Haute Route Report
7 Day Ski Tour from Chamonix to Zermatt

Approximatively 1800m uphill, 1200m for the downhill...Powder!!!!

Monastè du Grand St-Bernard to Bourg St-Bernard (about 550m downhill)

We start off the day early, still cannot get used to this.... The first part is a long not so steep downhill through the gully of the dead, so called because of the many avalanches that come through, the snow is actually a nice sheet of ice, and as we started early, the risk is very low. The graty, bumpy rides gives us all a good leg shake and rapidly clears the cobwebs left by a nice night's sleep in the monastery. We rapidly reach Bourg St-Bernard, we will start skinning up from there.

Bourg St-Bernard to Croix de Tsousse (about 1000m uphill)

There is a small ski area, but we are rather early and the lifts are not running yet, so we make our way up, zizaging up the frozen slopes to Col des Proz. Of course, not so long after we reach the top of the lifts, they start running, but hey, we're here for the exercise ;o). The weather is nice, but again, like yesterday, we seem to be on the good side of the Foehn, as, the wind is raging, though far from us, on the opposite col actually, the weather is bad and closing in. We stop below col des Proz, a short pause as the wind is not letting up and make the traverse to the croix de Tsousse in 2 steps, over a little side col which required some bootpacking, then along a nice long flat (there might be a lake below, hard to tell) and then a small uphill up to croix de Tsousse, where a small surprise awaits us.

Croix de Tsousse to Effluent du glacier Tseudet (about 600m downhill... most of in in powder!!!)

From the Croix de Tsousse, the wind is still strong but tamer than previously, but this does not bother anybody, as we all notice the slope we are about to ski down is relatively untracked and has some nice fluffy snow. It is not deep, it is slightly tracked, but compared to the bumpy icesheet from the morning and the conditions we have had up to now, this is very pleasureable. Even better is that the descent is relatively long, a good 600m of vertical before we pause for lunch and garner energy for the upcoming ascent to Cabande de Valsorey. The austrian bacon and sips of Laphroaigh help us prepare for the last uphill of the day, and what an uphill it is, our legs and minds are still vibrating from the superb descent, so we let the sun warm our faces, the whiskey our stomach in order to get motivated for the upcoming long uphill.

Effluent du glacier Tseudet to Cabane de Valsorey (about 800m uphill)

We start along a narrow gully filled with frozen snow and a bit tricky, but once out of it, the way opens up nicely and a grandiose scenery opens up, a vast cirque surrounds us. Glaciers coming down from many sides, their schrinking having left giant halfpipes of moraine in their lower sections, we would think ourselves ants in a funpark for giants....Speaking of garden animals, a snail's pace is what we seem to be going at, the hut never seems to get closer, no matter how many switchback we are doing, it seems to remain as elusive as the giants that should be using the immense funpark.

After some time, the final conversion is made, the hut is there awaiting along with a few cold beers to reward the best day so far, snow and exercise wise. The hut is very crowded, we have reconnected with the normal route, is is rather small, so after feeling like ants and going along sat the speed of snails, now we are to be squished like sardines ;o))

We enjoy a very nice sunset and moonrise, have a hearthy dinner, it is not long before the hut echoes with snores in many different languages

The toilets are situated on the edge of a cliff, nothing like going out in the almost full moon and taking advantage of their beautiful location, leaving the door open to enjoy the view....while inside the house all is quiet and sleepy.....

>> next day >>