Ski touring in Grand Paradis

We meet at 9am in Cogne, an authentic village nestling in the Val d'Aoste, for a final equipment check before starting the ascent. The route first passes through a larch forest, then the landscape gradually opens up, revealing the peaks of the massif.

After a steady climb, we reach the Vittorio Sella Refuge, perched at 2580m on a plateau facing the glaciers, where we'll be spending the next 2 nights.

At the end of the afternoon, we have a briefing on the raid and a review of the basics of ski touring safety.

After a hearty breakfast, we gain altitude with a round trip to the summit of Punta Rossa de la Grivola (3,630 m), a great warm-up with panoramic views of Gran Paradiso and the neighbouring mountains.

After a descent on virgin snow to the refuge, we spend part of the afternoon practising avalanche transceiver searches and the basics of mountain safety. An ideal day to refine your technique before setting off on your itinerary.

Evening and overnight at the Vittorio Sella refuge.

Today we begin a long alpine traverse, first up the Lauson glacier to the Grand Serra (3,552 m). The route becomes more technical as we reach the Col du Grand Neyron (3,414 m), where we climb over glacial and moraine terrain.

A fine descent over the Montandayné glacier then takes us to the Refuge Chabod for our 3rd night, renowned for its warm welcome and uninterrupted views of the north face of Grand Paradis.

It's the big day! We set off early for the ascent of Grand Paradis, the high point of the trip. The ascent is via the Laveciau glacier, requiring good management of crevasses and altitude conversions.

The last few metres are ski-in, ski-out, with a short, easy climb to the statue of the Virgin Mary, marking the arrival at the summit at 4061m.

After a contemplative break, we embark on a mythical descent on the Grand Paradis glacier to the Victor Emmanuel II Refuge (2,752m).

On this 5th day, we're taking a step off the beaten track and discovering the rarely-visited south face of the massif. We pass the Col du Grand Paradis (3,345 m), before dropping down onto the Noaschetta glacier, an isolated and wild terrain.

After a descent in powder snow, we climb back up to the Col dei Becchi (2,989 m) before plunging down to the Refuge Pontese (2,200 m).

This small, friendly refuge is one of the most authentic on the tour, offering total immersion in nature.

We begin our final ascent to Colle di Teleccio (3,304 m), before enjoying an exceptional descent of 1,700 m to Cogne.

The route crosses the Teleccio glacier before plunging into the Valeille valley, with alternating steep slopes and wide open spaces for sliding.

It's a grand finale to this tour of Gran Paradiso!