France Vanoise National Park Ski Traverse

Overview

Ski the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise — a hut-to-hut traverse of France's first national park, the high glaciated plateau between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys. From Pralognan-la-Vanoise you climb to the Col de la Vanoise beneath the north face of the Grande Casse (3,855 m, the highest peak in the massif), then link refuges across the Glaciers de la Vanoise ice cap towards Termignon and the Refuge du Plan du Lac, with a finish possible in the stone-roofed village of Bonneval-sur-Arc. The skiing is technically achievable for a first glacier tour — sustained but rarely steep — yet this is genuine glaciated terrain: rope, harness and crevasse-rescue kit are carried, and most parties take a guide. The moment that stays with you is cresting the Col de la Vanoise at dawn, ibex tracks stitched across the wind-crust and the Grande Casse burning orange overhead. Watch the spring transition: by April the south faces rot by mid-morning, so days start pre-dawn. Budget around £1,200 for a guided week with half-board refuges; access is by rail to Moûtiers, then bus to Pralognan-la-Vanoise.

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Prefilled for 1 February 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.