With Anaïs and the crew, we ski tour through the Ortles: seven days of powder, welcoming Italian huts and routes shaped by conditions and the group.
There are moments like that when you feel as if you’re suspended above it all, soaring in a state of bliss on the thermals of happiness! The week we just spent in the Ortles Mountains with Anaïs, Geoffrey, Quentin, Clément, and Antoine will remain a cherished memory.
In summary:
- Miles of skiing in powder snow.
- Dozens of minutes of shouting our joy in the powder.
- Such beautiful weather, you don't know what to do with it.
- There are just too many mountains and glaciers to take in.
- Laughter and more laughter.
- "Italian-style" meals.
- A few liters of alcohol to help me get through all this.
Day 1 — A few hours' drive before a little treat
It’s always exciting to explore a new mountain range! Anaïs and the group have complete confidence in me to put together a seven-day itinerary. I chose the Ortles because that name had been on my mind for a while…
I’m setting out with very little information, and, of course, the same old questions are swirling around in my head as a guide: Is this the right choice? Will we have good snow conditions? Will the weather be nice? Will the group enjoy it? Will it be too crowded?
The best way to find out is to go see for yourself! Let’s all meet up in Oulx—we’re super excited. The good vibes are definitely there… The rest will follow!
We start with a short drive to Forni, where we’ll spend the night at the excellent mountain hut. We have two or three hours to spare before happy hour: to stretch our legs, I suggest a walk right across from the parking lot, at the foot of San Giacomo. “And that way, we’ll see if the snow’s still good.”
A few dozen minutes later, we let out our first cries of joy in perfect powder, which had us going for a second run! 500 meters of powder just a stone’s throw from the parking lot: it’s already looking very promising.
To top it all off, the lodge—which looks more like a hotel—has a hearty Italian-style gourmet meal in store for us. Not bad for a start!
Day 2 — Sanding Operation at San Giacomo
After last night's short run, San Giacomo seems like a promising option for getting to know the mountains in the area… And, incidentally, the members of the group I don't know!
We climb up the standard route and through the Cent Courbes valley. While my companions chat cheerfully, my eyes are lost in these mountains I’m discovering, and I imagine a thousand plans for the rest of our trip.
The summit is reached via a short, very scenic snow ridge. The depth of the blue sky is every bit as stunning as that of the Hautes-Alpes!
On the descent, the Vallon des Cent Courbes offers us even more beautiful trails to explore. We don’t pass up the chance! We continue down a beautiful couloir—a valley untouched by tracks. San Giacomo lives up to its promise. The ski tour could end right here, and we’d already be happy!
Anaïs and Geoffrey are raring to go back up. In fact, the ascents will be a near-constant feature of our week! The rest of the group is taking care of hauling our rum supplies up to the Branca refuge, where we’ll be staying for two nights.
Anaïs, Geoff, and I make our way almost all the way up to San Giacomo: another run down the Valley of the Hundred Curves—what a lovely name!—before reaching another couloir we’d spotted on the way up, steeper than the first but just as untouched.
A gentle start on beautiful 30° slopes—in powder, of course! Then we plunge into a steeper 150-meter section. A few big turns before we reach a wide couloir where we can really let our skis fly again. Insane snow all the way down to the valley floor. Total bliss!
The Branca shelter is perched high above the valley, which means we have to hike up there in the evening. We arrive just in time to enjoy a beer in the sun with the rest of the group.
Showers, small rooms, huge meals: Italian mountain huts have their charms! On the other hand, you’d better like pasta!
Day 3 — Alpine and Popow Elks at Punta Pedranzini
Today, we’re going to look for some fun a little higher up, heading toward Tresero, a classic in this area. I’ve got a few ideas in mind…
My companions are starting to get the hang of how the guide works: studying the map in detail, gathering information at the mountain hut, keeping an eye out for features on the slopes during the climb… And then, a good dose of improvisation as we work things out with everyone!
We’re climbing up the vast Forni Glacier in the sunshine, not far from Isola Persa. Three hikers have left tracks right in front of us; other than that, no one else has been here yet this year. The blue sky and the sun are still blinding us today.
You have to earn your way up in this mountain range: it’s rare to get by with less than 1,400 meters of elevation gain in a day. Naturally, that takes a toll on your body! Fortunately, sandwiches are there to satisfy those little hunger pangs.
The day before, I’d spotted some beautiful, untouched slopes to the left of Tresero, between Punta Pedranzini and Dosegù. To reach them, we had to cross the Pedranzini—the perfect opportunity for a nice little alpine hike.
The ridge isn't particularly difficult, but it's very exposed. With a backpack, skis strapped to your back, and ski boots on your feet, it's already quite a challenge! Despite our apprehensions, everyone made it through just fine, and we all met up at the summit.
The descent is great, even though the afternoon fog has reduced visibility a bit. What a pleasure it is to carve a line through these beautiful slopes!
Next, we have a virgin valley left to explore—one we’d spotted the day before on San Giacomo—which requires a short 100-meter climb. The valley is right there, but two skiers have beaten us to it. It’s awful: we’re forced to ski behind others!
We console ourselves by crossing it out thoroughly, leaving our successors no chance.
I had even considered taking another short route, but to avoid a mutiny, we decided to take the quickest way back to the shelter… With that little evening climb still ahead of us!
Just enough time for an aperitif, and then we’re sliding our feet under the table. We’re really getting into the swing of things! The only downside: the bottle of rum isn’t going down fast enough, and we’re going to have to haul it all the way to the Italian Tyrol tomorrow.
Day 4 — Crossing the Palon de la Mare and an impromptu popow
Today, we have to cross over to the Tyrolean side of the mountain range to spend the night at the Martellerhütte, the Martello mountain hut.
The day before, we had agreed to take the shortest route to spare some of our bodies, which were already a bit worn out. Plan A, therefore, was to cross the pass between Monte Pasquale and Cevedale, then descend onto the Cevedale Glacier.
At first glance, this option doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore: for a fairly modest reduction in elevation gain, we'd be missing out on a run that I consider a must, plus there's the risk of hiking in the blazing sun.
Plan B was quickly approved by the majority. I love these last-minute changes of heart! And we won't regret this decision.
The climb up to Palon de la Mare is efficient: it starts right from the mountain hut, with no long flat sections. The weather is gorgeous, and there’s almost no one else on our mountain… What a blast!
A snack at the summit with a breathtaking view: the Austrian Alps, the Dolomites, the Bernina, the Adamello, and plenty of other mountains whose names we don’t know. We take the opportunity to lighten our packs by drinking a little rum…
We decided against the next part of Plan B, which involved reaching the Cevedale via the ridge and the Rossole. It doesn’t seem very difficult, but we’d have to climb roped together with our skis strapped to our packs, and there are a few too many of us for that.
So we’ll have to improvise to complete the crossing while keeping the elevation gain within reasonable limits! After studying the map and the mountains, a route via the Forcola, above the Larcher Cevedale refuge, seems feasible. Plan C, then!
Great choice! After an invigorating ski run on the first 150 meters, which had been stripped bare by the wind, we reached a wide valley where the snow was perfectly preserved.
Before long, we leave the tracks behind, and a beautiful, completely untouched valley awaits our skis. A run as good as it is unexpected, in perfect solitude. A dream come true!
The climb back up to Forcola went much better than expected—no doubt thanks to the endorphins from the descent! From the pass, all that’s left is to slide down a beautiful Tyrolean “popow” that hasn’t lost a bit of its charm since I fell on it ten days earlier.
After that great heist, despite our exhaustion, the mood is festive. The beer and red wine are flowing, and the rum can’t withstand our onslaught!
There's no pasta on the menu at Les Tyroliens, but the dessert and thick comfort food are definitely worth the trip!
Day 5 — Back to Pasta Land, but first, a little popow!
Today's destination is the Pizzini mountain hut. No tricks: Antoine and Clément are begging me to take the shortest route!
While they wait it out at the shelter, we set off to ski down a stunning, untouched valley we’d spotted the day before, not far from Cima Marmotta.
The wind is blowing hard and the clouds are rolling by: this is our worst day weather-wise. Still, visibility remains good. We've been through much worse!
After skiing down our 500 meters of morning powder, we regroup and set off for the Casati refuge. “Only” 600 meters of elevation gain, but five kilometers of climbing up the long Cevedale Glacier.
Given today's conditions and this long climb, I'm not even suggesting we go to Cevedale—I'm afraid I'd get lynched on the spot!
We took a nice, hearty break at the Casati mountain hut, at 3,200 m, before heading down toward Pizzini: first on foot, then on snow that was much better than we’d expected.
A warm welcome from the two brothers, Claudio and Mauro… And portions of pasta that are always mind-blowing to kick off the meal!
Day 6 — Snow Apocalypse!
We were already thoroughly satisfied, but we never imagined that even better runs were in store for us!
The wind is still blowing hard. The plan is to head out to the north faces of Monte Forni and see what good runs we can find once we get there. It’s an open-ended itinerary, leaving plenty of room for improvisation, as usual!
First descent from the southern Passo dello Zebrù. Conditions are ideal: few tracks, perfect snow, and sheltered from the wind.
From below, the route becomes clear: the large valley leading up to Cima Centrale is miraculously untouched. The same goes for the area below Cima Occidentale. We’ve got our work cut out for us to clear all that properly!
First, we climb to Cima Centrale through the magnificent glacial cirque. The original plan was to traverse over to the Occidentale. From above, the traverse looks feasible, but a bit long, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to descend easily below the Occidentale.
The team is showing some signs of fatigue, so we’re not pushing it. A fantastic descent awaits us!
We’re not missing a thing. This might just be the most memorable moment of the week—though it’s hard to choose! The photos speak for themselves. A collective orgasm!
The problem is that the slopes of the Occidentale are calling to us. And since there’s no one else to break trail, we have to do it ourselves.
So, we made our way back up with a smaller group. And I had my second high of the day as the last rays of sunlight illuminated this slope!
Insane snow all the way to where we had to put our skins back on… That’s right—to get back to Pizzini, we still have to cross another pass: the Passo dello Zebrù Nord.
Tough on the legs! But the prospect of a beer helps get you through those moments.
As I make my way back up, I notice other promising couloirs and valleys that we probably won’t have time to explore… Sniff, sniff!
Fortunately, Claudio and Mauro cheer us up with generous servings of pasta, paired with Chianti and local wines.
Day 7 — Let's finish strong!
With the road ahead of us and the long days we’d already put in, we quickly dismissed the idea of heading back to explore the Popow area near Monte Forni.
I had spotted a nice couloir leading straight down from San Giacomo to the Forni parking lot.
For once, the day starts with a downhill run. No powder here, but some nice, frozen slush—we’d forgotten that even existed! Just what we needed to really shake out our socks!
We head over to the car to unload our gear. Antoine and Clément take this opportunity to skip that last climb—they’ve clearly had enough!
Back on the slopes of San Giacomo, which we’ve thoroughly explored. The couloir has seen some visitors—especially the wind, which hasn’t left it unscathed.
On this last run, we alternate between really great powder and some slightly icy patches—but it’s still a pleasure to ski. It’s not quite the six-star experience we had yesterday, but we’re still enjoying the skiing and the wonderful atmosphere.
To wrap up the hike properly, we had to finish with a plate of pasta at the Forni mountain hut—they really know how to do it right there!
Practical Info / Route Topo
Day 1 — Forni and first powder laps
- After driving from Oulx, we enjoy two powder laps below San Giacomo. Night at Forni refuge.
Day 2 — San Giacomo and Branca hut
- We climb San Giacomo via the Valley of a Hundred Turns and its short snow ridge. Part of the group heads to Branca while Anaïs, Geoffrey and I climb again for another run and a different gully.
Day 3 — Punta Pedranzini
- We climb the Forni glacier, then traverse the exposed Punta Pedranzini with skis on our packs. After descending the slopes spotted below the summit, a short climb gives access to another San Giacomo bowl. Second night at Branca.
Day 4 — Palon de la Mare and Martello
- We climb Palon de la Mare, then adapt the crossing to reach Martello hut via the Forcola. An unexpected powder descent rewards the change of plan.
Day 5 — Cima Marmotta, Casati and Pizzini
- Part of the group enjoys a morning lap near Cima Marmotta before we regroup for the crossing via the Cevedale glacier and Casati hut. Descent and night at Pizzini hut.
Day 6 — Monte Forni powder
- We cross Zebrù Sud, climb Cima Centrale and enjoy a long powder descent. A smaller team climbs towards Occidentale before returning to Pizzini via Zebrù Nord.
Day 7 — A final San Giacomo gully
- We descend to Forni, unload equipment at the car and head out for a final climb with part of the group. A San Giacomo gully rounds off the week before one last plate of pasta and the drive home.
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