9-10th May 2024 Col Grand Ferret & La Fouly
How much snow remained in the Cols of the Tour Mont Blanc in late Spring 2024 and early summer of 2024?
Col de Bon Homme
Col de Seigne
Col de Grand Ferret
That was the question in my head. Each year is different of course. Here is what I saw in Spring 2024...I...being Claire...from Mont Blanc Trips
9-10th May 2024: Overnight Trip to Val Ferret above La Fouly, Switzerland.
CONCLUSION:
Refuge La Peule was completely under snow and not visible.
Here is a write up of this brief trip. I had been wondering how much snow remained on the Tour Mont Blanc above La Fouly and Lac Champex in Switzerland and I got my answer.
I was delighted with my 2 day visit, the fresh air, the spectacular views, the coffee and cake.
I had decided I would visit La Fouly, Switzerland and walked up towards Peule hut to have a look around. I parked in Val Ferret in a place that would minimise the extremely high landslide risk in the valley which I already had direct experience of in the mountains here.
I walked up into the mountain on the remaining snow with snow shoes on. As it had been a scorching hot afternoon the remaining snow wouldn’t even hold my feet supporting a large rucksack on large snow shoes. I took a pause. I had been breaking through remaining snow and landing beneath so I paused and waited it out until the snow got cool again. There were still some ski tourers enjoying themselves on terrain beneath me. It was something to look at during the afternoon.
I camped out a bit lower than the Refuge La Peule, in the Val Ferret on the Swiss side. It had been a beautiful day, sunny, bright, scorching afternoon, the evening was pleasantly cooler and the night even cooler. I was glad when night fell. After a recent stormy spell the skies had cleared and I was gifted a bivvi experience that was still and quiet. I watched the stars. I watched the aeroplanes. I got some sleep.
The following morning the snow was hard enough for me to cross with a large rucksack on the back so I walked up to have a look around in front of the La Peule refuge. I walked up to Refuge La Peule to see the roofing material just visible through the snow. Refuge La Peule was still completely hidden under recent snows.
The views around were fabulous, especially the valley beneath Pointe de Drone. Looking down into the valley there were more cross country skiers heading up the valley beneath me towards Pointe de Drone and Grand Golliard. I did not see if they made it to the Col “Fenetre de Ferret” or the Italian border. If they did, perhaps, they would possibly ski down to Col Grand St Bernard on the other side (if they had a car parked at the St Bernard Tunnel) or maybe they would loop back round on their skis. They were on their way early morning like me.
Pointe de Drone looked formidable and so did Mont Ferret. A few avalanches mid-morning signalled a need to avoid further unnecessary snow hazards for my little reccie trip.
I took a few beautiful photos of the San Bernard mountains around me and watched the start of the mid-morning avalanches and then headed down again to the car.
The weather and snow were too warm for snow shoeing. The sun was already scorching by mid-morning, given the hot forecast for the afternoon I did not fancy snow shoeing with a heavy rucksack on. I knew that the snow stability was totally unreliable in such heat underfoot with a heavy pack on my back so sensibly headed down.
Watching the avalanches in mid-morning was a heads up to not be there at lunch time, or in the afternoon during scorching heat with snowshoes and a heavy ruck sack on. It was a recipe for a disaster which I chose to avoid with the high temperature forecast for the next few days. I decided to go home.
I did an afternoon visit to Lac Champex. I sought some shade in the pine trees between Lac Champex and Refuge Arpette on new wooden paths, bridges which go alongside the stream. It was nice to be out of the glare of the sun. I was now ready to drive home.
I was glad to have stayed up in Val Ferret overnight. Each time I opened my eyes and turned over in the night the dark mountains overhead greeted me like guardians in the night. It was a heavenly night. A hotel of a million stars.
I had gained knowledge of the current levels of snow on the Cols of the Tour Mont Blanc; current snows hazard on the TMB Swiss side, which complimented the information available on the White Risk App nicely. I stopped enroute briefly at the visitor centre at Col Montets, France for a short break in the heat.
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