Tour of the Pointe de Presset
A lovely tour through a wide variety of landscapes!
With Emmanuel, Julien, Louis et Pierre-André.
After a beautiful first foray into the high mountains last year on the Pic du Glacier Blanc, Emmanuel wants to put on skins and try skiing far from the resorts. With three sidekicks they form a fine, motivated team, and we set our sights on the Beaufortain massif, a little ski-touring paradise with lots of snow this year.
On the first day, bad weather keeps us company. We go over the Col de la Charbonnière (2494m) and do a descent by radar on pleasant snow before reaching the magnificent Presset hut.
First wardened night of the season: the hut is full, but its ingenious and beautiful design really doesn't give that impression, and the wardens cope with this first rush. A good picnic and a good nap later, we put our Gore-Tex back on to go out for some transceiver practice, always very useful.
After a good comfortable night, we enjoy breakfast while the last veils of cloud lift; the weather looks radiant today. We are among the first to leave the hut and will be lucky enough to break trail all day long.
The first col, the Col du Grand Fond (2671m) behind the hut, is quickly reached, taking a few precautions. It has snowed more than forecast and, with a bit of wind, the critical amounts are almost reached. But the terrain lets us set a track with peace of mind. At the col, what a surprise to take in Mont Blanc so close!
We drop into our first descent of the day, made slightly tricky by a thin surface crust due to the humidity at the end of the previous evening's precipitation. It is already very mild; it's going to be a warm day.
The beautiful Brèche de Parozan (2663m) then lets us launch into a majestic descent down to the hamlet of Treicol. We are still lucky enough to make first tracks in a grandiose setting. It is always surprising to spot the roofs of the mountain-pasture chalets, very common in the Beaufortain.
The heat is starting to be felt and we set off again towards the Col de Bresson, which takes us back over to the Tarentaise side. This climb is lunar, in very open landscapes of snow-covered pastures. The terrain is bewitchingly gentle; setting your track here is a real pleasure, and choosing your line on the way up is just as enjoyable as on the way down. Near the Col du Bresson we pass below the aptly named Tête du Lion, which has a few climbing routes.
Finally dropping back into the Presset valley, we decide to cross one last col, the Col du Mont Rosset (2332m), to make the return more ski-friendly. From the col, we find moist snow that is not unpleasant to ski, a sort of very long-pile carpet. So we let ourselves glide calmly down to the car.
A great challenge brilliantly met by the dream team! Well done!
Photo gallery...