over the border in Aosta is the gran Paradiso National Parc. Lovely terrain. A bit far for day trips but plenty of huts if you wish to overnight. Right over the ridge from Val d'isere, Italian side, is Val Gresenche. Great skiing but a heli ski zone.
| tomski wrote: | | Some people say the BC in this area is too avalanche prone? |
Some people say you should not go backcountry at all: http://tinyurl.com/d8hb7ad
It is great terrain and there will be lots of people backcountry skiing in that period (weather depending). You will run into lots of BC skiers. Get local info, read the avalanche report daily and enjoy.
_________________
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
steven hatcher
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 2003
Location: Idahome
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 3:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
Tom, you should ride the lifts to the top of Val d'Isere, skin up the rest of the way to the top of the pass (short, easy) then ski the backside all the way down to the teeny-tiny town of Bonneval-sur-Arc, basically following the D902 highway, the highest paved road in EU. Stay in the town of Bonneval-sur-Arc and ski the little resort there which offers great ski touring on the glaciers, then take the bus to Modane and the train back to Val d'Isere. You'd dig it. Val d'Isere is spendy, Bonneval-Sur-Arc is not.
PS, skiing the high Alps is not much different than the tour we did in the high Andes, only there is more sun in Chile.
_________________
Home Is Where Your Skis Is |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
altis
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 146
Location: Warrington, UK Altitude: 12m
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tomski
Joined: 12 Dec 2004
Posts: 686
Location: Leadville CO
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 11:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I will take a look at the info I received and thanks. I need a good topo map of the area. Any ideas which one covers the area? I do have a book about randone skiing in france that mention alittle in the area but in French (don't understand much). Compsny ski club staying in Val d' Isere so probably cannot get out of paying for the hotel there. I will probably have no car so must rely on public transportation. Have you done that route steve?
_________________
Get High on a Mountain skiing! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
philippe
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 307
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 12:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
http://www.amazon.fr/Ski-randonnée-Savoie-Emmanuel-Cabau/dp/2880863201
This book lists 134 rando trips in the Savoie region, and I did a rought count of around 10-15 in the Val d'Isère area. Even if you don't read French you can get a pretty good idea of the routes from the little sketch maps and figure out the technical details summary (altitude, vertical drop, best season, etc.).
Oops - just noticed that a previous poster had a link to the same book, but the sites are different so you can comparison shop! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
yugi
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 1767
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
^^^ Olizane = good ski tour books
Re: your question about touring seasons in this book each tour lists the typical months when it is in good condition.
No reason to be shy to ask a local guide for some advice. Plenty will speak english.
iPhiGenie is an iPhone/Android map app. You get 7 days of free map downloading, or can pay a one-month or annual membership.
http://tinyurl.com/bsg84cw
_________________
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
christian :?)
Joined: 17 Dec 2004
Posts: 2501
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I highly doubt tomski has a smartphone.
_________________
There's a whiff of the lynch mob or the lemming migration about any overlarge concentration of like-thinking individuals, no matter how virtuous their cause. - PJ O'Rourke |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
altis
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 146
Location: Warrington, UK Altitude: 12m
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
yugi
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 1767
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 1:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
christian  ) wrote: | | I highly doubt tomski has a smartphone. |
They have become awesome backcountry tools. And maps are MUCH less expensive on them. Makes a huge difference if you move around a lot.
I take 1:50'000 paper maps (as backup and they have the ski routes on them) and use 1:25'000 detail on the phone. Now need reading glasses to see close (like maps) and the phone I don't need that as I can zoom in.
_________________
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tomski
Joined: 12 Dec 2004
Posts: 686
Location: Leadville CO
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yes Christian no start phone here. I had text msg turned of on my Nokia Knack cell phone.
_________________
Get High on a Mountain skiing! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
