The most beautiful ski touring routes in La Rosiere: Le Clapet
L’Aiguille du Clapet 2615m
Ski touring Le Clapet – The Aiguille du Clapet is a summit located in Haute Tarentaise, in the southern extension of the Roc de Belleface ridge. Le Clapet is on the West side of the Petit Saint Bernard pass. It is clearly visible from La Rosière ski resort, especially its immense white slopes of its South face. There are no lift in this area, the only access is by ski touring to Le Clapet.
The route : Ski touring Le Clapet
Several climbing routes are possible to get to Le Clapet. The first option is to go through La Rosiere ski area. Go down the North-East face of Roches Noires in the direction of Plan Gerbier then go straight up the South face of Le Clapet by La Colonne, Prariond … The second option is to start from the village of Le Mont. It is located about thirty minutes from La Rosière, passing by Saint-Germain. In this article we will mainly talk about this last route because the landscape changes throughout the climb and the view of the Haute Tarentaise Valley is impressive. In addition, if the risk of avalanche is high, it is better to go through Le Mont because the slopes are smoother than the South face and less exposed.
Ski touring Le Clapet through Le Mont
We park the car in the village of Le Mont, we are at 1500m, it’s time to put on the skis. It’s cold, the snow cracks under our skis and the legs get hot, we have a 1000 meters of denivelation to gain to the summit! We follow the direction of Plan du Mont, some summer trails allow us to reach the South West shoulder easily through the forest. Once on the shoulder the forest stops and the summit appears. Almost the entire climb is visible.
The ascent continues, and we pass a few alpine chalets, ideal for a short break.
They are 600m of elevation left for the summit. The second part of the climb get a bit steeper, the view emerges over the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard and the Italian peaks. Once on the ridge, you still have to make a little effort for the last few meters. Accessibility to the summit changes a lot from season to season. The amount of snow can facilitate progression. We attach our skis on our bags and continue to climb. We are lucky the amount of snow facilitates the progression and rapidly, we reach the summit and its 2615m! It’s time to stop for a while and enjoy the landscape. The 360 ° view is splendid. Of course, Mont Blanc is here, very close! We can also see summits well known to heli-skiing amators such as the Miavidi or Lechaud.
Skiing down Le Clapet
Then it is the time for the descent. By the same route, well exposed to the sun, or by the north face for skiers looking for fresh snow and big thrills! Twenty meters below the summit, on the Eastern ridge, is the entrance of the Northern couloir. The entrance is very obvious and the couloir is very wide. It will be necessary to leave a car in advance in the village of Versoye if you choose to go down by the North face, the other possibility is to climb up again by the Col de la Forclaz to then return to La Rosiere.
There are many options of uphill and downhill combinations for all levels on this mountain, a classic for local skiers.
Le Clapet, the balcony of the Haute Tarentaise
The Clapet has the particularity of being at the exact location where the valley begins a 90 ° turn. The view is from Val d’Isère to Valmorel, revealing all the most beautiful resorts of Haute Tarentaise, Sainte Foy, La Rosiere, Les Arcs (and the majestic Mont Pourri), La Plagne …
Main information for Le Clapet ski touring route by Le Mont and descent to Versoye:
Map: 3532 ETR Les Arcs La Plagne, Pn de la Vanoise
Access: From Bourg Saint Maurice, go in the direction of La Rosière until the village of Villard Dessus. Then turn left towards Saint-Germain. Cross the village and continue to a place called Le Mont
Starting point: Le Mont at 1523m
Summit: Aiguille du Clapet at 2615m (+ 1092m)
Arrival: Village of Versoye at 1400m (- 1185m)
Orientation: South / East – North – South / East
Ski pass: No
If you want to drop a car off at Versoye, follow the direction of Cormet de Roselend from Bourg Saint Maurice then turn right at Bonneval les Bains. You will need a 10-minute drive to reach the village of Versoye.
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