^TM

The Way Less Taken

Snow Safari, French style

by Charles Leocha

We are at the top of a precipitous ridge. Above us, jagged peaks tower starkly against a cobalt blue sky. Behind us, the groomed trails and lifts of Valmorel, France, stretch languidly down to the modern resort. But we turn our backs on the trails normally taken, determinedly set our edges and drop down across frozen crust. We know that now, our only way back to civilization is down through capricious, uncertain, exhilarating backcountry.

As far as the eye can see, almost 6,000 vertical feet of untouched snow drops across wide-open pitches, then curls around outcroppings, disappears into small valleys and winds through tight trees and brush.

In an instant, we leave the world of civilized skiing behind. Now, not a chairlift is in sight, not even another skier outside our small group. After crossing the icy ridge, there are no more children calling out to their friends, no ski instructors lining up their beginning classes, no clusters of skiers relaxing at mountain chalets, no lift lines, no droning grooming machines. All we hear is the wind whistling across the early-morning crust. The sun begins its silent softening of the snow. Above us the ominous peak of Le Cheval Noire seems to rear in anticipation.

Yesterday our group gathered in France from Canada, Sweden, Denmark, the U.S., and the U.K.—all English-speakers. Today, with fluent English-speaking guides, we test our radio “peeps” and prepare to cross over the divide from the lift-served, groomed and patrolled terrain of Valmorel into a parallel world of raw, natural, untamed pitches and ever-changing snow. This is the best of all worlds—taking a resort’s lifts to the ridge separating the untamed from the groomed, a chance to enjoy a touch of backcountry skiing without arduous hiking and climbing.

The “9 Vallèes” guides call this adventure “soft.” That means most reasonably fit skiers can manage the skiing, short climbs and traverses needed to reach virgin pitches and move with the sun. Unlike groomed, lift-served trails, nothing is predictable in this backcountry world—not the pitches, not the snowpack, not the path. A cloud blocking the sun causes temperatures to drop and snow quality dramatically changes every time one skis from brilliant sunshine to mountain shadow.

This is a morning most skiers find only in their dreams. But it is an adventure virtually every skier, from intermediate to expert, can discover. Though backcountry valley-to-valley skiing once was the exclusive province of the expert, deep-powder skier and boarder, with expert guides and today’s equipment (such as wider skis), more and more skiers can savor the solitude and get to know the intimate personality of the Alps.

This valley-to-valley adventure continues in a new venue every day for a demanding week. In the late winter and spring, the snow varies dramatically. Tomorrow’s descent would never, could never mirror today’s. This is an opportunity for downhill skiers and snowboarders to ski the hidden stashes of powder and steep couloirs known only to those who intimately understand these mountains.

Day One --We traverse and climb for more than a hour to find untouched powder and perfect slopes linking Val d’Isère and Tignes.

Day Two -- We pick our way across fields of untamed ice to gingerly ski untracked crud through naked rocks above Valmorel.

Day Three -- We step out of our skis and pick our way along a streambed through breakable crust to find an obscure lift that links us to the Trois Vallées. Back on skis, we traverse from the traditional town of St. Martin de Belleville to Les Menuires, which looks like a spaceship forced down during an intergalactic mission. From here we cross the ridge to Méribel, the another ridge to Courchevel, then drop through untracked trees to Bozel.

Day Four and Five -- We take a backdoor lift to La Plagne where the off-piste possibilities seem endless. There’s gladed skiing below the main villages and wide-open, above-tree-line, hair-raising 3,600-foot descents from the Bellecote glacier.

Day Six -- After a night in a mountain hut, the final foray over winding mountain trails and short steep pitches brings us to Les Arc where guides direct us down 6,000 feet of non-stop vertical starting across treeless snowfields and ending along a narrow path through trees.

Nearly every day, lunch was a lavish picnic on the slopes. It was either provided by guides or prepared by mountain men who had hiked up narrow paths from the valley below and awaited with fresh bread, sausages, paté, cheese and wine. Or else we dined in mountain restaurants oozing with atmosphere. Every evening dinner was a French delight from raclette to entrecôte and truite. We all recounted stories of adventures in the backcountry and compared routes taken by each group before dropping off exhausted into deep sleep.

In Canada, forest service permits, remote resorts, environmental restraints and poor transportation from far-away valleys makes backcountry skiing other than heliskiing a real test of endurance. You not only have to find your way to the skiable terrain but, if you drop off the backside of a resort into the unknown, you most likely will have to hike miles to find your way back to your hotel or condo. In Europe, the resorts are more closely knit and the traditional transportation system along the valley floors allows backcountry adventurers easier movement between accommodations by bus, van and train.

Even with a more favorable infrastructure, skiers in Europe’s backcountry need guides who know their way around the region and who understand the snow as it changes during the day. They also need a system of moving their belongings from town to town while they ski the untracked slopes between resorts.

Many skiers have heard of the Haute Route linking Chamonix with Zermatt and Saas Fee. For some this route has become a Holy Grail of ski mountaineering in Europe, but for most, it is far too arduous and requires too much preparation and specialized equipment. The Ski Safaris organized across France’s Tarantaise Alps provide a a skiing adventure one could never do on his own with the comfort of fine-tuned organization.

Our trip was organized by the Association 9 Vallées, a team of guides which has led skiers and snowboarders through the untracked valleys dividing many of the major Alpine resorts. They offer these valley-to-valley, resort-to-resort backcountry experiences for skiers from basic intermediates to super-experts. They also have programs for snowboarders who can free-ride and can handle all types of snow, terrain and traverses.

Their most popular tour is called the Tarentaise Ski Safari. It can be organized for every level of skier. Depending on conditions, skiers will visit Val d’Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs, La Plagne, Courchevel, Méribel, Les Menuires, St. Martin de Belleville and Valmorel. It is a trip avid skiers will never forget.

This Association 9 Vallées safari experience is virtually snow-assured. The Tarentaise mountains always have plenty of snow at upper altitudes. More importantly, backcountry routes for differing levels of skiers can be found at all times of the year. The guides all speak English, and they are local guides who add a native flavor to the tours. The entire experience becomes more than simply a ski trip—it is a life experience.

Association 9 Vallées also organizes tours to the Dauphiné region south of Grenoble connecting Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, La Grave and Serre Chevalier;  through the Dolomites of Italy to resorts such as Val Gardena, Sella, Canazei, and Arabba; to the Italian side of the Alps joining four major valleys with Zermatt in the shadow of the Matterhorn; as well as Heliskiing in the Valgrisenche of Italy.

The bottom line is that every tour is customized for each group. As the guides get a feel for new skiers, they may break the group of ten into two of five. Both will enjoy the same Savoyard hospitality and cuisine in every new valley.

Prices for these tours range from about FFr6,500—6,900 for the Tarentaise Ski or Snowboard Safari to around FFr6,000 for programs to the Dolomites, Chamonix, the Dauphiné and Monte Rosa. Ski touring with skins costs FFr4,500 for the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.  These rates include your guide, lift tickets for all resorts, half-board accommodation with breakfast and dinner based on double occupancy, luggage transportation from hotel to hotel, avalanche beepers and powder leashes. You are responsible for your own ski equipment, single supplements, drinks with meals, lunches, mountain rescue insurance and cancellation insurance.

For more information contact: Association 9 Vallées, Hameau Le Franchet, 73320 Tignes, France. Telephone: (033) 479.06.51.77 Fax: (033) 479.06.44.89. They speak English and German as well as French.

Back to TravelLady Magazine