Queyras Ski Touring
Overview
It has been said that if you love ski touring, you will have heard about the Queyras! A remote and genuine mountain range with a snowy microclimate is how the Queyras can be described best. This big mountain area has a lot to offer for ski touring, with a great variety of landscapes, untracked snow and guaranteed solitude!
Discover the fabulous mountains & solitude of the secretive Queyras in the Hautes-Alpes region in France on a small group ski tour. Ski from hut to hut stradling the border of France & Italy, enjoying powder descents in between.
Ski Tour & Terrain
The Queyras is mostly known in France among skiers for the intensity of the "retour d'est", a low pressure system coming from the east, and dumping big amounts of snow on the region. Lots of snow is good? Add to that some of the best larch forest in the alps, few people, genuine villages and a vast choice of high-altitude slopes, and you have the recipe for a skier's paradise!
During this week, the program will be dynamic, following the conditions (snow and weather), as well as the level and expectations of the participants. Here in Queyras, there's some terrain for ski touring beginners or steep slope experts!
Starting in Saint Veran, the ski tour takes in 4 mountain huts, plus numerous peaks & passes in both France and Italy before ending a few kilometres from Abriès.
The Queyras are dominated by the Matterhorn-like spire of Mt Viso (3,841m), but there are a plethora of other peaks over 3,000m elevation, with several visited in the tour. From St Veran climbs the lofty Pic de Château Renard (2989m) and from here the adventure begins. Leisurely skiing on wide, easy slopes to technical turns in narrow, steep corridors. On bad weather days, there are also enough sheltered, forested slopes to enjoy the powder!
In one day of ski touring, the group will ski a vertical drop of between 800m to 1,100m, with daily climbs on skins ranging from 400m to 1,000m total. The tour can adapted day to day so that everyone benefits to the maximum, according to their ability and will! To see how the tour operates day to day, see the Itinerary Tab.
Meeting Point & Transport
The meeting point for the tour is St Veran at the Auberge de Coste Belle. The Queyras is located south-east of the Ecrins National Park and the fabulous city of Briançon (with its large nearby ski resort of Serre Chevalier). Despite its comparative remoteness, it's rather easy to reach the meeting point in Saint Véran. By car the village is 3.5hr from Grenoble, 1.5hr from Briançon. See the Queyras ski region page for more info on how to get to St Veran.
On the final day of the tour, the transfer from the finishing point near Abries back to St Veran is included in the price.
See the Itinerary Tab for more details on the tour program.
Accommodation & Meals
Enjoy the isolation of the region & the company of your fellow group members by staying in four different mountain huts throughout the tour. Two nights will be spent at the first hut, Refuge de la Blanche, with the remainder only one night (Refuge d’Agnel, Refuge du Viso, Rifugio Willy Jervis). Each hut provides half-board (breakfast & dinner) (included in the price) with lunches & snacks brought on the tour or purchased from the huts as picnics. Drinks are available at all the huts at bar prices.
Guides & Group Size
The guide is a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide with extensive local ski experience plus an obsession for finding the best snow and ensuring the group has the best possible time on the tour. The maximum number of guests per guide/group will be 7.
Ski Ability & Fitness
Participants must be at ease with skiing on all types of snow at a reasonable pace all day long. During this haute-route, the group will ski some steeper terrain only if the conditions, the level (and expectations) of the skiers allow it.
The terrain in Queyras allows the guide to be dynamic and propose an itinerary that suits everyone. Participants should be able to make skinning ascents of up to 1,000m per day, and as such should be in good physical condition. Your own ski touring & safety equipment is required, there is no rental available.
A Note About Covid
The tour operator undertakes to follow all the recommendations issued by the relevant government. Participants will be informed of the health protocols relating to the accommodation where they stay - it is mandatory to respect them. For the latest on travelling to Europe see the website Reopen Europe.