Champex-Lac to Col des Ecandies ski tour, via the Val D'Arpette

Great skinning towards the Col des Ecandies (just out of view top right)

When there are so few feasible ski touring options close to home because of the snow conditions, word gets around quickly as to what is possible.  Earlier this week I heard from several people that the top of the Val D'Arpette was in a good condition and we thought it would be worth a look.  I was also quite keen to look at the steep couloirs to see what ski condition they were in too.  These have been on my ticklist for years (I can see them from Verbier!)

The blue piste at Champex Lac we skied down to the valley and start of the ski tour

The Champex Lac chairlift was open and we got the first lift at 9:30 (with a season Verbier pass you normally get several days in the Pays de St Bernard resorts for free).  From the top of the lift you follow the blue piste down until the conviently located summer signpost where the piste meets the valley floor at around 1800m.  I would highly recommend taking the lift as it saves you around 2km of valley floor slogging!

Skinning through the trees and rocks

From here you begin the long ascent towards the col, initially through small trees and undulations, normally evened out by snowfall.  Once out of the trees we began to wonder where and how we were going to ski down.  A few older tracks were in but not many of them looked that appetizing!  At least higher up the valley there was snow in the distance.  

Despite skinning in the shade it was very mild.  Notice how little snow there is on Catogne in the background

After the first steepening the valley evens back out and you need to carefully navigate around the moraines, here staying climbers left pays dividends as you avoid loosing any height and can make a simple continual ascent to the col.  Ahead of us there were at least ten people booting up the couloirs and it looked like great skiing.  A few kick turns later we left their track and traversed the large moraine towards the bottom of the col.

Ptarmigan tracks?

Fox tracks?

Soon we made it to the col after some more kick turns and a short section on boots.  The other side of the col had no snow on it at all and the Trient Glacier looked relatively bare too.

The short walk up to the Col des Ecandies

Looking across to the Trient Glacier

Now for the ski down, and I wouldn't recommend it!  In true ski touring fashion it was a good mixture of crusty, slabby snow, temperature affected, the odd rare easier section and plenty of rocks and trees to avoid!  All in all it was survival skiing save six or seven turns.

Skiing down across the crusty snow

Between the tree line and the piste we skied a never-ending winding tongue of skier compacted snow dodging rocks, holes and trees.  I think this was possibly more thigh burning than the ascent.  A short ski down the blue piste brought us back to the car park.  We had survived the second tour of the season!

Making turns in the small gulleys helped us to avoid the worst of the rocks

As the snow continues to melt in Verbier I now think we are going to have to head to the Argentiere Glacier or Cervinia for any reliable ski touring!  Either that or I'm going to stick to trail running until it snows.

A final skiing shot with the Col des Ecandies in the background (classic couloirs on the left)