Sealskin hiking

A winter trek in the Queyras massif, on ski skins

Florian Racache, an AKAMMAK ambassador, has sent us his photos from the Beaufortin region to inspire us to dream of a mountain getaway.

Situated in the Hautes-Alpes, it’s a hiker’s paradise, with its lush valley and mountain peaks. Florian is also a big fan of the Queyras – it’s the least populated national park in France, featuring the Pic de la Font Sancte, which rises to an altitude of 3,385 metres. Untamed nature reigns supreme here. Don’t wait to explore it!

Florian tells us:

‘A short week in the Beaufortain in February is often synonymous with dreamy powder snow. And that was certainly the case again this year! For us lucky lot, the snow lay thick and deep across all the mountain pastures and fir forests of the massif. There was so much of it, so abundant, that it often prevented us from rounding off the day with a steep descent and a summit. But what an incredible atmosphere, with snow-laden fir trees that could barely stand upright because their branches were so heavily laden. Whenever we entered a wooded section, a fascinating world, a world straight out of a fairy tale, opened up before us, and like children we carved out our tracks, weaving our way around the trees… pure bliss! On the descent, the powder was unbelievably soft; every turn was punctuated by a spray of snow that sometimes covered us up to our waists, and we could feel its biting chill. We’d reach the bottom in a trance, ready to head back up to relive those precious moments of simple joy. What a sense of well-being washed over us in those forests, and one afternoon, on our return from a hike, we decided to go and camp in the woods to soak up that feeling of peace, calm and balance even more deeply. At sunset, we climbed up and dug a small shelter to pitch the tent at the edge of the forest. We fashioned a bench so we could have a comfortable supper under the stars. The next day we climbed to the summit of the Roche Parstire before descending to the Roselend dam, which looked rather like a Norwegian fjord.

But this magical atmosphere didn’t last the whole week, unfortunately. The temperature rose, and it started to rain at higher altitudes, as if the mountain wanted to erase our drawings. Faced with these conditions, we decided to climb the ridge of the Grand Mont. A long approach led us to a pass. With our skis on the roof (on our backs), we began the climb up this beautiful, imposing ridge. First, we tackled steep slopes, though not particularly difficult, and a very exposed section covered in snow, which forced us to get the rope out. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and it was in a lunar-like atmosphere, accompanied by gusts of crosswind, that we boldly tackled this ridge. We rounded off our week like tightrope walkers, treading the line of this ridge that led us to the top of this magnificent summit. In short, we had a brilliant time.”

🖊️ Florian ​