Every skier has heard of the Chamonix Zermatt Haute Route. It's a legendary glacier route for ski touring, and it's the stuff of dreams! Unfortunately, the route is becoming increasingly popular, and this often has an impact on the high mountain experience. Any self-respecting mountaineer would agree that what counts is the beauty of the route and the isolation of nature. The fame of a summit or a traverse is a secondary criterion.
1. Crossing the Vanoise glaciers by ski touring
The first alternative we propose is a unique 4-day ski tour in the heart of the Vanoise National Park. You'll be skiing on the second largest glacier in France. A jewel of nature where good skiing and breathtaking scenery combine with total isolation.
Between gentle and steep slopes, you'll find yourself between legendary peaks such as the Grande Casse, the Aiguille de la Vanoise and the Dent Parrachée, ...
Crossing the glaciers of the Vanoise is a ski raid during which you are immersed in the high mountains for 4 days. A unique expedition in one of France's most beautiful settings, to which only a privileged few have the key. Like all ski raids, this expedition is reserved for good skiers with some ski touring experience.
2. Ski touring in the Clarée valley
If you're looking for isolation and an authentic high-mountain experience, you've come to the Ecrins! The Écrins is the massif that lies to the south of the Alps between Grenoble and Gap. Much wilder than the Northern Alps and the high Chamonix-Zermatt route, the Écrins offer a pristine landscape where ibex and chamois reign supreme.
In the Écrins there are several completely isolated valleys, such as the Clarée valley, which is a little paradise of nature. You can cross this valley on ski touring, reaching several refuges. You can even cross the mountains to reach the Italian Piedmont.
This is an easy ski touring trip, which will introduce you to itinerant ski touring without having to climb to high altitude.
3. Cross the Queyras by ski touring
The Queyras lies to the east of the Ecrins mountains, on the border with Italy. It's a totally unspoilt and sparsely populated area. Here you'll be on your own, you can be sure of that. You'll make your tracks in untracked powder. The aim of this ski tour is to reach the most beautiful peaks in the Queyras and Mercantour. The stages are in hamlets and refuges. This tour is for nature lovers. Those for whom the important thing is to be away from the crowds. The Queyras will prove to you that there are still huge expanses of unspoilt nature in France!
There are plenty of alternatives
There are still plenty of alternatives for ski touring. To organise a long ski crossing, you need to prepare thoroughly. It's not an expedition to be taken lightly, with avalanches, crevasses and the weight of your rucksack to contend with. If you're interested in one of these ski raids, get in touch !
DiscoveRent organises guided ski tours in small groups! So don't delay in signing up 😉
