A major figure in the world of ski mountaineering, the Frenchwoman Laetitia Roux reveals some of her favourite spots. A godsend in these very favourable times for practice, because of the closing of the resorts.
17 world championship titles, 9 European championship titles, 27 French championship titles and 123 gold medals. At 35, Frenchwoman Laetitia Roux retired from competition three years ago after a successful career. The woman who is currently training the young American Grace Staberg agreed to reveal some of her favourite ski-mountaineering spots. It's enough to make you want to get out the skins as interest in the discipline explodes due to the closure of the ski lifts.
A spot to start ski-mountaineering?
"There are so many of them. The first one that comes to mind is obviously my home. Reallon is where I learned to ski. There are some incredible and beautiful itineraries in terms of the view and they are accessible. I don't know if it's groomed because it's a very small resort that must be really struggling today with the situation. It has some easy spaces to start with, with its gentle slopes on the bottom. "
"At the moment the context is favourable for ski-mountaineering. It's fabulous because you have access to the resorts and to some groomed runs, without the danger that you can have in normal times with the traffic between skiers going down and hikers going up. So it's a good place to start and easy to find groomed or easy to ski and free areas. Last year already, about 60 ski resorts had created hiking routes. "
A spotlight on her beauty?
"This winter I am based in the Haute Tarentaise, in Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise. Here it lends itself well, I find peace and quiet. When you go ski touring, the view of Mont Blanc is incredible. It's exceptional, you can see the glaciers opposite, and the Italian side is very wild. There are no resorts or villages so the view is great. It's a different atmosphere compared to my home in the Hautes-Alpes. "
A more technical spot?
"I would say the Queyras, still in the Hautes-Alpes. It's one of the little paradises of ski touring among others. Lately we wanted to do the Mont Viso (a nearby summit), but we couldn't do it because the conditions weren't right for it. The tour of Viso was already exceptional so the summit must be great, but it's more technical. I would also mention the Aravis with the Mont Charvin where there are steeper and more challenging couloirs.
A spot to ski at night?
"The main thing is to catch the full moon (laughs), and for it to be in the open. A place not in the forest but open. In Réallon what is incredible is that there is a view of the lake. To have done it at full moon, it's quite magical because you can see the Aiguilles de Chabrières and the Lac de Serre-Ponçon on the other side with the lights of the village. It is just exceptional at full moon because the summit is not wooded. In the Hautes-Alpes we are well served. It's my territory so I know it well for sure. I've travelled a lot but in competition it's different. The Dolomites are amazing to ski but I haven't had the time to do it for myself. "
A spot outside the Hautes-Alpes ?
"There are some in the Pyrenees for sure, but unfortunately in the races I've done there, we haven't had much luck with the weather. It's known to be wilder than in the Alps. We have a race in the Pays Toy which is nice towards the Pic du Midi. There are some beautiful couloirs. "
"I have never done ski-mountaineering in the Vosges, the Massif Central or the Jura. In fact it's too flat for what I'm looking for. But I know that there are small ski-mountaineering races there. The Beaufortain, which I know from the Pierra Menta (which she has won seven times ed. note), represents an incredible playground for ski-mountaineering and touring. "