What is freerando skiing?
At the crossroads of freeride and ski touringIn recent years, freerando has become increasingly popular in high-mountain areas outside ski resorts.
The concept: take the lifts to save time on the way up, put on the skins and leave the ski area for a short climb, and then enjoy the untouched slopes off-piste. In short, maximum fun downhill, minimum effort uphill!
Haute Maurienne Vanoise offers a superb playground for this activity, which we invite you to discover through a selection of five spots starting from one of our alpine ski resorts.
Please note: Freerando, like all off-piste outings, must be undertaken with safety equipment and after checking the weather and snow conditions (BERA) on the day. Accompaniment by a professional (mountain guide) is highly recommended.
Mont Froid from Termignon
450 D+ - Alt. 2822mFrom Val Cenis-Termignon, in the ski resort of Val Cenishead for the pristine slopes of Mont Froid. This is a gentle freerando outing, where you climb gently through immaculate valleys. Once you've passed the Val Cenis-Termignon ski lifts, there's not a lift to be seen on the horizon: wilderness effect guaranteed.
Equipped with our safety gear and accompanied by a mountain guide, we take the Val Cenis-Termignon chairlifts to get as much height as possible. Then we get ready to leave the ski area: final DVA check, boots in ascent mode, sealskins under skis, and off we go.
The ascent to Mont Froid is a smooth one, in this immaculate setting. Surrounded by the mountains of Haute Maurienne Vanoise, we take full advantage of the magnificent views, until we reach the summit of Mont Froid, after only 450m of positive ascent.
The best part is yet to come: the off-piste descent to the bottom of the Val Cenis-Termignon lifts. As you'll have guessed, this is what freerando is all about: little effort on the way up, and lots of glide on the way down - and, as an added bonus, in the little secret coves that our guides will help you discover.
Accompaniment by a mountain guide
In the company of Clément, an Upguides mountain guide Upguidesthat we set off to discover the peaks of Haute Maurienne Vanoise and make all these outings.
Before each outing, we prepared our day with him: a review of the itinerary so that each member of the group knew where to find his or her bearings, a weather and avalanche risk check, a check of everyone's equipment, and so on.
On the day of the outing itself, Clément had checked the local conditions and the Bulletin d'Evaluation des Risques d'Avalanches (BERA). During the outing, the guide is also there to advise us, and above all, to guide us to the best secret spots to enjoy beautiful virgin slopes on the way down!
L'Ouille Allegra
400 D+ - Alt. 3130mIf you love couloirs and steep slopes, this is the outing for you. In the grandiose, glacial setting of Bonneval-sur-Arcour mountain guide leads us this time to the Ouille Allegra.
After taking the Bonneval sur Arc lifts to the summit of the 3000s, Clément gives us the final safety briefing before leaving the slopes. L'Ouille Allegra is reached via a small couloir that we climb on foot, skis on our backs. Although the climb looks impressive, it's actually quite easy and quick, and will allow you to discover the sensations of ski-mountaineering. After all, this is the home of Thibault Anselmetone of the world's best in this discipline!
Then it's off down the other side of the peak to the cross-country ski trails at Bessans, where Clément had parked a car for the return trip to Bonneval sur Arc. A spectacular outing, and one that lends itself particularly well to spring conditions, Bonneval sur Arc being the resort that remains snow-covered the latest in our valley.
Gear up for freerando
Would you like to try this activity, but don't have your own equipment? Don't panic, you can rent all your equipment from the ski stores in our resorts. Boots, skis, skins, as well as your DVA + shovel + probe kit to ensure your safety.
The DVA (Détecteur de Victimes d'Avalanches) will enable you to optimize your chances of being found if you're buried under an avalanche, but also to search for your companions if they're the ones under the snow. The probe, meanwhile, allows you to determine exactly where the buried people are. All that remains is to dig them out with the shovel. Technical equipment that you need to master and train for every season. In short, a trio of equipment without which you can't get off the slopes!
This trio is increasingly complemented by an airbag: fitted with a release handle, it optimizes your chances of staying above the surface of an avalanche. It is, however, a supplementary piece of equipment and does not replace your avalanche transceiver.
Le Col des Hauts
390 D+ - Alt. 2979mIf you want to make the most of your ascent/descent ratio, look no further than our mountain guide, who has found the perfect outing for you.
After just 390m of ascent to the Col des Hauts, there's a long descent of over 1000m! The Col des Hauts is easily reached from the resort of Aussoisa 1 to 2-hour climb, depending on your pace. A zig-zag ascent in the footsteps of Clément. From here, we switch to the other side of the pass to start a long, wild descent back to Val Cenis-Sollières.
A real freerando outing, 100% downhill pleasure, where you'll discover huge combes just waiting to be tracked.
What is BERA?
Before every off-piste outing, it's essential to make sure that conditions are favorable for safe skiing. This is why we always consult the BERA: abbreviation for Bulletin d'Estimation du Risque Avalanche , which ranks the risk from 1 (low) to 5 (very high). A technical document you need to know how to read and understand.
The Great Argentier
600 D+ - Alt. 3,042mThe itinerary with the steepest gradients is still very accessible, and takes you to the summit of the Grand Argentier from the resort of Valfréjus. Departure is from the top of Punta Bagna, from where you reach the start of the hike.
A gentle climb in the sunshine takes us to a summit offering breathtaking views of both high altitude lakes, the Vanoise and the Italian mountains.
Despite being right next to the ski area, the scenery is once again completely wild, with no visibility of the lifts. The descent takes you through some lovely valleys, before rejoining the Jeu piste to return to the Valfréjus resort.
La Pointe de La Norma
200 D+ - Alt. 2918mAfter four outings aimed at skiers who are already fairly experienced, we present our favorite itinerary, which has the advantage of being an easy introduction to the sport: Pointe de La Norma.
The summit of La NormaThe Pointe de Scolette is easy to reach from the top of the lifts, with only 200m of ascent. Accompanied by our mountain guide, we enjoy a magnificent view from the summit, revealing the previously unseen Pointe de Scolette.
If this is your first experience of ski touring, then this is the right outing for you. mountain guides and some of the instructors at ski school instructors. With no difficulty and little change in altitude, this outing will enable you to familiarize yourself with the sensations, learn how to make your conversions, while enjoying the pleasure of being off-piste and reaching a summit.
And there are two options for the descent: if you're not yet comfortable, your guide will take you quickly to the ski slopes for a leisurely descent, or on the contrary, he'll take you on a long descent using La Norma's many hidden off-pistes.
This information is provided for guidance only. It does not constitute a complete topo or professional guidance. The Haute Maurienne Vanoise Tourist Office cannot be held responsible for any off-piste/freerando outings. Before leaving the open and marked ski runs, we strongly recommend that you consult a mountain professional and check the conditions on a day-to-day basis.
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