Ski trekking: an alternative way to ski the mountains

The Pays du Mont-Blanc is where "the ancestors" gradually discovered that skis make mountains accessible in winter. After fabulous swoops down through the powder in the mountain pastures, they conquered the glaciers, insurmountable passes and even the glacier du Géant... Equipment is virtually the same: skis, seal skins for climbing... and a pronounced taste for wide-radius turns with marvellous downhills between ice blocks, peaks and lost valleys. For a few hours - or days - through the passes, over the summits and along the trans-alpine routes to nearby Switzerland and Italy, the Mont-Blanc range is ideal for every kind of XC skiing. Access to some sectors is facilitated by ski lifts. For other, wilder, areas the adventure starts at the bottom of the valley. A good network of refuges makes it possible to range far and wide - on the famous "haute route" from Chamonix to Zermatt, up the Mont Blanc or into famous - and less famous - corridors and summits. The magic of the glaciers and corridors is unspoilt. High-mountain guides organize first outings, discovery outings and many excursions for everyone from beginners to experts. A way to discover this beautiful sport which does not have to be extreme. However tough you want them to be, excursions in the mountains are always powerful and unique contacts with nature.