Marteau in Giffre Valley and the Fiz ***

Done with ice, it's time to get back on skis again! Flaine is a station i haven't been to yet, we leave the car at Samoens and go up all the way to the top of Flaine. Panorama on the Mont Blanc and the desert of Plate is worth the visit to this ski station created in the 60ies from scratch. The tour of the desert is marvelous, after five minutes we are in a different world - no sign of people or ski lifts, only rock and snow around. Here is Renaud at the beginning of the traverse from top of Flaine:


Our program is up the Pointe de Marteau, another not too difficult day with a view on the Fiz chain and Mont Blanc, the big father always present in the background. The last couple of meters up the Marteau double my heart beat as the snow is hardly attached to the rock. Going down is joyful, perfect for my limited powder skiing skills - and only two other traces on the whole face - i do enjoy ski touring more and more! If it were not for the avalanche danger, it could be a perfect sport.

The second part concerns skiing down to the Salvagny village through the Giffre Valley in the pristine Sixt Passy natural reserve. It is not exactly easy with a traverse to accomplish with skis over a 30m drop-off that the description qualifies of an S4. For me it's a rappel with skis on my back, longer but safer. I am getting old - and i don't feel that comfortable on skis yet; maybe one day...

Renaud catches a ride and brings the car back to pick me up at Salvagny and off we go to another family dinner in Lucinges. How nice to have both worlds - family dinner and ski touring all in one - that's what one gets for living in the mountains. One day, one day maybe...