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Crête de la Seyte

Briançon

A mixed day of tracks, woods and open faces.

Ski Touring Moderate

Distance
13 km
Ascent
1.3 km
Descent
1.3 km
Duration
6-7 hrs
Low Point
1.3 km
High Point
2.5 km
Gradient
30˚
Crête de la Seyte Map

As you enter the Fournel Valley you normally park at the obvious parking near the signs for the silver mines. Sometimes the road is open to allow access for the ice climbing higher up the valley (if open it is still quite icy). If this is the case you can park near the first bridge or near the water plant just past the second little bridge, next to the road junction. Please park carefully and considerately as, if open, this route does see some traffic for the ice climbing.

Description

From the main parking, head up the road and cross the first bridge. Just after this bridge turn right and take a cut through to emerge just before the second bridge. Turn right and you arrive at a road junction; take the left uphill road and follow it up round one tight bend to another junction.

Here there is a sign telling you about the nature reserve areas on this tour. Check it out and make sure you don’t enter any of them.

Take the right-hand road and head up again through some switchback turns. (It’s possible to cut the corners on the road, but the wood is dense and the roadway provides a gentle if longer warm-up.) Keep going until you reach two houses at 1650m, at which point leave the road and head up behind the houses. Follow a shallow ridge up through the trees. As the trees thin out and the ridge gets sharper you see the first nature reserve, fenced and roped off. Do not enter, but keep heading up until it opens out and you can see the top of the ridge leading to the summit. Pick your line up to it.

Descent

Follow your tracks back down the ridge to the houses at 1650m. Here you have a choice: either head back on the road, an easier but hassle-free descent, or try and keep heading down in the trees, often hard and overgrown - hence not always the best choice.

Difficulty

Moderate

Slopes become slightly steeper at around 25-30 degrees.

Low Exposure (E1)

1 out of 4

Exposure is limited to that of the slope itself. Getting hurt is still likely if the slope is steep and/or the snow is hard.

Remoteness

2 out of 4

Away from help but easily accessed.

Best time to visit

between January and March

Features

  • Tree Skiing

Equipment required

  • Skins

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