Today I’m going to introduce 4 young people from Toulouse to ski touring, starting from Méribel.
A visit to a shop in the resort and they’re equipped with brand new ski touring equipment: lightweight skis, skins and knives.
I lend them each a DVA as well as a shovel and probe that they put in their backpacks and off we go from La Chaudanne. Given the snow conditions, I chose an area where the snow had not – or barely – been affected by the wind, so we headed towards Les Ménuires for a descent on Les Encombres, a climb on seal skins to Geffriand and a descent on Saint Martin.
A short off-piste tour beforehand allows us to check that everyone has a sufficient technical level. The level is mixed but the weakest are motivated and the snow is easy to ski. We also take the opportunity to review how DVAs work and discuss off-piste safety instructions.
Arriving in Les Menuires, we take the ski lifts to reach the top of the Lac Noir chairlift, where we can see our first descent on the Encombres slope. Here, the slopes are gentle, perfectly suited to beginners. The snow cover is low, and even if the snow is good since there is about fifteen cm of powder, you have to be careful not to approach the areas that are too stony.
A few hundred meters lower, it is time to take off your skis and put on your skins. The first steps are hesitant, you have to understand how to slide the touring skis without lifting them so as not to lose too much energy. We try to climb at a leisurely pace even if some are getting impatient, the goal being to progress without feeling out of breath.
Everyone reaches the pass above the Geffriand mountain pasture without any problems after about an hour of effort. The view is nice, it’s time to get out the picnic and enjoy the scenery.
After this break, we descend the slopes below the Gratte mountain, the slightly windy snow at the pass then gives way to soft powder.
A second ascent of about thirty minutes takes us to the Geffriand peak. The ridge that we follow on skis is aesthetic and easy. We see beautiful tracks below which suggest a magnificent descent.
The descent is indeed in very good conditions on the upper part. The thighs are seriously burning for some. We slowly approach the lower part and we must now cross the shoulder which lacks snow at the beginning of the season. We tack between the trees to find the cross-country ski trail which leads to Saint Martin.
Some people are feeling tired, and it is by the slopes that we return to Méribel, the day well filled.