January Touring Advisable?

Hi Rozzy

touring in January is certainly perfectly feasible.  Although in years gone by touring was regarded as an exclusively spring time activity this isnt the modern view.  Alpine weather seems more unpredictabe than it was. January can bring heavy snowfalll, winds and avalanche risk, but sometimes brings long periods of settled weather ideal for touring.  Avalanche assessment needs careful thought as the snowpack may be shallower in January and there isnt the warmth of the sun that promotes consolidation.  Very few huts will be open but winter rooms can be cosy places and you will have the advantage of having much quieter mountains than later in the year.  Finding a suitable hut and doing day tours from there is certainly one option as is day tours from a valley base.  Modern light weight kit combined with a reasonable degree of fitness means that many cols and peaks can be climbed from the top of lifts or even from the valley.  Glaciers may not have filled in and are probably worth staying off at this time of the year.  I am sure many Eagles will have suggestions for areas but I would suggest the Beaufortain: no big resorts, no glaciers. lots of beautiful skiing at different altitudes and aspect and a few cosy huts.

Phil Jardine

Hi - touring, in particular day touring starts well before Christmas in the hills around Briancon. The Queyras is a beautiful area - easy access, no glaciers and great day tours with the option of making multi-day trips if desired.

Other options include tours from the Claree valley - we did quite a bit there last Christmas/New Year including a circular tour traversing Mt. Thabor. Nevache is a good base and is the end of the road in winter.

The Guisanne valley ( Serre Chevalier ) can also be used as a base and allows for ski ascents of many nice local peaks - the Pic Blanc du Galibier has already had several ski ascents this winter by local optimists! La Grave is usually accessible in less than 40 minutes from the valley.

Based near Argentiere or Puy St Vincent lots of day tours on the edge of the Ecrins can be done in December and January. Again glaciers can be avoided.

If you need further information drop me a line - we now spend about 6 or 7 months a year in the area. Email - johnandsue4work@btinternet.com

Good luck. 

  Scotland! We have many rocks interspersed with heather. At that time of year the weather can be utterly atrocious (actually at just about any time of year) with driving snow and winds over 160kph. Although we have some permanent snow fields (patches) we do not have glaciers, but avalanche awareness is still required. The mountain huts are managed by the MBA and do not have wardens, beds, water, power or food and you may encounter a party of enthusiastic whiskey drinkers and if you are really unlucky one of them may have a guitar, or worse an i-pod and tinny speakers.

But if you get it good - I have not come across anywhere I'd rather be. Untracked mountains to your self, clarity of air to give views of 160km, delightful snow, possibly accessible from the car. Routes as challenging as you wish from a trek out the Cairngorm plateau to hair raising descents of the gully lines where you may have to dodge a climber coming up!

PS we have a Scottish meet 17-19th Jan with spaces in G Lyon.

Rozzy -

My criteria for January ski-touring would probably not include whether I have the guidebook (books can be borrowed - we have lots) but they definitely would include:

 - a friendly hut, gite or hotel with a good roaring fire or stove to come back to (I probably wouldn't go hut to hut at this time of year)

 - access to public transport so you can go somewhere else, often just a different aspect of the same or next valley, if the weather is bad or the snow poor (Switzerland is best for that but also expensive these days)

 - easy access to some reasonably high terrain, and possibly glaciers (depends how much kit you want to carry and your group's skill level).

Both the Beaufortain and Briançon / Queyras, as suggested above, meet those criteria.  Consider also the central Valais (Leysin / Les Diablerets), Valsese (Gressoney / Alagna), Ubaye (Guillestre / St Paul), Dolomites or Brenner/Stubai (see several articles by John Moore in recent yearbooks about touring in this area in January).  The YB articles will also help you to choose the warm and friendly gite ... better than any guidebook!

Have fun!

Mike

I won't add any areas to the extensive advice you already have, but will give some detail for some of my favourite places that fit with Mike's criteria:

In the Queyras, where the ski stations are small and inconspicuous, but can give an escape from touring if that becomes impractical when the weather changes, Gaudissard at Molines, and Les Gabelous at St Verans are both very cosy and welcoming; Gaudissard has an enormous free sauna 3 nights a week!

A bit to the north, at Abries in the Queyras, also with a small ski station, there are many day tour and accommodation options, but my favourite base is Le Cassu at Roux d'Abries: away from the ski station village, a little bit hippy, with a sauna, wood stove, etc.

If you want to escape from the world, La Cure at Maljasset in the Haute Ubaye, the end of the road, has everything except ski machines - days tours at all levels and Nordic loops, and a really cosy common/dining room to come back to.

In the Gapencais, north of Gap in the south east corner of the Ecrins, the smallish ski resort of Orcieres Merlette has many accommodation options, and endless day tours, starting from the valley (with up to more than 1000m of climb) or from the top of the lift system (with less climb but lots of descent). I usually stay at La Chauffarel, which is below the village of Orcierres, so away from the ski station hubub, has a wood stove in the common/dining room and excellent food.

Hope this helps....

...Steve