Graian Alps (Alpes grées) trip report -1

Back in 2014, the last week of June was spent exploring one area of the Graian Alps and very impressive it was too. The benefits of staying in a refuge allowed dawn and dusk photography sans the drama of ascent/descent in head torch light, the wild flower meadows were in full bloom as were alpine flowers on higher ground. Some relatively accessible routes to higher vistas were recced for future visits and those with high potential noted for a future visit.

Periglacial relict blockslope and glaciated mountains

Four years on and time for a revisit with an itinerary that involved staying in a couple of refuges to maximise dawn/dusk opportunities, wet weather itineraries in the side valleys with melt water torrents and multi coloured boulders, the best photographic set aside for a couple of trips to 3,000 metre peaks, sunny weather for wild flowers, geomorphology and geology. I had also been aware of reports of heavy snowfall in the Alps throughout the winter of 2017/18. A hotel had been initially booked in a central location and from this a series of recce's would be made to establish what condition the higher elevations were in, before moving on.

Avalanched snow blocking the path

It became apparent that snow was still lying to some depth and extent at higher elevations on north facing aspects, though not so much on south facing aspects. Rivers and streams were swollen with melt water. Also evident were avalanche debris of snow, trees and rock, the smell of pine resin downwind of an avalanche tract was to become a good indicator of difficulties ahead in some side valleys. Some minor roads were still blocked by avalanche debris and one road closed as a section and slid down the mountainside. On the approach road to a high pass an impressively large loading shovel was on duty clearing the road of rock debris as it melted out from avalanche cones, elsewhere construction operations were effecting repairs to roads.  Routes to two high refuges and the way forward to high cols raised the bar for adventure beyond our comfort zone and Nic was more than happy to base our stay in the hotel for the duration, it's a hard life.

The odd cloud according to the weather forecast

Whilst the French IGN 1:25,000 maps are very good, the weather forecasts were decidedly poor: thunderstorms never materialised, neither did rainfall, cloud cover was a lottery and the temperatures much higher than forecast e.g mid 20's turned into mid 30's. With numerous caveats out of the way the next post will concentrate on the good things.