Aiguille to Montgenèvre

Remote valleys with lovely N facing descents, increasingly busy towards your destination

Ski Touring Moderate

Distance: 29 km
Ascent: 2.2 km
Descent: 1.8 km
Duration: 1 day +

Low Point: 1.5 km
High Point: 2.8 km
Gradient: 16˚

This is another big day, but it would be harder to split. Begin by taking the zig zag track to le Lombard at 1930m, following the forested valley of the same name. Beyond here continue up the valley, with more difficulty through the forest, being hard not to get tree bound at some point!. Finally you emerge from the trees at about 2250m and the going becomes easier! Head N on fairly steady ground to an unnamed Col to the E of the Pic de Fond de Queyras.

Patchy Snow in the Valley Photo: Jon Morgan

Photo Opportunity on the Ridge Photo: Jon Morgan

Crossing No-Man's Land Photo: Jon Morgan

Description

Your reward is a great NNW facing ski down to about 2270m. If you like skating you can continue down this valley to Les Fonts, from where you would continue on very gently downhill terrain to le Bourget. We preferred to skin an extra few hundred metres to the Col de Marsailles at 2602m. This proved a good decision as the descent to le Bourget through the trees, on N facing terrain, was excellent.

You find yourself now in a very popular and beautiful hanging valley above the village of Cervières. You will see lots of people enjoying the ski de fond tracks and possibly ice climbing. Follow those tracks to the W, quick but tiring if you choose to skate, imperceptibly downhill, to near La Chua at about 1860m. All that remains is the hot and tiring climb to the ridge to the W of the Sommet des Anges and a quick slide down the easy pistes to the busy frontier villages of Montgenèvre and Claviére.