 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Very nice! You might have a look at the list of tours on the eagle ski club website for inspiration. From personal experience, the Otztal region on the Austria/Italy border would tick a lot of boxes given your requirements
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Excellent ! Another vote for joining the Eagles,50+ club tours a year,It will be the best £18.00 you will ever spend if ski touring is your thing .Tour Soliel from Andermatt to Simplon Pass is very nice.Or for something a bit more testing the Haute Maurienne or Vanoise both starting in Val D Isere may be ideal.
Regards Mark
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Looks awesome!
My gf's parents have spent a lot of time touring around the Grossglockner region, pictures look fantastic, could well be worth looking into. They used to go with the Austrian Alpenverein (alpine club), but these days just book a guide they know). Jeremy Jones and crew also seem to be getting some awesome stuff done in the Karwendel range, although they were looking for gnarl and seemed to be using tents, it could be another option to research. Gran Paradiso is supposed to be ace for touring too...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Silvretta was my first longer tour, too, after several day tours, and I've been every year since.
Last March I did a brilliant one from Alagna in Italy to Zinal in Switz. Unfortunately the first hut we stayed in (the Guglielmina, which was v comfy) has since burnt down, but we also stayed in the Monte Rosa (new, with shower), Schoenbiel and Grand Mountet huts, and I guess there would be an alternative to the Guglielmina by changing the route slightly - I hear the refurbed Mantova is very comfy. We had a great evening in Zinal on arrival with waaaay too much Swiss wine to celebrate what a fab time we'd had.
On that route there were few people around (except when we passed through Zermatt) and it felt like a real adventure - there's a link to a film here - http://morethanskiing.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/5411-from-alagna-to-zinal-on-film/ and an article about it here: http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/misc/ski-touring-with-zuba-ski
Similarly, for solitude and and fab scenery the Bernina region in eastern Switzerland was amazing. We went from Corvatsch to Diavolezza, via a couple of huts over the Italian border, and the Morteratsch glacier, and climbed a few peaks on the way (Piz Palu for me, Piz Bernina for my braver cousin). Most huts good but not as comfy as in the Silvretta; Marco e Rosa hut v basic; Marinelli (Italian side) amazing food. We were the only ones on our route except for some very gnarly and impressive Austrians (on a group trip org'd by the Austrian alpine club), who stayed in the same huts as us but climbed a few summits each day while we meandered along slowly...
Also last season I went in May to the Bernese Oberland, starting at Jungfraujoch - excellent but nowhere near as quiet as the above two tours (http://morethanskiing.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/9511-bernese-oberland-in-pictures/, and I think I did a couple of other blogs on that one around the same time).
My least favourite so far has been the Haute Route - too busy, at least the way we did it - we queued for about an hour to go up that horrible ladder then got stuck in bad weather in Arolla, which I gather is quite commonplace.
I've also heard good things about the tour du soleil from Andermatt. For inspiration, I'd also look at mountaintracks.co.uk and Ski Club of GB Freshtracks.
Happy hiking!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Cheers to all! Will look at all of the suggestions. 
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My least favourite so far has been the Haute Route - too busy, at least the way we did it - we queued for about an hour to go up that horrible ladder then got stuck in bad weather in Arolla, which I gather is quite commonplace.
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I've never done it (in fact I have done no where near as much touring as I'd like...) but I hear exactly this from a lot of people... I think the HR is a big name to "tick off", but most experienced tourers tell me it's not their favourite.
As for other suggestions, it would be worth getting hold of the 2 guide books by Bill O'Connor (Alpine Ski Mountaineering vols 1 & 2). He covers all the well known areas and has suggested itineraries, hut details etc. Very good even for an armchair (or should that be chairlift) tourer too
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Haven't done the HR but have done tour from Arolla which used some of the huts. Great scenery; huts were the most crowded I have experienced and I wouldn't be in a rush to do the HR except maybe by some obscure variant
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Our fledgling group's first tour was down part of the Kungsladen near Kebnekaise in Sweden - without a guide. This is very easy, safe terrain and there is a good system of huts - an excellent introduction.
Our group's first alpine tour was in the Aiguilles Tortes national park in the Pyrenees. Exodus organised it and our first and last nights were in Bagnierres de Luchon. It's a fine area for ski-touring - not too busy, not too rugged but extremely pretty. We definitely want to return.
Our next trip was with Jagged Globe in the Queyras. Start and end in Mont-Dauphin. Much 'bigger' terrain with some hard days. Nothing like as pretty.
Then Mrs A and I employed offpisteskiing to guide the two of us from Val Thorens to Pralognan. Only 3 nights in huts but some heavy snowfall made for quite hard days. The terrain is of a more manageable scale but perhaps not quite as pretty as the Pyrenees. Still, it was nice tour off the edge of what we knew - and with a guide we know and like.
The offpisteskiing took the whole group from Val D'Isere to Pralognan taking in Pte de la Sana on the way. 5 nights away and a very enjoyable trip.
Next year offpisteskiing suggested a tour around and over Mont Thabor. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad so we had to adapt:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=63581
Last year we organised our first alpine trip without a guide. Back in the Vanoise starting and finishing in Pralognan:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=76044
This Easter we're back to Mont Thabor again hoping for better weather. And, coincidentally, some of our group are doing the Silvretta right now with, I think, Glenmore Lodge.
So there's loads of places to go - plenty of which I'd never heard of before. However, it's nice if can you travel with people you already know and can build on an area you already know. If you've a group of 4 or 5 then just contact any of the usual suspects with your requirements and they'll organise something specifically for you. That's what we did with Jagged Globe and offpisteskiing.
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