My friend was thinking to buy new skis and was also silently considering a ski touring set one day. A year ago, she had tried to skitour to 4100 m peak Breithorn in Switzerland, but she needed to return in the middle of a tour as her friend was not feeling well due to the high altitude. Well, one takes a cable car from Zermatt (1800m) to Klein Matterhorn (3883m) and starts the tour from there. It might be a bit difficult without the acclimatization.
Now, a year and few months after, I have promised to show the beauties of ski touring. However, we are just starting the winter season. The body and legs are getting used for the skis again, so let’s take it easy at first.
Our goal was the Col de Rosael. It’s not a peak. It’s an easily reachable mountain pass in French Alps, in Les 3 Vallees Ski Resort. It’s popular for skiers as the gondola has the end station there, so skiers can enjoy the downhill with amazing views over the valley. The plan and route is very simple and straightforward. Start at Val Thorens (Altitude: 2300m), then go along the blue pistes up to the pass, enjoy the panorama from top and return back. The goal is to get us above 3000 meters.
The amount of snow in this winter season in Europe is very unfortunate. Last snowing in Val Thorens had been two weeks ago. It was even raining few days back. One needs to have crampons always ready as it can be easily icy on the way up.
The weather prediction was 7 hours of sun. And as it always happens, the weather is changing in the mountains all the time. While touring, it was cloudy, chilly, breezy wind, the sun is changing with the overcast every other minute. The temperature was about -5. Maybe one hundred meters below the top, the conditions changed. A dense fog, sharp wind, the ice got accumulated on the hair and eyelashes. Better hurry up to the top, find a windshield in the walls of the gondola end station as it is not far away.
When we put the skins down and warmed up a little bit, one could spot the weather changed again. Sun is up, clouds were torn apart by wind and one can enjoy the beautiful panorama of the surrounding mountains.
From now on, it was an easy scenic ski ride down, with photos and lots of smiles.
