With Oisin, Vincent and Thomas, we ski tour through Haute-Maurienne: Évettes, Petite Ciamarella, Gastaldi and Albaron, between sunshine and whiteout.
I meet up again with Oisin and Vincent, joined this time by Thomas, all more motivated than ever for a little spring ski tour!
At this early stage of the late season, you either head for the high valleys or carry your skis… Haute-Maurienne it is!
Day 1 — Finding skis on a public holiday in May
Despite some unsettled departure logistics — skis are quite useful on a ski tour! — we leave L’Écot rather late and head to the Évettes hut for our first night.
The hut keepers give us a wonderful welcome despite our late arrival. Our alcohol supplies for the three days are already shrinking alarmingly on the first evening… At least our packs will be lighter!
Day 2 — Petite Ciamarella and the crossing to Gastaldi
Quite a few people set off today, but almost everyone turns towards the Albaron. Only a handful of us continue towards Col de la Petite Ciamarella, still untracked since the latest snowfall.
Seven people are ahead, all bunched together on the one slope that calls for some caution. We wait, then climb in turn with good spacing.
From the col, a short, easy but exposed rock scramble leads to the summit of Petite Ciamarella, which we have to ourselves!
As often happens here, the Italian nebbia joins in, creating an ever-changing atmosphere of sunshine and swirling mist. We work with it!
We drop onto the Italian side through a short couloir. A lovely descent brings us close to the Gastaldi hut… One short climb later, the pasta-and-beer session is open!
Day 3 — Col de la Bessanèse and the Albaron
We set off alone towards Col de la Bessanèse. Vincent and Oisin form an independent rope team for the couloir, while I rope up with Thomas.
A short icy section at the bottom, followed by a steep snow slope… With skis on our packs, of course!
At the col, shifting clouds still give us some reason for hope. The visibility doesn’t last: we soon find ourselves in a complete whiteout.
Things get interesting, especially without a GPS! On this rolling terrain, it’s difficult to anticipate the shape of the ground. We sometimes find ourselves climbing absurd little steep bumps that we would probably have avoided in better visibility.
Doubt creeps in. Snow conditions aren’t great: skiing this with almost no visibility will be demanding…
Time for a food break. Thinking is easier with a little saucisson in the bloodstream!
Voices emerge from the white void: skiers descending from the Albaron, somewhat unsure of their whereabouts. They pass within ten metres without us seeing them!
The visibility doesn’t improve during the break, but motivation is still strong. We’re not certain we’ll be able to do anything tomorrow, so we continue.
As we reach the flatter ground below the Albaron, visibility gradually improves. With everyone else already down, we begin to hope for a lucky weather break!
It isn’t quite a miraculous clearing, but conditions become perfectly decent, with even a little view from the summit. And the pleasure of being up here after all the uncertainty!
Improved visibility is welcome for the descent, on snow that skis better than expected. The huge boulders of Rocafort make for wonderfully playful terrain!
A hundred metres above the Avérole car park, only grass remains. Time to take off the skis… Or perhaps not!
Practical Info / Route Topo
Day 1 — L’Écot to the Évettes hut
- After some last-minute ski logistics, we make a late start towards the Évettes hut and receive a lovely welcome.
Day 2 — Petite Ciamarella and the Gastaldi hut
- We reach the col and summit of Petite Ciamarella via a short, exposed scramble. We descend into Italy between sunshine and mist, then climb to the Gastaldi hut.
Day 3 — Bessanèse, Albaron and Avérole
- Two rope teams cross Col de la Bessanèse with skis on their packs. After navigating through a whiteout, visibility improves below the Albaron. We reach the summit and descend via Rocafort towards Avérole.
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