Grand Saint Bernard Snowshoe

Fantastic outing to the Grand Saint Bernard.

As usual there was wind...but the sun came out to keep us warm! There is lots of winded snow in some places, making the walk up a bit sideways in your boots, and other spots where there is barely any snow. Very odd.

This is a fun outing for first time snowshoers because the walk can be easily adapted.

trails today

  

It is going to be an interesting spring walking around with tree trunks in the middle of the trails! Last night went for an evening nightshoe up to Chez Dany and we spent more time climbing over trees than on snow - or so it seemed!!

Evening snowshoe!

Fantastic idea from the girls! We took off at 7:30pm (which was the time they had reserved dinner at Chez Dany)

Little did they know it was going to take us an hour to get there because we had to stop in awe at all the squirrel trails, and leftover meals, as well as wild chevreuil tracks. By the time we got to the restaurant it was glowing in the setting sun and we were ready for the fondue!

Night time snowshoe

Nothing better to see than watch the sunset from the forest! Luckily we took the snowshoes! The way up was up & over trees in residual slippery snow, and the way down was in very hard packed piste! Essential to have them!

Grand Saint Bernard

Little ski tour to the Hospice of the Saint Bernard.

Do you actually know who he is & what he did? Well I re-read his story....and was less than impressed, so I think I will go back to the pagan name for this place which was Mount Jupiter!

I still can't believe Napoleon came up here with 40'000 troops in the 1800s in the middle of winter - what a lunatic idea!

En raquettes sur le bisse Verbier

So much snow that little Miss Valais is under all of it! We had to give her a little snowy friend to play with until she defrosts! I hope this hot spell ends soon so we can walk around

with less fear of huge wet avalanches coming down on us.
Enjoy the sun, but be careful!

Snowshoeing near Martigny

Yeehaw! This was an awesome day outside of Verbier! The sun was so hot we managed to strip down to t-shirts! But the snow was fluffy & light at times as well as wet & sticky. We saw tons of animal tracks, but did not see any of the wild things. Probably because of the heat from the sun. This does make it tricky for determining the changes in the snowpack as the day goes on.

Just half an hour away from Verbier and one feels back in touch with nature and fresh air. I think everyone needs this at least once a season!

We had alot of snow in December & early January as well as rain up high and massive winds that knocked down lots of trees. We were on a trail with lots of uprooted or broken trees that we had to climb over or under, depending on the branches and near-death-precipices! Just kidding, but they do look like that every now and then!

Raquettes - Neige - Soleil!

Ahhh, le pure bonheur de la montagne!

 

Y'a vraiment rien de mieux, en plein février les stations sont blindées de monde et voilà qu'on arrive à trouver un super spot tranquille pour créer un petit bonhomme de neige entre les épicéas.

Raquetttes à Verbier

Super conditions de neige cette année! On a vu plein d'activité de pic dans les bois, entre les traces de chamois dans la neige. Vraiment trop beau. Et la vue sur le val de Bagnes ne peut jamais me lasser. Magnifique sortie en raquettes sans rencontrer de skieurs ou snowboarders. Ahhh, le rêve!

Snowshoeing new places

This is not so far from Verbier & a perfect place for a half day or full day outing. The animal tracks are abundant! We saw lots of chamoix eating through the snow cover where the snow was warmer and easier to get through for them. There were also lots of tiny birds in the spruce trees singing beautifully.

Although it was artically cold out it was worth checking out. With the cold weather these days it is hard to know how to dress. Different layers is the best, so you can change what you have on as you sweat going uphill.

Hope to be back here again soon - with you?!?

Snowshoeing Marchairuz

 

Absolutely beautiful day before the sub-zero degree weather started! There is so much snow out there that the stone walls are totally covered up and it can be quite disorienting. We saw lots of wild squirel, hare and a few chamois tracks!

Lots of powder in the Jura!

Wow!
Can you believe this?! I went ski touring in the Jura in massive powder! It was amazing! Then the sunset and the sky turned purple! Yippeee!

Happy Snowshoeing in Verbier

WOW!
Soooo much snow to play in! This is fantastic!
A beautiful Sunday afternoon stroll into the powder and the cloud! What bliss!

Snowstorm Snowshoe!

I don't think I realized until I looked at theses photos how much it was snowing during our walk! I was so enthralled with the crazy snow crystals that had formed on the norwegian spruces that the rest became oblivious! What a fabulous week-end. Thank you!

So much snow around we can just eat it off the trees! A special winter treat that comes only to those who have the courage to go out on such a day.

Just a bit of snow in Verbier

Never seen so much snow in Verbier in my 13 winters here! Absolutely phenomenal! And they are announcing more to come. The base is fantastic for snowshoeing. I am looking forward to a great season ahead.

Hope to see you & fresh snowflakes soon!

Snowshoeing in Verbier

 

Wahooo! What a beautiful day & snowshoe hike up to Croix de Coeur. The slide back down was fabulous! Beautiful wild animal tracks all over the snow cover.
Can't say it is ever boring or the same. I love this job!

Tour de la dent de Chamosentze

Another cool geological outing in a place we drive by on the autoroute and barely even glimpse up at. Well, of course there are so many other peaks in the way that it is hard to see this one! Just snuggled in between Ovronnaz, Derborence and below the Muverans is the Dent (tooth) de Chamosentze!

It is worth going up to the Mayens de Chamosson to see the view of the Rhône Valley and accross to the Matterhorn and the Pierre Avoi. Quite spectacular, certainly with the morning fog.

Unfortunately we did not manage to do the tour of the Dent, as there was lots of snow on the north side. Cannot wait to do this when the snow melts next year, who's comming along?

Leysin

Wow, I had not been back to Leysin in a long time and I am not sure I have ever been there without snow!!! It was beautiful & fresh! We had a delicious picnic at the base of the Tour d'Aï & Tour de Mayen. After lots of geological blabla, which I am sure everybody understood....

I sure hope these guys get snow this winter. We saw lots of wild chevreuil & chamois hopping around between the frozen ground line and the unfrozen grass!

Lac de Louvie

Magnificent fall colors to get to the lac de louvie in the upper val de Bagnes. Fresh snow at the cabane.

In New Zealand they have signs up all over the place about their wonderful reflecting lakes, well ours aren't so bad either!

The steeeeep descent back to Fionnay with amazing views of the Massif des Combins, as well as Mont Blanc and every happy snow white peak in between!

Geology in the Chablais

First part of a majorly intense geology course started in the Chablais in France. It was a fun surprise to see the Dents du Midi hugging the side of the Grand Combins massif!

We spent the first day figuring out how to make a geological map - wow! I don't think these guys could ever be paid enough for the minute work they do! Not sure that I will ever make anyone do this type of exercise, unless we are stuck somewhere for days!

We went out searching for fossils in the recently melted snow around the limestone of the Mont Chauffé near Ubine one day. These little stars are not star fish, but a plant's stem which fossilized in the shallow warm seas which were where the alps now are.

By the end we walked in an area I have only explored covered in snow with skis, where one can walk on the continental crust & the oceanic crust simultaneously!