Seven days ski touring between Ubaye, Val Maira and Val Varaita with friends: quiet huts, powder, spring snow and card games under endless blue skies.
Without missing a beat, I leave Sylvain and the freerando group behind for a wilder adventure with Antoine, Vincent, Ugo and Quentin: seven days of ski touring, mostly travelling from place to place.
I already know Antoine, who joined me on his own last year for four crazy days in the Cerces. This year, he's gathered a few friends for a longer adventure.
As usual, I like to wait until the very last minute before choosing a destination, so I can adapt our plans as closely as possible to the conditions in the mountains. With 48 hours to go before departure, the forecast is clear: a full week of blue skies ahead. An invitation to travel that's impossible to resist!
I suggest heading to the far end of the Ubaye and into Piedmont, travelling back and forth across the French-Italian border.
Since I don't know everyone in the group yet, and their ski touring experience varies, I've opted for a semi-itinerant route. In other words, we'll have some “mandatory” days when we need to travel from one hut to the next, alternating roughly every other day with optional days when we can stay at the same place and choose our objective according to conditions and motivation...
Day 1: Starting from Miéjour – Night in Fouillouse
We find ourselves deep in one of the most remote valleys in France to kick off this seven-day trip. From Saint-Paul, we set off just above the village for a little “day tour”.
Nothing too serious... just 1,000 vertical metres to warm up! With a slightly adventurous section through the woods thrown in for good measure...
Our efforts are generously rewarded with a sandwich devoured at the summit and 500 vertical metres of powder that would make Pablo Escobar green with envy!!
We then head over to Fouillouse, where we spend the night with our friend and fellow mountain guide Odilon, who runs the Gîte des Granges.
One last evening without pasta before crossing into Italy!
Day 2: From Fouillouse to Campo Base via the Colle di Stroppia and Colle dell’Infernetto – Night at Campo Base
The names alone are enough to set the mood!
Today is one of our “mandatory” stages: no getting stuck somewhere along the way — tonight, we're sleeping in Italy!
We leave the hut a little later than planned and head towards the Col de Stroppia. The climb is peaceful all the way to the foot of the pass... The final 200 vertical metres add a little variety to our climbing techniques, with everyone taking the opportunity to develop their own personal style!
And here we are in Italy.
Time for a quick snack, because the day is far from over. We descend a few hundred metres into a broad valley before putting the skins back on and climbing towards the Col de l'Infernetto, the only reasonable way through to the Campo Base hut.
And it's a climb we're going to remember!
Showing absolutely no mercy to my companions, I keep everyone moving as soon as we reach the pass and send them straight into a short, steep section. Daylight is fading fast — no time to hang around. Today, mercy is clearly not part of the programme.
Our punishment comes on the descent: snow offering a subtle blend of hard crust and beautiful fields of zastrugi... all enjoyed in the gathering darkness.
Absolutely terrible!
Night finally falls just as we reach the hut. Perfect timing!
But it'll take more than that to dampen the team's spirits. Everyone quickly recovers around plates of legendary Italian pasta, a few restorative drinks and some card games!
We've made it to Campo Base — our home for the next two nights.
Day 3: Eighier – Night at Campo Base
Today is a “rest” day. Some opt for active recovery and head out skiing straight from the hut, while others take it easy... Either way, we're spending another night at Campo Base, so there's no pressure.
For the ski team, today's objective is a summit just above the hut: not far away, but with plenty of vertical metres to keep us busy. The plan is to look for spring snow on the fairly steep south-facing slopes. We have absolutely no desire to repeat yesterday's painful skiing experience!
The mountains and huts feel strangely deserted this January, and we certainly aren't complaining. Thankfully, a few ibex are around to keep us company!
We climb beneath the impressive cliffs of the Rocca Provenzale, one of the classic climbing spots in Val Maira. Layer after layer comes off as the temperature rises. It's a typical “Janvril” day — somewhere between January and April — and it's giving us serious hopes of good spring snow.
After reaching the summit of Eighier, we ski back down about 100 vertical metres and treat ourselves to a nap on the grass.
It's not that we're lazy... we simply have to wait for the snow to soften properly. A terrible ordeal, but someone's got to do it!
Everyone faces the hardship without so much as a complaint.
Our patience is rewarded with a beautiful descent on perfect spring snow... so good, in fact, that we decide to climb back up for another lap!
Everyone finally reconnects with the skier inside them — the one they thought had died the day before somewhere on a crusty slope!
Tonight, as will be the case every night from now on, we have the hut to ourselves. The hut guardian cooks us a delicious dinner... and we spend the rest of the evening drinking rum and playing cards.
Life is good!
Day 4: To Val Varaita via the Colle di Bellino – Night at the Mélézé Hut
Today is another “mandatory” stage! A good 1,300 vertical metres and plenty of distance to cover — time to be brave!
After several days in ski boots, blisters and sore feet are starting to take their toll on a few of us. Fortunately, conditions in the mountains are beautiful and the mood within the group is just as good. That definitely helps keep everyone moving!
At the Colle di Bellino, a chilly breeze convinces us to postpone our picnic. We start descending into Val Varaita, first across huge expanses of cold snow — sometimes smooth, sometimes powdery.
A few hundred metres lower down, we enter a gully and start skiing right along the bottom. A magical descent through this unlikely natural half-pipe...
Further down, our half-pipe gets a little steeper and gradually turns into a canyon. I head down alone to scout the way before inviting the others to follow.
Then comes the key section — affectionately known as the “frozen vagina” of the day — which gives us a healthy shot of adrenaline!
The man we'll simply call V., to protect his anonymity, comes very close to falling on the exposed section. A fall here would have sent him straight into a hole filled with freezing water beneath a small waterfall... not somewhere you'd want to end up.
Fortunately, after a few impressive wobbles, V. regains his balance... and I start breathing again!
From there, we continue smoothly through the canyon until we reach the mountain pastures above Mélézé. Deep in the valley, we make the most of the last rays of sunshine to devour paninis, sausages and whatever else is left in our packs!
One short and completely unexpected climb to reach the bridge brings out the deeply primal nature of certain members of the group, now fully prepared to fight back against adversity!
From there, it's a gentle ski down to the hut, where we can once again devote ourselves to our usual après-ski activities.
Day 5: Monte la Vigna – Night at the Mélézé Hut
The “zero-calorie” option seems to be gaining more and more supporters on our optional days...
Just like two days ago, we're heading for the spring snow on the steep slopes above the hut. Another day without seeing a single person, although there are plenty of chamois around to keep us company.
Today's summit, Monte la Vigna, is reached via a short section along the ridge, with our skis strapped to our packs.
From the summit, we ski a fairly steep couloir on the southeast face... and the snow is absolutely perfect!
What a treat.
After a descent like that, it's hard to call it a day. So we put the skins back on and head towards the Colle Reisassetto, with the idea of possibly crossing over to the other side.
But first things first: it's time for a nap. And a small patch of grass just
Day 6: Tête de Malacoste – Night at the Maljasset Hut
The biggest of our “mandatory” days!
As the crow flies, we're only a few kilometres from our destination. By road, though, it would be a journey of at least 300 kilometres!
Some feet are now in pretty bad shape, but they'll just have to survive one more day...
The week's fatigue is beginning to make itself felt, but by now we've settled into that familiar, almost meditative rhythm on the climbs. Once again, we make our way through magnificent valleys where the only signs of life are a few mountain huts and ibex.
At the Col de Malacoste, at 3,100 metres, we're back on home soil!
Those who aren't too tired — or too badly blistered — can add another 100 vertical metres to reach the Tête de Malacoste.
The view today is breathtaking. Mountains stretch away in every direction and, if the world had an edge, it feels as though we might be standing right on it!
The aspect of today's descent doesn't offer much hope of finding good spring snow... so we'll just have to settle for powder.
The valley starts out broad before suddenly narrowing as it turns north into a couloir about 100 metres long. There's plenty of snow in there, so let's give it a try...
And off we go on beautiful, settled, completely untracked powder — despite the fact that it hasn't snowed for more than three weeks!!
Safe to say, this isn't a place that gets skied every day!
It's one of those moments of pure happiness in the mountains. After all these days with nothing to think about except moving forward, skiing, eating and laughing, we've become pretty good at simply enjoying the moment.
And we're savouring every single turn!
All good things must come to an end, and every beautiful valley eventually has a bottom... Even if this particular bottom is a little flat, we're delighted with another fantastic day in the mountains!
Eventually, we reach Maljasset, a tiny hamlet tucked away at the far end of the Haute-Ubaye. It's still very much the middle of nowhere, and yet somehow it feels as though we've returned to civilisation!
Another evening with the hut all to ourselves... and when it comes to our evening activities, we see absolutely no reason to change a winning formula!
Day 7: Eyssilloun Gorge
Last but not least!
We'd left a car in Maljasset so we could drive back to Fouillouse. As it turns out, that was a very good idea!
To round off the trip, we set our sights on a beautiful couloir above Fouillouse. On paper, today's outing is a notch below the previous days in terms of vertical gain, but the climb up to the entrance of the couloir is pretty steep and seriously tests the group's last reserves of energy!
The snow conditions allow us to “have a little fun” on some fairly steep slopes without too much concern. There has to be some advantage to not having had any fresh snow!
We finish in style with excellent cold snow in the couloir...
Below, conditions aren't quite as good, so we move onto the side slopes in search of better snow — and find some top-notch powder! Same story in the forest below, with another few hundred vertical metres of great skiing.
Awesome!
The snow gets noticeably heavier lower down, but luckily we're not far from the valley floor... because by now our legs are definitely running on empty!
And that's a wrap!
And that's the end of this wonderful trip!
Congratulations to everyone on your first multi-day ski tour... It was an ambitious challenge, but you rose to it with just as much flair as some of your finest moves at the tarot table!
And all of it in great spirits...
It was a real pleasure for me to guide you through the mountains this week. Let's do it again whenever you're ready!
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