Great ski tours in Europe
There’s time for things to change for the better, of course, but by now, most people would have already booked this winter’s ski trip and would be counting down the days. Despite the best guarantees that deposits will be refunded, people are understandably very nervous about committing to a vacation. I thought I’d share with you my experience of my last day of skiing, back in March, the day they pulled the plug. It happened to be Friday the 13th, a bad day, as it turned out. The last day on the mountain made me think of other great ski tours. Here are my picks.
The Schwarztor ski tour
I was up bright and early that day, and we were heading to Klein Matterhorn at 3883M, the highest lift in Europe. We were about to embark on The Schwarztor ski tour. The Schwarztor Tour is a short ski ascent and traverse followed by an enormous freeride descent over varied terrain. The trek passes through heavily crevassed glaciers that can be avalanche prone. While not a challenging tour, the risks must be taken seriously.
Things weren’t looking too good when we had to hold out at Trocknersteg due to the Klein lift being temporarily closed due to the weather conditions. However, our Mountain guide saved the day as he organized a ski lift up to Klein. A welcome solution and thrilling ride that only added to our little adventure.
Our goal was the Schwarztor itself, a narrow pass at 3700 meters that’s nestled on the Swiss Italian border and your entry to the Schwärzegletscher. A gentle traverse, followed by a short climb, leads from the Kleine Matterhorn station to the pass itself. Once you’ve reached the Schwarztor, it’s time to pull on your skins.
The glacier descent demands careful navigation among crevasses and seracs for hundreds of meters. While skiing is never steep, it is critical to find the right line to get through the glacier safely. Once you are off the glacier, you’ll enjoy more normal ski terrain before entering the narrow Gorner Gorge for an exciting re-entry into Zermatt. The Gorge is a classic Alpine exit with a fast track down technical terrain. In total, the descent is about 2 kilometers, and thanks to the differing terrain, it serves as a great intro to Alpine skiing.
That morning our mountain guide had pre-warned us that this weekend the resort would likely lockdown. We should enjoy our day and make the most of tomorrow, the last ski day of Season 2019/20. As it turned out, we returned to town that afternoon to rumors that the resort was about to close a day early. No sooner had I returned my skis to the ski room and started to frantically call friends to arrange one last ski day on that Saturday, it was already over. The lifts would be closing that afternoon, and that would be that for 2019/20
An unfortunate day and a lot of uncertainty about what we were about to experience.
The Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt ski tour
The ‘Haute route’ or high-level route is a six-day traverse across the mountains and glaciers between Chamonix and Zermatt. This spectacular journey traverses glaciers and high passes through the alps’ very heart, taking in such peaks as the Rosa Blanche and Pigne d’Arolla. There are constantly changing views of Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Grand Combin, and Monte Rosa.
This alp trek is ski touring at its best, high in the mountains, from hut to hut, with long climbs and stunning descents, only once dropping to valley level.
Starting in the heart of the Mont Blanc massif and ending up in the shadow of one of the most famous mountains in the Alps, the Matterhorn, it is a journey that every ski tourer should undertake at least once in their lives.
The Haute Route was first crossed on foot by an English party, at the end of the nineteenth century, before being gradually linked together on skis in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Zermatt is about 70 km from Chamonix, as the crow flies, but the actual route traveled is much further than this.
The Bernese Oberland ski tour
The Bernese Oberland is particularly famous for its substantial remote glaciers and accessible high peaks, so it’s understandably one of the best-loved routes. These Alps are the tallest mountain range, but all made easily accessible by the historic railway that runs through the Eiger’s North face.
In this 6-day itinerary, you visit the most impressive parts of the range. The starting point is Interlaken, the capital of the Jungfrau region. As you traverse across the Alps, your itinerary takes you on a magnificent route over high passes and sharp summits and gives some of the region’s best descents. At the end of the week, you tackle the famous 2000m descent down the Lotschental valley to the range’s westernmost extent.
The Gran Paradiso ski tour
This five-day tour is a traverse of the Gran Paradiso National Park, finishing with an ascent of the Gran Paradiso, the only 4000-meter peak in Italy, not bordering another country. An excellent ski touring peak, this tour offers steep, wild, and tricky mountain terrain accessed from a series of relatively comfortable huts.
The Gran Paradiso national park, created from the private game reserve of Victor Emmanuel II and donated by his grandson, Victor Emmanuel III, in 1920, is Italy’s oldest national park. There is a multitude of wildlife, including large herds of ibex and chamois.
The skiing and mountaineering are excellent, with many options and itineraries to suit experienced ski alpinists. Previous ski touring experience and reliable technique, both ascending and descending, are prerequisites. Good physical fitness and familiarity touring also add to the margin for enjoyment.
Silvretta ski tour
The Silvretta mountain range is a ski touring paradise that runs along most of Austria and Switzerland. The Silvretta has a lot going for it. Lifts out of the Austrian village of Ischgl bring you quickly to the edge of the backcountry. Straightforward travel with light packs takes you up and across passes and to the tops of relatively easy ski mountaineering summits over 3,000 m.
The Silvretta Range has something to offer every skier. The slopes are perfect for a group of intermediate-level skiers, while those on their first hut-to-hut ski traverse are sure to have a great time.
There’s also a much more exacting traverse. This traverse is for very fit and experienced backcountry skiers. The traverse is longer, covers a greater distance, and includes three more huts and several more peaks.
by Dan Frith