Snowshoeing in Verbier

It has been a beautiful start to 2020 in the world of winter walking and snowshoeing for CherriesWalks!

The snow has not fallen a lot, but it has been super fun to explore!

Sunny skies were basically all we have had since the start of the new year!

Many families have discovered the joys of Verbier on snowshoes!

Snowshoeing along the Bisse du Levron is always stunning!

Snowshoeing at sunset is a fun expedition too!

Snowshoeing in Gryon

Sunshine & snow & smiles!

Snowshoeing in the shade of the Mirroir d'Argentine. 

The Hauts des Diablerets had just been given some powdered sugar as decoration for us to enjoy. The sun was so hot that avalanches were cascading down the faces around us. Makes me think only once about going any higher. In these conditions you have to play it safe and stay away from traps.

Trees hugging! 

The sun about to pop up over the Mirroir. Absolutely stunning!

The chalets in the valley, they are waiting for the snow to melt so cows can be brought back to graze the wildflowers.

Snowshoeing Chablais

Bad weather day?!

There is no bad weather day when you snowshoe! They are always fun!!

Here we were under the summit of Valerette, with more time we could have gone to the top.

Snowy forests are just awesome to discover on snowshoes! There were lots of roe deer tracks visible today! 

Cold winter skin needs calendula salve

Making homemade calendula / soucis creams in the dead of winter!
What better way to pamper myself and my friends when it is minus degrees outside?

Sometimes I wonder why I collect all these flowers and stuff in summer...  

These calendula flowers spent all summer macerating in olive oil in the val de Bagnes summer sun.

Hot mix of calendula and lavender oil with our beeswax and honey!!! Almost want to eat it.

All that is left to do is slather it on!!

Les Blisiers

Thank goodness this cute summit in the Entremont Valley is not goung to be renamed "les blisters"!

The trees are encased in the powder that just fell on Saturday.

The larches light up with the sun and play brightly on the blue clear sky!

As we reached the summit, approx 2000 meters high, the wind sprinkled sparkles all around us. Lucky us, we even saw some chamois!

A real fairy tale panorama!

The view spans from the Massif des Combins, val Ferret to the Dents du Midi (here) and accross to the Rhône Valley area.

Really worth the drive out of Verbier to be discovered.

Guiding snowshoeing

The snow is here!
Come and enjoy it with me!!

Views of the Swiss Alps

2 very different views of the summit of the Grand Combin. Both taken in this crazy sunny winter sunshine weather. The spacial differences of what you can see or cant see as you walk around in the Val de Bagnes is astounding.

Hike up Dent de Valerette

Stunning hike! Stunning views! Stunning day!

This is a fun hike to a summit that doesnt take too long, but reaps all the benefits of being up high!

The Muverans poking out as you go up up up up in the dry grassy winter fields.

At the summit of the Dent de Valerette the Massif des Combins is just amazingly beautiful. It is hatd to catch the correct skyline in these photos, with so many ridgelines to get confused with...

A nifty cross at the top to remind us that we can be looking accross at the Canton de Vaud which is not Catholic (shudder)!

On the way back down passed by the Whitepod Hotel. Fabulous views above the stratus clouds with the Dents de Morcles here. Not much snow for snowshoeing....

And then the moon came up!!!

Hiking in the dry december swiss alpes

Not much snow to snowshoe on, so hiking is the activity at the moment.

From Fionnay, at the end of the val de Bagnes you can access the hikes on the sunny side of the valley without a problem at the moment. 

It is straight up for a bit less than 1000m. The views are totally worth it. We were lucky and had the gypaète fly right at eye level. I even saw his beard!!

The snow is hard enough to walk on near the cabana.

No fishing today in the Lac de Louvie! No skiing backside of the Mont Fort either!!

Views back onto the Massif des Combins. Breathtakingly beautiful with blue blue skies!

Hiking early winter

Well it snowed once...and now it has melted so much that the hiking has gotten amazing again!

We went up to roughly 2000m in the old larches and the dry grassy fields. 

The views are clear and beautiful all the way to the Jura. The Dents Du Midi are amazing as is the view accross to Verbier once we got to the top.

Just a notr to everybody, it gets cold quickly, dont forget to bring dry warm layers. Oh...and gloves!!! My hands got really cold on the way down...ugh!

Arpille Tour

The Arpille is attainable to almost everyone who likes to walk. There are lots of different ways to get up it. Most people dont even see it as it is hiding between the mighty summits of Chamonix and the Valais and Chablais regions.

The views from this little summit are awesome!

The area is protected because of its marsh lands, which today were grass lands. We are having an incredibly dry autumn. It certainly makes the walking easy!

Amongst the myrtilles are these views of the Chamonix region!

The Dent de Morcles got snow on one side of it! The Grand Chavalard is still dry! This is the view of the Alpage de l'Arpille. The cows have already been taken back down to greener grasses!

Dent de Valerette in Chablais

This little limestone tooth just reaches 2000 meters. As a part of the Dents du Midi it is not an obvious summit, but it sure is beautiful!

The fun part once you arrive at top is the ridge line you can follow, all the way to the cabane Chalin and up the Dent de Valère.There was frost at the top and we got snowed on as we returned to the car!

In the catholic canton on Valais of course there is a cross.

The fall colors are simply awesome at the moment. We were hoping the clouds would lift, but as they didnt it means I will have to return!

A bit fresh for a picnic up here!

Ancient Tracks in the Alpes - Finhaut

High up at 2400m in the Commune of Finhaut is a mysterious spot. You find yourself surrounded by mountain tops which are the Swiss-French border, and the enormous Emosson dam is catching all the runoff and meltwater at the other end. A fascinating place!

Here are the ancient "dinosaur" tracks that were found. Today we are still unlocking their mysteries!

Sandstone with wild formations!

There is still quite a bit of snow, so if you go take good boots and poles too! Here we are under the col de Terasse near the dinosaur prints.