With an anticyclone lingering over the country…we’re looking for motivated people and it’s in the company of Marie and Guillaume that we’re off ski touring.
By Maxime Soulleys
A classic
From Saint-Lary, one of the most popular ski touring destinations is the Lavedan valley*. We have to get up early, as the heat of the day quickly transforms the snow (avalanches) and the hike promises to be a long one: we set off towards the classic Portarras and Pic Prada.
Early in the morning at the Granges de Lurgues (1365m) sun and heat are well and truly on the cards. We put on the sun cream, load the bags and off we go for what promises to be a magnificent day in the Aulon regional nature reserve.
Thankfully the portage is short and we quickly get down to business, putting on the touring skis and skins (anti-backwards fluff). We head for the cabane d’Auloueilh, overlooked by l’Arbizon (to the right, north) and the imposing Pic Mail, which we skirt to the left (take care not to hang around at its foot, as its couloirs purge very easily).
After a good hour, we catch sight of the cabane d’Auloueilh (1853m) and, above all, the immense playground that is about to offer itself to our spatulas. A wide, gently sloping valley, dotted with pine trees and a multitude of terrain movements, bumps, combes…in short, a joy to climb and descend.
*not to be confused with the Vallée des Gaves in the Hautes-Pyrénées, which runs from Ayzac-Ost to Cauterets.
