Hello everyone!

My wife and I are planning a backcountry/resort ski trip during the last two weeks of March to the Val d’Anniviers, in the Valais.  We decided on this region, because it seemed to have good off-piste skiing and off the beaten path.  We arrive in Zurich late morning and will take the train to Sierre and then bus to either Zinal or Grimentz. 

After a few days of skiing at either resort (mostly off-piste, if conditions allow), we would like ski to some of the nearby huts and make day trip from each hut (say two or three huts in one week).  I have the huts located on Google Earth, but I still need topo maps. 

Can anyone recommend touring options or information about the Zinal, Grimentz, or nearby huts?  Nearby we could stay few days at the Cabane de Moiry or a three day trip to the Cabane de Petit Mountet and Cabane de Grand Mountet. Or even better touring options.

We are looking for fun back country/off-piste skiing, without glaciers (rather not wear a harness all the time), since we really do not have local knowledge.  Post ski trip, we have a long train ride (11+ hrs) to Vienna, where I will attend a conference. 

Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.  I hope snow conditions improve. 

Thanks in advance for your help.

You probably need that topo map (blue 1:50k ski-tour map) and the CAS guide for the area to do much planning. The Moiry will be winter room only, it’s not manned in the winter mostly because it’s practically a dead end for ski tours, you could ski the Pigne de La Lé but mostly you’re onto glaciated terrain or really steep exposed slopes. The Petit Mountet is a private hut and there’s not a lot around there. You would certainly do better at the Grand Mountet hut but it’s a lot of glaciated terrain again.

For my money the very best ski tour in the area is the Bishorn at 4154m, staying the night before in the Tracuit. Obviously it’s glacier as well but it’s a storming descent from the summit back into Zinal.

Another option you’ve not mentioned would be the Turtmannhutte, there’a some great skiing near there. There’s two classic tours in the area, the Haute Route Impériale and the Tour du Ciel both at this URL : http://www.haute-route-imperiale.ch/ Another option would be to head towards Arolla, there’s a few multiday trips that you can do in that direction. Ski over to Evolene, catch the bus to Arolla and do something there for example before heading back over col des torrents.

Thanks for advice.  I just ordered blue ski-tour topo maps for the region. I still need to look into ordering CAS guides - it might be difficult to order in the guidebooks in the USA.  Plus, I do not read/speak german. We also found an inexpensive hotel in Zinal. They will let us leave our stuff at the hotel while touring a few days. 

It not that I do not like skiing glaciated terrain, but some areas have so many crevasses that local knowledge is key.  So perhaps its off to the Grand Mountet hutte or to the Tracuit hutte and Bishorn.  I agree that the descent into Zinal looks spectacular from the Tracuit hutte.

Thanks for suggesting the Turtmannhutte.  I have to look at a topo map and find the route from Zinal or from the Tracuit.  Lastly, have you toured from Zial to the d’Arpitetta hutte. Since we have about 2 weeks, depending on conditions, we could ski to from the top of Zinal down to the dam and go over col des torrents to Evolene. Is this common, or is this done from Evolene to Zinal? Just a few thoughts.  Again, we need to find a guidebook. And thanks for the links!

Cabane d’Arpitetta is also winter room only. The CAS guide for this area is French if that makes any difference, the photo’s and topo’s alone make it worth having.

It’s very common to ski down to the barrage (dam), it’s a tourist route really the descent is safe and fun but mostly they’re oblivious to the dangers of the ski out towards Grimentz. It’s pretty common to ascend to the col des torrents from there but personally I’d leave via Grimentz maybe stop a night at the Cabane des Becs de Bosson and ski out from there. There’s a free bus from Zinal to Grimentz so it’s easy to do that.

We did a circular tour from The Hotel Weisshorn above St. Luc to Turtman Hut the the Bishorn and down to Zinal and back

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=220272&id=646558661&l=eb06e3dfac

If budget allows the Weisshorn is well worth the skin up - fabulous restaurant!

nice photo’s! That’s a version of the Haute Route Impériale I guess?

I’ve some photo’s from the Tour du Ciel as well : http://snowslider.net/slideshows/Tour-du-Ciel/

It would be easy to go from Zinal to St-Luc, there’s a bus changing at Vissoie. Even the later bus would allow more than enough time to get to the Hotel Weishorn, it’s only an hour from the ski area if you use the uplift to start.

Agreed, less easy climbing back up to the snow line from Zinal - but at least the satisfaction of completing a circular tour! Hopefully between us we have provided some food for thought. Happy Touring

Wow, its great to see photos!  Thanks for all the advice.  The Swiss topo maps are on order, so I can begin planning our trip.  Now, I hope that we get more snow in the Valais.  If the link between Zinal and Grimentz is closed due to improvements, does anyone have a suggestion for linking the two areas on skis?  Does anyone have advice on where to purchase CAS guidebooks int the USA?

Possible easy tours:
Zinal ski area (Corne de Sorebois) to Moiry Dam - Grimentz ski area (depending on avalanche conditions) - night at Cabane Bec de Bossons - Lac de Lona - Col de Torrent - Evolene.  Alternative, rather than go to Evolene, from Bec de Bossons - Lac de Lona - Basset de Lona - back down to Moiry Dam - wine/town.

More challenging tours: 
Top St. Luc ski area (Bella Tola) or Hotel Weisshorn (if expenses allow) - L’Omen Roso - Turtman lac - Turmannhutte - Cabane de Tracuit - Zinal.  Here I need maps to plan a decent and safe tour.  I am not sure that we need to climb the Bishorn, but will seek just good skiing nearby between the Turmannhutte and Tracuit. 

This may be too difficult, but Zinal - Cabane du Mountet - Col Durand - Zermatt sounds great. 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

cmr - 01 March 2011 11:52 PM

Wow, its great to see photos!  Thanks for all the advice.  The Swiss topo maps are on order, so I can begin planning our trip.  Now, I hope that we get more snow in the Valais.  If the link between Zinal and Grimentz is closed due to improvements, does anyone have a suggestion for linking the two areas on skis?

not sure where you’ve got that from or what improvements you’re referring to, there’s a plan for a new lift but it’s ages away. There’s a regular ski bus and you can ski from Zinal to Grimentz a coupe of ways, you can ski back from Grimentz if you want, maybe over the Becs de Bosson, the Lona down to the barrage and climb over the Sorebois.

cmr - 01 March 2011 11:52 PM

Possible easy tours:
Zinal ski area (Corne de Sorebois) to Moiry Dam - Grimentz ski area (depending on avalanche conditions) - night at Cabane Bec de Bossons - Lac de Lona - Col de Torrent - Evolene.  Alternative, rather than go to Evolene, from Bec de Bossons - Lac de Lona - Basset de Lona - back down to Moiry Dam - wine/town.

yes, nice days out. Here’s another, Grimentz ski area, Bec des Bossons, vallon Rechy, Ar d’tsan, Brinta, St Jean and bus back. (http://snowslider.net/2007/12/28/val-drechy-la-brinta-orxival-st-jean/ with a route map as well). That’s a super ski, highly recommended. You can swerve off and ski back to Grimentz but there’s no point, the bus is free and there’s a bar at the bottom for a drink

cmr - 01 March 2011 11:52 PM

More challenging tours: 
Top St. Luc ski area (Bella Tola) or Hotel Weisshorn (if expenses allow) - L’Omen Roso - Turtman lac - Turmannhutte - Cabane de Tracuit - Zinal.  Here I need maps to plan a decent and safe tour.  I am not sure that we need to climb the Bishorn, but will seek just good skiing nearby between the Turmannhutte and Tracuit. 

Only the last few metres of the Bishorn needs actual climbing, you could skip it. But the rest of the ascent is worth it, it’s only a few hundred metre from the hut and you get to ski down from 4100 to 1600.

cmr - 01 March 2011 11:52 PM

This may be too difficult, but Zinal - Cabane du Mountet - Col Durand - Zermatt sounds great. 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

that’s brilliant, I’ve done it the other way. Some care this year in the alps though, snowfall has been a bit lower than usual and some snow bridges won’t be well formed.

Thanks for the comments. Your past trip from Grimentz ski area, Bec des Bossons, Rechy, Brinta, St Jean and bus to Zinal - with a beer sounds like fun. I hope that we get more snow, since its looking thin so far.  Do you have the .kmz or .kml files for that trip (or others in the area), it would be great to look at the route in Google Earth.  I wish that I had the Swiss topo maps, so I can look at the route from Zinalo to Turmannhutte - Bishorn - Cabane de Tracuit - Zinal. cheers…

The KML is here :  http://snowslider.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/2007-12-28.kml

If you want to send me a note via http://swissmountainleader.com/contact/ then I’ll send you a PDF or JPEG extract of the 1:50k to get you started.

Thanks for the link to the .kml file. I will send you a note via swissmountainleader.com - cheers, cmr