Saint Luc to the Hotel Weisshorn
1st April 2007
click on photograph for larger version
It’s always hard to know if it’s going to be busy in the Val d’Anniviers, there’s never a great number of people but the lift system is a little antiquated sometimes particularly here in Zinal where queues for the téléphérique can build up in the morning although it’s rarely more then 20 minutes. Anyway, Saint-Luc is always quieter so I headed there, it’s even quieter if you leave the piste behind and climb a little on skins. My basic plan was to have a late lunch at the Hotel Weisshorn which is an altitude hotel and cut off during the winter reachable only by snowmobile or on foot/skis/snowshoes etc.
Again I’ve been skiing with the Garmin eTrex Vista Cx GPS and recording a track of the route, I’ve uploaded this file but converted it to “Keyhole Markup Language” format which is the native format for Google Earth.
Download link for track file : KML file 2007 04 01
Updated : this link will display the track file in Google Maps : Google Maps display
click on photograph for larger version
To start with I rode to the top of the Bella Tola at 3025m and skied a little way down to the Pas du Boeuf and took a small climb/traverse to the Meidsee before climbing up to the Meidpass and making a descent to the Le Chiesso and then climbing to Vijioi before traversing to the Hotel Weisshorn for a very pleasant rösti and glass of fendant (a local white wine from the Valais).
click on photograph for larger version
The last few metres of the ascent to the Meidpass is slightly awkward, it starts off gradually and you’re wondering if it’s worth putting the skins on again but the last section is so steep you end up kicking steps wondering if it’s worth racking the skis to keep the hands free. Then of course it’s pretty cold on the top so after a couple of photographs I skied down.
click on photograph for larger version
click on photograph for larger version
The snow’s not quite as good as it looks maybe, on the east side of the Meidpass it had been quite pleasant but the descent from the Meidpass was mostly one fairly crusty snow and it was slightly awkward in places, it’s a fairly easy gradient though so it was just easier to take big long turns and enjoy the scenery.
click on photograph for larger version
Sphere: Related ContentRelated posts
October 17th, 2007 at Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:32:56 +0200
Been skiing and snowboarding in Anniviers for years. April is the best time to go, normally the week after easter (last week of the season), the resorts are quiet and the snow can still be powdery on north facing slopes. The temperatures are great and as the days grow longer, the beer can be enjoyed outside in one of the many restaurants in the villages. The prices for skiing are moderate. I do bits and pieces of snowshoe walking with the board on my back. There are good possibilities for 5 - 6 hrs tours going up to 3000m and back down again for a late breakfast and possibly some extra boarding in one of the 5 ski resorts. Val d’Anniviers is definitely great for people who don’t like the big resorts with all the noise and the inflated prices.
December 25th, 2007 at Tue, 25 Dec 2007 19:00:23 +0100
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