Return home

Last night we had gone for a meal in the restaurant below our chalet ...  very filling Tartiflette, and as we came back the wonderful sunset had changed into a full moon shining over the village.

It was going to be a very cold night ...  and so it proved ...  first thing in the morning as we loaded the van up with the last bags it was below minus 10 degrees. We left just before 8 am and started back along the return journey .. motorway all the way once we were down the valley..  Steph drove for a couple of hours in the middle, and as  a bonus we joined up in convoy about an hour outside Calais. Following each other through immigration, ticketing, waiting, boarding and then the institutionalized Brasserie meal

The ferry was delayed by and hour by a misbehaving bow thruster, but in the big scheme of things this was not bad, and we were home for 11pm. Unpacking in the morning as I was too shattered form anything else.
The only big disappointment was having to pay over 200 Euros for a bed that had broken... the side support had split where the base rested ...  that is what you get for being honest, in place of gluing it up and making it look good.  this would have paid for a new bed, not just a new piece of wood..

L'Ecot tour 2, France

M-J came back from the hospital yesterday with a prescription for rest and paracetamol ...  no big issue, so while she stayed at the chalet and Dominique went off for piste skiing, the rest of us headed out towards l'Ecot again, only this time up the footpath on the left hand side of the stream.

This footpath left from the car park at the very top of the village and out the back ...  with immediate challenge of downhill skinning ...  then meandered off through a boulder field.

The track was very much more interesting than the track, as it weaved in and out, up and down through the scrub and trees and mounds on the opposite bank to where we were the previous day.

The track exited from all the close shrubbery and things opened out more as we got higher ,,,  passing by the house where the dog was having fun yesterday.

On the opposite side and taking the track up to the Evettes hut, were a party of three..  later to be two as one turned back. this was the route Bryon and I descended over 10 years ago.

It was interesting to see especially as it was close to how I remember our descent route, which was a struggle at the time.

Approaching l@Ecot from the other side gave a completely different view to last time ...   there were more houses than we saw yesterday.

the same steeper section to get up to it though.

Taking a path up through the village, and past the church. I was heading for a similar place as yesterday ...  perhaps a little higher as we were earlier ....

As we got up towards where we stopped yesterday, the snow was really hard ...  it was very close to Crampon territory ... stepping out of the tracks became challenging on this surface, so after negotiating our sideslip surface from yesterdays departure that was it, and we called lunch time.

The descent was also far more challenging than the day before - probably the most challenging of all week.

The surface was crispy and rough where the over night frost had hardened the new tracks, and had a slight crust on the fresher snow,, which would not support a ski ... however we all got down to the track close to the house with the roof.

Now following the ascent route for a while ... traversing around the trail, we then scuttled down and over the stream where there was a large snowfield covering it, and back to the track side.

On the other side of the stream, we picked up the snowshoe trail running along the river in preference to the track ...  I had not seen it on yesterday's descend, but this made for some interesting manoeuvres in and around the trees and boulders.

This track went on for quite  awhile in much the same vein, with just enough gradient to keep going. It was also helped by the still icy nature of the snow from the over night frost, as opposed to yesterdays more powdery state.

Finally there was a climb out to the track involving some close relations with a bush, just to add more interest.

this was the final day ..  so Lloyd took his skis and boots back to the hire shop with Katie and the remaining three of us took the now usual route back to the chalet.

Dry everything off and begin packing for tomorrow we return home

L'Ecot tour1, France

M-J was still feeling her ribs that had kept her out of action since the first day, so Chris headed down the valley for 2 hours to get to the hospital at St. Jean de Maurienne, so I took the easy option for the us (especially with a novice in tow) and chose to go up the tourist track to L'Ecot ... this way I could keep everyone together and under control.
This left from the bottom of the lift to the ski area and headed up the bottom of the valley to the col.

The track was not very steep and followed a windy route up the bottom of the valley, before the final "step" up to the col.  plenty of room to walk two or three wide.

There were however some interesting side lines ...  the snowed in truck, and ice crystals in the holes..

there was also some cross country skiers, who skated up the track then charged back down again ("I have NO brakes" style)

The wind trails off the peaks was also quite impressive looking around as we reached the col. ..
It was also fascinating to see the route to the hut Bryon and I had taken many years before when it was all hidden in cloud.

We also cam across a couple of Skidoos ..  one delivering a child to one of the buildings and the other two skiers who we presume descended into Italy.

It was too early to stop for lunch  ...  So I chose to head up through the village and towards the sun line on the slopes above ..  there were a number of tracks (mainly down hill) but enough to show it being safe.

I ended up aiming for a large boulder nicely in the sun, but also with a good view and route back down to the track - albeit over the meadows and gentle slopes.

At lunch, I some how altered the white balance on my camera ... so the shots of the down hill sections are all over exposed..

After lunch we skied the excellent light top over harder base down the slope to the bottom of the bulge the village sat on at the top of the valley. then cut back to the track via a bridge.
A remember-able incident where passing a house deep in a snow drift with a guy shovelling snow from the roof had a dog chasing each shovel full going over the side.

Back down the track with a few excursions to the side to play in the light and fluffy stuff, before the bottom end poling to return.

then following the route back to the chalet from the first day.

Col d'Iseran tour, france

Many years ago, Chris, Bryon and I had stayed at Val Cenis and one of the tours we did was up the valley from Bonneval towards the Col d'Iseran. We were pushed back by some deep snow below the final hanging valley, and although we did not get all the way it was a pleasant excursion.
After 3 days we were probably ready for another excursion into the same valley ..  we would not get near the col, but the valley was a beautiful remote location for a tour.
It would involve the steep climb out of the valley to a small hut on the shoulder of the left hand side, then a flat walk into the valley beyond and a gradual ascent to a turn around point.

We put the skis on just outside the lower village, next to the beginners slope, and headed up to the road, and then into the wooded area beyond the last house.
There were numerous tracks here from previous people, that combined and divided as we ascended the initial slopes.

Beyond the trees things became clearer and the steep slog began ..  the overnight frost had added a hard layer to the top of the snow, but good adhesion for the skins.

As the route got to a bulge in the slope, the older trail tried to go around to the left, but Chris found this a little bare and ended up retreating, leaving Katie and I at the front, and making some new trails on the edge of the deep gully.
The advantage this had was that I could see a much better descent route down the gully base than fighting the changing snow on the ascent route ...  we were now in full sun and it was heating up .. everyone had stripped down to base layers - the exact opposite of previous days,

The slope eased a bit as we came in sight of the hut .. unfortunately there was a bit more ascent to get to the curve in the summer road, with a big advert for the ski area opposite.

A brief rest point and some refreshments, before entering into the valley.

Heading into the valley here on the flatter trajectory ...  but careful of the slope above ... this was stable but would not be for too many days longer, with the wind slab and warming.

As the valley opened out we came to the bridge,  we had also rested here all those years before.

We set off up the climbing traverse into the back of the valley, knowing we would not get to the end, but find a suitable place to stop, have lunch and turn around ...  some convenient bushes .

Before heading back down there was some time for a few shenanigans with the timed delay on the camera ...  not as good as the ones from the previous day!

the initial descent followed the rising traverse we had come up, but before the bridge we kept the height and continued down the valley further.
The tracks showed most people had returned this way, bit as we approached the neck point there was a small lake and a dam to be negotiated..  this would be interesting!

Closer inspection showed that the lake could be circumvented to either the left (negotiating some avalanche debris, and probably some side stepping upward), or to the right (with a delicate traverse, and only a small step at the end) .
After much thought and self debate, I dropped in and headed right ...  the traverse was good, and definitely solid for capable people (albeit over some freezing cold water).
At the end there was a few steps to get over the dam wall before sliding down again to the bottom of the gully.

taking it one by one everyone followed ...  gently down the initial slope and then traversing above the water before crossing the dam wall at the end ...  big smiles all around.

That left the gully to be negotiated ..   there was mixed snow here .. mainly cut up by previous skiers, but also between shadow and sun ... definitely changing as we got lower ..  the top was consistently good enough crust, then it got softer so had to use the shadier parts then it softened up enough to go back into the sun.

All legs were now feeling the strain and turns became harder, the slope became easier, but the combination made for a weary team.

The final element was back through the houses in the village, where the snow was still powdery and light.

A much simpler return to the chalet along the track for tea and cake. Definitely a trip to add to the tall tales list.