Starting out from the Les Contamines ski area, a magical spot for ski touring stretches out opposite Mont-Blanc. We had the opportunity to spend two days there, climbing with sealskins, spending the night at the Refuge des Prés at 1935 meters and descending in the abundant powder of the Val Montjoie's wide-open spaces.
Renowned for the excellent snow conditions in its ski area, the des Contamines will have taken all night to reveal its finest assets after arriving in the rain in the evening. A good night's sleep Chalet Nant Rouge (a lovely, spacious gîte recently renovated by priority guests Carole and Alexandre and located at the foot of the pistes) and we awoke a few hours later to the grandiose spectacle of snow falling in abundance overnight. The white trees and the sublime view of the Dômes de Miage complete this winter picture, synonymous with a call to discovery and adventure on the peaks of Val Montjoie.
Les Contamines is a village in the Mont-Blanc region, with a 120 km ski area offering 48 runs at altitudes of between 1,200 and 2,500 meters. While downhill skiing remains the resort's major discipline, the environment offers the possibility of many other activities, including ski touring, which is very popular here. After taking the Bûche Croisée chairlift, we're already dropping a layer as the sun beats down hard under this big blue sky. And so much the better. The scenery is magnificent on the surrounding peaks and the beautiful amount of snow that has fallen in the last 24 hours allows us to make tracks in abundant powder.
Up front, guide Ludovic leads the way. As is often the case in ski touring, it's advisable to set off accompanied. The guides at the Compagnie des Guides des Contamines offer all types of outings in the wide open spaces of the Contamines nature reserve. Whether for beginners or experts, all levels are catered for here, and itineraries can be adapted to suit individual tastes. As safety is of paramount importance in the mountains, especially on this kind of off-piste outing, there's no point in improvising as an expert where the danger is not always well appreciated by novices. Right from the start, our guide explains the tracks to be avoided, especially those seen a little further up the mountain, which criss-cross slopes at over 30° and are more likely to trigger an avalanche. In fact, you only have to look up to see that a dark track some thirty metres wide has already stalled some time ago, exactly where the ski touring tracks are heading. Cautiously, we stay on our side of the trail, but the scenery is no less enchanting.
Gradually, everyone found their rhythm and the gaps opened up naturally. Ludovic does most of the work, opening up the track and grooming large quantities of snow. "There's no need to try and stick to me," he explains. "We're here to contemplate, enjoy the mountain and have fun. If you want to stay in your own bubble, that's up to you, it's the right time to do it." Rather gentle at the start, the gradients get steeper as the ride progresses. It's an opportunity to improve our conversions on the steepest slopes. This movement makes it easy to change direction and avoid having to attack the mountain head-on on too steep a slope. Just before entering the Contamines-Montjoie National Nature Reserve, we reach the highest point of our outing, the Col de la Cicle. From here, a first descent in powder snow allows us to savor this characteristic glide, which obviously requires a different technique than on the groomed pistes of the resorts. Our guide's advice is invaluable for perfecting the movement and taking full advantage of this dream powder. We end up getting a little too close to the snow, with a few falls, but nothing too serious, given the thickness of the snow.
Once the skins have been put back on, we climb back up to the Col de la Fenêtre, a popular pass in both winter and summer. At an altitude of 2,245 metres, on the border of the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments, the panorama is fantastic, with a perfect 360° view of Mont-Blanc and the surrounding peaks, including the Tré-la-Tête glacier and the Beaufortain mountains. By the time we've had a chance to recharge our batteries, we come across several other groups of ski mountaineers. Some of them take to couloirs where we'd never put skis down. But there's no problem for us as we attack the easier Col de la Fenêtre descent, even if the first part requires us to study the slope carefully to avoid getting carried away by the difference in altitude. The rest is a dream descent to the refuge des Prés, where our progress in powder snow is already making itself felt.
Arriving at the refuge des Prés, our guide Ludo suggested an avalanche victim search exercise. In the bag, snow shovel and probe accompanied us all day, and the DVA (avalanche victim locator) was strapped around the chest (take care not to leave the cell phone near the DVA, so as not to disturb the signal). While this safety equipment has now been adopted by the majority of ski-mountaineers, it's never a bad idea to remind yourself of the correct actions to take in the event of an avalanche, and the procedure to adopt when searching for a victim. After hiding his avalanche transceiver in the snow, Ludo explains how to use it properly. First, progress in an S or Z direction until you get the first signal (known as the primary search). Once this has been acquired, follow the arrow on your avalanche transceiver's display to get as close as possible to the victim (secondary search).
Once you're within one or two meters of the indicated zone, a crosshair search is performed to refine the search precision. At this point, it's time to take out the probe to determine the exact position and depth of the victim. Once the skier or snowboarder has been located, the next step is to use the snow shovel to free the victim. The priority is to open the victim's airways. In practice, the whole maneuver takes well over five minutes. "In real-life conditions, the stress and urgency of the situation obviously add an extra factor that you have to know how to manage," explains Ludo. "While it's obviously advisable to be efficient in your movements, you also need to take a step back and consider the situation, for example, whether it's worth putting the skins back on or not. If you find yourself having to search from the bottom of the avalanche, it's sometimes better to take a minute or two to put your skins back on, rather than exhausting yourself going back up on the snow with your ski boots on."
Once the exercise is over, we head off to warm up in the Refuge des Prés. Situated at an altitude of 1935 metres, it stands out from most Alpine refuges, which are more rustic and basic in terms of comfort. Here, as in Austria and Switzerland, is a luxury version of the Alpine refuge. The establishment is open nine months of the year, a rarity in the region. Perfectly situated in summer on the trails of the Tour du Mont-Blanc, the GRP Tour du Beaufortain and the new Tour du Val Montjoie, in winter it welcomes many skiers who come to watch the sun set over the Mont Blanc range.
30 people can sleep here each night. Hot showers, washbasins, heated and ventilated equipment room, small wooden dormitories for four people, comforters, pillows, home-cooked meals with local produce (a fondue for us that evening)... Comfort is at a premium in this refuge, a former alpine chalet that will be completely rebuilt in 2021 and for which great attention has been paid to the catchment of drinking water sources, the treatment of waste water and the energy used (gas and photovoltaic panels). But be sure to book well in advance, as the site has already earned a fine reputation and requests are pouring in to enjoy the magical setting of one of Haute-Savoie's largest nature reserves (5500 hectares).
The next day, after a refreshing night's sleep and a sunrise breakfast, we hit the slopes for a short climb followed by a powdery descent that really gets the legs going. Slightly harder snow than yesterday soon reminded me of my technical limits in these conditions. I launch forward and have a nice glide, but the landing is always smooth. In the end, the fall is less of a problem than having to get up again in these conditions. The bag on my back and the precarious footing in this powder make the maneuver very energy-consuming.
Then it's down the Roman road to the pretty Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge chapel for a descent of almost 6 km and 800 m of vertical drop. This is a popular route, passing by the Chalet de la Balme, where you'll come across many skiers and snowshoe trekkers. This Roman route, often on white ice, offers above all an idyllic and very playful route through the forest. On the way up, crampons and knives are highly recommended for traversing icy passages. On the way down, we finally put the skis on the rucksack for the last kilometer only, taking advantage of a little passage to make on foot in the woods, impossible to find without the expert eye of our guide Ludo.
We end the day at the foot of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge chapel (photo below). Legend has it that a hermit settled here as early as the 10th century, to offer shelter to travelers on their way to or from Italy via the Col du Bonhomme. It's easy to imagine how difficult this journey would have been in winter. 1,000 years later, people still come here. No longer so much to carry goods, but rather to admire this magnificent natural environment, which we hope will continue to be protected as it is today for a long time to come.
Information / Booking :
Chalet Nant Rouge
132 chemin du Baptieu,
74170 Les Contamines-Montjoie
07 88 19 70 20
https://chaletnantrouge.fr/
contact@chaletnantrouge.fr
Bureau des Guides et Accompagnateurs des Contamines
18 Route de Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge
74170 Les Contamines-Montjoie
04 50 47 10 08
http://www.guides-mont-blanc.com
contact@guides-mont-blanc.com
Refuge des Prés
06 61 86 50 43
https://www.lerefugedespres.com/fr/
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