Ski Grand St Bernard

2008 DATES Click Dates To Book.... Week 11: 9 Mar - 15 Mar FULL Full Skiing Programme Click Here COURSE DURATION 5 days, 6 nights ALL INCLUSIVE PRICE £765 Your course price covers: • Guiding + guides expenses • Full board + accommodation • All picnic lunches/snack food • All course transportation • All mechanical uplift • Loan of technical equipment Click here for Full Details RATIO Intermediate

The area around the Grand St Bernard pass is a perfect one for ski touring, having a wealth of summits suitable for ascents on ski plus excellent ski-touring routes on both the Swiss and Italian sides of the frontier.

We base ourselves initially at the St Bernard Hospice, a 10th century monastery founded by St Bernard to give shelter to traders passing over the col. Still run by monks, its hospitality is as warm as it ever and it provides an excellent base from which to ski tour. The Hospice has comfortable rooms (beds with sheets and showers) and is a unique place to stay, having a fascinating museum, chapel and treasury. In winter the hospice can only be approached using skis or snow shoes, giving it a remote ambience.

The course is ideal for people who want to gain more ski touring experience at an 'intermediate' level before embarking on more demanding multi-day tours such as the West Oberland Haute Route or the Haute Route du Soleil. As such it is a perfect follow-up week to our Ski Touring Skills course. Ascents of most summits can be made within 4 hours, giving plenty of time to enjoy the descents and to work on off-piste technique.

Sample Programme:

Day 1 Ski Super St Bernard, a small ski resort having great off-piste skiing. We start with a warm-up ski to refresh off-piste skills then ski through a tunnel to the far side of the mountain, where a fantastic off-piste descent followed by a half-hour ascent using skins through the 'Combe de Mort' gets us to the Hospice.

Day 2 An ascent of Mont Fourchon (2902m), the classic ski-touring peak of the area giving breath-taking views of Mont Blanc and the Grand Combin. If time and conditions permit we make an ascent of Mont Mort (2866m) in the afternoon for great powder skiing down its northern flank.

Day 3 The Combe de La, a classic trip over 3 cols culminating in a 12km descent. The route has a wild remote feel and is exceptionally scenic as it traverses a terrace overlooking the east side of the Mont Blanc massif, giving views of the Grand Jorasses, Mont Dolent and Mont Blanc, which are very impressive from this unusual angle. This must rate as one of the best day tours in the Alps. Hotel night in the Col Serena in Etroubles.

Day 4 We move to the Val de Bagnes (Verbier region). Here we take the lift at Bruson (a north- facing resort on the opposite side of the valley from Verbier) and climb the Tete de Payanne (2452m) which has great views looking up the Val de La and Val de Bagnes. We then ski down north facing slopes into the trees and back to the valley for lunch. In the afternoon we ascend to the Cabane Brunet, an excellent hut which takes around 3 hours to reach.

Day 5 An early start is followed by a 3-hour climb on skis to the classic summit of Mont Rogneux (3083m), a peak set in magnificent surroundings on the northern flank of the Grand Combin massif. The final ridge of Mt Rogneux is a delightful ascent on skis - interesting terrain in stunning surroundings. A magnificent 1700m descent gives a fitting finish to the week.

Maps: Martigny 282S 1:50 000 and Arolla 283S 1:50 000

Ski ability required: Effective turns off-piste, good general fitness. Ski touring experience is desirable, but people without touring experience may join the course provided they are strong off-piste skiers. Good general fitness is important and you must be able to comfortably sustain a climb at a rate of 250 to 300 vertical metres an hour. A typical day will involve 3 to 4 hours uphill skinning (up to 1000m height gain).
Anyone wanting a refresher day to prepare for this course can arrange a day of instruction in ski touring techniques on the Sunday that the course convenes.

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