Snowshoeing in Verbier

Happy 2019! 

The snowshoe conditions are fabulous at the moment in the Swiss Alps! The snow is crispy, white and just perfect to take us anywhere we step!

 Early morning shadows on the snow are always fun to behold!

 Beautiful light shimmering on the snow. It is a great time to observe changes in the snow crystals!

Looking towards the Chamonix Massif just behind Bruson is spectacular. As the snow has settled we have lots of animal prints to study!

How do plants drink?

Many alpine plants have adapted to live in semi-desert conditions. They have tricks to get the most out of the smallest and rarest amounts of water, be it in vapor or ice form as well as liquid. Some can even defy gravity!!

Here the eidelweiss is doing some crazy thing just this morning after having been snowed on for the last 2 days up by the Cabane de Chanrion.

Pure magic!

The cabane chanrion is perched in the upper val de bagnes. A super place to get away from everything. There are bouquetins and marmots, beautiful wild flowers, wild alpine lakes, views of glaciers and awesome geology to discover too!!

Bird watching Pierre Avoi

We took a hike in the snow and clouds today to try and see some alpine birds. The snow was fresh so we saw lots of animal tracks. 

These belong to a big sized bird. Probably the Tetras as we heard its call just around the corner

A fresh pulsatilla vernalis, fuzzy!

Some marmot tracks were visible as well. Check out the claws it has for digging.

Sunny on the Rhone valley side!

Happy snowy spring in Fionnay

This is a great time for hiking and spoting animals. The fresh snowfall makes the animals move around and the tracks are very visible. Another advantage is that you dont have to wake up at the crack of dawn to see the ibex and chamois or chevreuil because the cold weather slows them down.

The mountains were beautiful in the snowy clouds. The avalanches were audible but not always visible as they were happening in the cloud covered summits! 

Ominous and grand!

No fish jumping! 

The weight of the fresh snow is visible on this bouquetin's back! 

Spring Verbier Snowshoeing

Away from the crowds up through the woods we ventured on snow that is crusty in the morning and slushy by midday.

We saw lots of animal tracks. Wild hare, chevreuil, chamois, no camels though...

The impressive massif des Combins and a norwegian spruce tree.

Snow covered renovated mayens, what a view to have every day?! The mont Dolent - Chamonix massif - plateau du Trient. 

Pop! Spriiiiiiiing is trying to burst through at 2000m anywhere the snow cover is thin enough!

Chamonix Snowshoeing

Who can resist?

Just across from Argentière the snowshoeing is amazing at the top of Flégères!

Top of the Brévent, not on snowshoes, but in the summer it can be done on foot. 

Some fun wildlife!

Oh la la! Mais oui, mon chéri!

Hopefully this guy is in his warm hole in the ground dreaming of summer wildflowers!

And some fun locals too!

Hahaha!

Mont Blanc and the village of Chamonix right below the clouds. Lots of Alpine Yellow-Billed Choughs flying all over the place. I guess they like the views and our picnic crumbs!

Wild animals in val de bagnes

Here is where the yeti bathes in winter! A fantastic walk before there is too much snow! We saw chamois bouncing all over and a groovy mouse building his winter spot.

Col de Jaman

After the greatest downpour of the year the great winds blew all the clouds away and revealed a magical 360 degree landscape of absolute beauty!

The lac Léman and Jura were cleaned. The air was magnificient. Chasse season opened today so if you go for any of the many beautiful hikes here be aware. We bumped into some hunters who had hung out in their cars during the storm. 

This is one of the spots migrating birds fly through at this time of year. They know the pass will be the easiest place to fly through the Alpes. Hete the black nets used to catch and study them has been taken down because of the rainstorm, which just ended. We got to see some birds of prey and a few pipits.

The geology of this area is fabulous! The limestone dried up almost instantly, it was amazing. 20 minutes ago there was practically a stream flowing through here!

The architecture of the cheese house is typical and unique to this area. The roofs are made of tavillons, which are wooden shingles. They are an art to produce and to place on the rafters. They kept us dry as the rain came down in sideways sheets! Viva natural materials!

Val d'Anniviers Illgraben walk

Here is a spot that will amaze and astound anyone! Just after the sweet village of St. Luc is the bulging metropolis of Chandolin, population 63! 

After a beautiful hike in one of the highest forrests of Switzerland, due to its protected exposure, you arrive at the impressive geological face of the Illgraben.

The views down into the Swiss German side of the Valais are breathtaking! On the other side are views all the way down the Rhône valley. Really a special spot!

If you get up for the sunrise you will see alot more than mushrooms. The area has the black cows of the Val d'Hérens grazing at the moment, but there are lots of wild chamois, and deer too. 

If you see the amanite mushroom, be careful it is toxic!

If you are lucky, as we were in the morning before the Foen wind picked up, you will see the Matterhorn on the horizon. Just another reason to visit this valley!

Mysterious Mountains of the Val d'Hérémence

This might have been the first time I walk below the Grande Dixence Dam. It was cloudy and snowy above, so we chose to change the plan and go to the top of the Pointe de Mandelon. We were there to spot animals, but as I learned you need to be there before 7a.m. when the herd of 20 or so deer are in the fields below grazing peacefully. It is amazing how they just vanished into the larch forest to never be seen again. How do they do that?!

There is not really a trail, so we walked over the reindeer lichens and gneiss rocks to the top. The view of the Rhône valley sort of came out at one point. And I cannot wait to return to see that view as well as the one into the Val d'Hérens.

Reindeer Moss - which is actually lichen. 

Juniper bushes helped us and our cheese warm up during our picnic. At the base of the mountain there is an alpage you can sleep and eat at. It has just been renovated and looked beautiful, oh and the coffee was good!

We walked along the ridge and returned to the alpage de Mandolin through the fields, making a loop. You might find poles helpful as there is no trail and you have to rock hop around looking for the best spot to place your next step!

Pooof! End of summer for this one!!

Lac Léman Walk

This is such a great spot with the  lake & mountains, all the best Switzerland can offer. You can go into France as well as change cantons and hop from Vaud into Valais. This is also the start of a hike up and over mountain passes to Chamonix.

There is even an outdoor art exhibit

A nice flat walk for a change! 
At the end of the lake, there is a bird sanctuary with wild reeds and dragonflies and flat paths. 

Lots of lost snowshoeing to do in Verbier

Everybody thinks Verbier is a busy busy and crowded place, well not today! We had all the sun and all the mountain to ourselves. It really is a pleasure to be out on days like this.

 Only see wild animal tracks! What a beautiful way to get to know what is going on in nature by trying to figure out what animal passed where you are about to set your snowshoes!

 Massif des Combins with the Verbier Cross-Country-Ski trail. Empty & sunny!

 Bruson in the sun with the Massif de Chamonix behind it and the Trient Glacier all covered with fresh snow!

 Glacier de Corbassière looking every shade of blue beyond imaginable!

 I almost feel bad touching all this virgin snow!

 Bench in hibernation at altitude - not ready for a picnic yet...

So many awesome options for hiking and snowshoeing in the val de Bagnes!