Les Cerces 5-day guided ski tour
LES CERCES TRAVERSE AND MONT THABOR ASCENT
Join us on a guided hut-to-hut ski tour to discover the secrets of the Cerces massif.
The massif des Cerces is in the southern part of the French Alps on the border with Italy. Located between the national parks of Ecrins and Vanoise, it offers wonderful terrain for ski touring. This area is renowned for its untamed natural beauty and abundance of alpine wildlife, including eagles and other rare birds.
Our Itinerary
This itinerary is ideal for those who have just started ski touring and wish to complete their first hut-to-hut tour. The vertical differences are reasonable and the descents are not very technical. The terrain is wonderfully varied and interesting – couloirs, narrow passages between limestone cliffs, open rolling slopes, and larch forests make it a fantastic skiing experience.
Private Groups
While the Cerces massif is ideal for easy ski tours, it is also perfect for skiers looking for more sporting and technical outings. The multiple starting points, the dense network of comfortable huts, and the passes connecting the valleys allow for a wide variety of itineraries. We can customize the program to match the technical and physical ski level of any private group.
Accommodation
The huts are exceptionally nice: comfortable, welcoming, hot showers, good and plentiful food – cosy places to relax after a day of ski touring!
From: 1470 €
Intermediate
Dates
Dates
Itinerary
This program is an example of what can be done with good weather and snow conditions. For your safety’s sake, your guide may change the route at any time depending on the mountain conditions and the group’s abilities.
Arrival day
Please arrive in Chamonix the day before the start of the tour. We will have a pre-trip meeting with all participants and your mountain guide at our office. The guide will introduce you to the program of the week, the options available, and answer all your questions. He will take the opportunity to check your equipment and help you prepare your bag for the 5 day expedition. If you have booked rental equipment, we will take you to our partner shop to pick up everything you need.
D1 Chamonix – Névache – Buffere hut (2076m) +450m / 2h
Departure from Chamonix in the morning and transfer by minibus to Névache, in the Haute Vallée de la Clarée – the starting point of the tour. A gentle hike up to the refuge of Buffère will warm up our legs; this cute little nest of a hut has showers and cosy rooms. After lunch, we will start our trip with some essential avalanche safety training. Later on, if time allows, we will hike above the refuge and make your first tracks on the Crête de Baude or Crête de l’Échaillon (+500m / 2h30).
D2 Buffere hut – Chardonnet hut (2223m) via the Grande Manche (2823m)
Today we have several possibilities for the itinerary: one of them being the Grande Manche ascent, a splendid variant to the classic route. Your efforts will be rewarded with a very nice descent to the comfortable Chardonnet hut.
+ 1100 -1000m / 5h
D3 Chardonnet hut to Laval hut (2010 m) via the Casse Blanche (2914m)
A typically alpine day that winds its way between the Queyrellin ridges through the Casse Blanche pass (2914m). A spectacular dolomitic atmosphere at the edge of this limestone wall, followed by a descent through a wild and secret valley. Finally, a pleasant and gently sloping hike up to reach the Laval hut.
+800 -900 / 6h
D4 Laval hut to Ricou hut (2115m) via the Rocher Grande Tempete (3002m)
Another day of great atmospheric surroundings, with an ascent of the Rocher Grande Tempete at 3002m – a superb summit that offers magnificent views, then a nice descent to the refuge of Ricou.
+800 -800 / 4h30
D5 Return to Névache via Pic du Lac Blanc (2980m)
Last day, last summit! We climb the rolling hills above the refuge up to an aerial ridge leading to the Lac Blanc Peak (2980m). A gentle return to civilization as we descend to Névache after this immersion in the immaculate world of the winter mountains. We enjoy the authentic charm of the small hamlet of Névache, and celebrate with a good craft beer brewed in the village. Tired and happy, it’s time to head back to Chamonix.
+850 -1400 / 4h30
Level requirements
Physical Fitness
You need to be physically fit enough and happy to hike uphill for 600-1000 vertical meters a day, completing 6-hour ski days without being too tired to do it again the following day.
Technical level & Experience
This ski tour is ideal for skiers who have done few single day ski tours and wish to complete their first hut-to-hut tour.
You have to:
- Know how to use ski touring equipment
- Know how to do kick turns
- Be an experienced and confident off piste skier
Equipment
