Mont Rogneux a classic ski touring peak in the Val de Bagnes

Stunning views of the Petit Combin

At 3084m high, Mont Rogneux sits proudly along the ridge linking Six Blanc at the top of Bruson to the Grand Combin, a 4000er.  It is one of the classic ski touring peaks in the area and can be done in one or two days and from a variety of start / end points.  This makes it skiable for most of the winter season.  If you would like to take two days you can spend the night at the Cabane Brunet.

Views towards Verbier and beyond from the summit of Mont Rogneux

I chose to ski the peak from Loutier via the Cabane Brunet.  This seems to be the most popular way up the peak, although it is also skied from the top of the Bruson ski lifts via the Tete de la Payane, and from the Val D'Entremont to the west.

The Barmasse parking above Loutier and the road to the Cabane Brunet from Switzerland Mobility

The Barmasse parking lot at 1302m sits on the main road to Fionnay just beyond Loutier, it is large enough to accommodate numerous vehicles, and needs to be as the walk to the Cabane Brunet is a popular outing in its own right.

A multitude of ski touring possibilities within a short walk from the Cabane Brunet

From the parking there is a road heading west towards Le Tongne which is normally pisted by the hut, and you can follow this the entire way.  It is about 800m vertical from here to the Cabane Brunet and is well signposted.  If you want a slightly steeper and quicker variant, after around 1km of skinning there is a summer track that heads south up the hill (and is signposted for ascending only).  The track has a pleasant gradient and makes for a more interesting route to the mountain hut, unless you want to chat with friends, in which case the road would work best.

Smiling skimo selfie

Most people will take around 1.5 - 3 hours to reach Brunet where the hut guardian will happily serve you a hearty lunch, coffee, or on a Wednesday evening, cheese fondue.  And for a lot of folk, this will be the high point of their day out, returning via the fields or the road depending on snow conditions.

Cabane Brunet

However, if you're hungry for another 1000m of ski touring and the possibility of peaks and untouched snow, Mont Rogneux is most peoples next target.

Mont Rogneux from the Cabane Brunet from Switzerland Mobility

From the hut head SW across gentle slopes for a few km, the route is pleasantly angled with hardly any steep slopes around or above you until the final summit push itself.  Eventually you will end up on the NE ridge which starts pleasantly and then continues more steeply.  If snow conditions are good you will be able to skin the entire way to the summit, but you might need ski crampons and given the dots on the map at times you may need to walk to the top with crampons and an ice axe.

The summit of Mont Rogneux looking very snowy

Once on the summit there are a multitude of options in descent from the steep and committing to the gentle.  You can also ski on nearly any aspect and still return to the Cabane Brunet.  This means that you can generally find some good and safe snow to ski, grab a coffee on your way down and follow the road to the bottom if conditions aren't great lower down. 

Exploring the Alps, it's always good to see a sign post that confirms your navigation!

This route took five hours, four to go up and one to return.  And I can see why it's so popular.  I'll definitely be back.

Powder turns from summit to the Cabane Brunet

Best powder days of the Verbier ski season so far

Since the recent snowfall hit the alps in the last month you can't seem to open Facebook or emails without seeing endless stories of avalanches or people shredding powder.  Each hour more photos of people enjoying themselves in the snow are uploaded and each hour my (and others I'm sure) FOMO - fear of missing out, increases.  The thing is though, within easy reach of the lifts I have only a few more ski lines that I really want to do, that will challenge me, and will still be there in many more years, waiting for the right avalanche and snow conditions.  At the moment, my primary focus is on trying not to get avalanched, and second to this is having fun.  Yes, you can have fun skiing powder at less than 30degrees!

Off piste at Savoleyres

In recent weeks there have been several well published deaths across the Alps, including in Verbier.  What has been less noticed are the amount of avalanches set off resulting in more minor injuries (most locally are published here http://www.policevalais.ch/communiques-pour-les-medias/nendaz-avalanche-hors-piste-un-blesse/ ).

Morning wintery views down the La Tzoumaz side

This, combined with some recent avalanche training last week, has made me rightly very cautious, and what our guide, Simon Hale said rings true 'the more you know about snow, the more you realise you don't know'.

Blue skies and mellow angled fresh tracks

So what did I get up to today on one of the best powder days of the ski season?  I headed to Savoleyres where the majority of the terrain is more mellow, and the few sections that aren't are well skied, very short and have good run outs.  The first few hours were spent skiing freshies on the pistes, followed by those on either side of the pistes, and lower down in the trees.  Until 10am there was still plently of powder to ski on the piste alone.  Following this was the entire Verbier side of untracked powder.  Avoiding the steeper rollovers (which commonly slide) you could ski almost directly back to the bottom lift station.  There is still the odd running stream around to keep you focused, and the occasional hidden rock and tree roots (double eject there!), but until mid afternoon it was soft and powdery the whole way.

Wind affected snow at Savoleyres, just one of many factors contributing to the avalanche hazard at the moment

And so, you can have a great day of safe skiing, despite the fact I would have loved to hit some other steeper parts, I did enjoy myself, and it's only the start of February.

Sun and snow at Les Ruinettes on Sunday

More statistics in addition to some useful snow information are available here http://www.slf.ch/praevention/lawinenunfaelle/index_EN