Go to the mountains on an itinerant Trail to discover the wide open spaces of the Vanoise National Park with Esprit Montagne!

The Trip

Itinerant & Wild Trail between Vanoise and Mont Blanc

The Program

Mountain Trail Week Program:

DAY 0 - Sunday - Night at Hotel in Bourg Saint Maurice/Seez

Check-in possible from 2:00 pm.
Meeting with your trekking guide at 4:30 pm for the week briefing and backpack check.
You will still have time to go for last minute shopping before dinner, in case you forgot something.

DAY 2 and 3: Mini itinerant days but without a backpacks, we stay two days around the Petit Saint Bernard.

DAY 1 - MONDAY
COL du PETIT SAINT BERNARD - COL DE BASSA SERRA

Running time and breaks: 6 to 7 hours of race and technique
Vertical drop and kilometers: +1000 m and - 1000 m About 20 km
Night: Hospice du Petit Saint Bernard

Transport to the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, for two days - Loop Trail on the Lakes and on the Bassa Serra Pass.

Today the goal is the Col Bassa Serra and the view of the south side of Mont Blanc, but before that we will cross small valleys with some beautiful lakes. It is one of the most beautiful days of trail that you can do in the Alps, a wild valley that you will remember in one of your best dreams. The south face of Mont Blanc is great with its 3000m height, you would think that we left for the Himalayas ....

DAY 2 - TUESDAY - MONT VALEZAN - CHATELARD

Running time and breaks: 5 to 7 hours
Vertical drop and kilometers: + 900m and -1200m About 18 km
Night: Hotel Val Joly

Loop trail on Mont Valezan (summit between France and Italy) down to Chatelard.
Transport and overnight at Base Camp Lodge in Bourg Saint Maurice.

DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY - BOURG SAINT MAURICE - ARC 1800 - COL de L'ENTREPORTE - LAKE de LA PLAGNE - REFUGE DU PALET

Running time and breaks: 6 to 7 hours approximately
Vertical drop and kilometers: + 1300 m and - 600 m About 20 km
Night: Refuge du Palet.

We start from the Paradiski ski area to enter the Vanoise National Park. We run under La Sache and the Mont Pourri glaciers (3779m), with marmots and surely ibex as partners, before joining the Lac de la Plagne for a swim. If the water is too fresh, only legs but but with a little luck and courage you can bathe entirely.
It will be a perfect cool down for your legs before finishing the climb and joining the Palet refuge.

DAY 4 - THURSDAY - REFUGE du PALET - TIGNES - LAC du GRAPILLON - REFUGE du FOND DES FOURS

Running time and breaks: around 6 to 8 hours
Vertical drop and kilometers: -1550 m and + 1450 mApproximately 21 Km
Night: Refuge dru Fond des Fours

It is a magnificent route as we will be running off the trail and maybe in some snowfields, we will gain altitude at the heart of the Vanoise National Park, it is a fairly long day so we start smoothly to  hold the distance.
In case of bad conditions we will pass by lower altitude paths to reach the Fond des Fours Hut.

DAY 5 - FRIDAY - REFUGE DU FOND DES FOURS - COL DE L'ISERAN - VAL D'ISERE

Running time and breaks: 6 to 7 hours approximately
Vertical drop and kilometers: +900 m and - 1600 m About 19 Km
Night: Base Camp Lodge

This is the last day, we can do some 3000 on the sides of the path: we will see, we will choose the goals of the day depending on the shape of the group and the weather.
At the heart of the Vanoise National Park, there are some great views of the Haute Maurienne.
The day is a bit shorter to enjoy as legs may be a little heavier too.
We return to Val d'Isère and to civilization by a great fir trees forest.

Return transport to Bourg Saint Maurice, dinner and overnight at the Hotel in Bourg Saint Maurice/Seez.

DAY 6 - SATURDAY

END OF THE TRIP: see you next time for a new adventure!

The Budget

Budget for the trail organized in the mountains:

The price includes

• assistance of a certified mountain guide from our Team;
• Half board accommodation as described in the program (5 guided days and 6 nights);
• Picnics, every day;
• Mandatory transports along the program.

Night before the trip and last night after the activity

We have chosen to include in the price the night before the trek beginning and the night after the end of the trek, in order to allow you to better organize your transports and to avoid to rush, as well as making your trip easier without having to worry about additional nights.

You will be given specific information about the hotel and how to reach it at the time of booking.

The price does not include

• Cancellation / interruption of stay / luggage loss and accident insurance;
• Drinks and personal expenses;
• Additional nights outside the program;
• All that is not indicated in the section "The price includes".

Your expenses on site

• Drinks;
• Out-of-program visits and transfers;
• Tips.

Equipment

Your equipment for the mountain trail course:

Your running backpack for 2 nights & 3 days:

Consider a backpack of 25/30 leters for the day, to find the good size look for the skitouring backpacks: they are often a little bigger than a regular trail/running backpack.

• a warm fleece or thin down to withstand negative temperatures;
• a warm tight;
• light gloves and a buff/neckwarmer;
• a goretex jacket or similar, windproof and waterproof;
• a running belt for water bottle – 1,5 litres min. to refill during the day;
• a sun hat;
• suncream protection fact. min 30;
• sunglasses, protection factor 3;
• telescopic running poles, light (aluminium) and foldable;
• a small pharmacy with your personal medicines, in case you have a treatment to follow;
• your phone, documents and money for the bier at the end of the day or for little shopping.

Head-to-toe material for the week:

• 1 cap or hat for the sun
• 1 Hat for the cold
• 1 headband or neck-warmer, very pleasant in bad weather as well
• 1 Jacket Type Gore Tex or similar windproof and waterproof
• 1 pair of gloves, waterproof if possible
• 1 warm fleece or thin down to withstand negative temperatures
• 4 sweaters: a light one and a warmer one x 2
• Technical T-shirts
• underwears and running socks
• a warm running tight and a light one to adapt to weather conditions and to the daily altitude (at 3000 meters there can be 10 to 20 degree less that at 0 altitude, whithout considering wind...) 
• 2 or 3 running shorts
• a waterproof hood for your backpack
• trail running shoes with (if you have to buy new shoes or if you need to change them, we advise you the Altra shoes: you need shoes with good crampons, a good quality shock absorber sole but with a very light drop (max 5 to 0).

Essential  :

• Sunscreen factor 30 to 50
• a pair of sunglasses category 3
• one front lamp
• cash money for huts and your documents

Essentials for your own Toiletries.

•  1 Lightweight Quick Dry Toilet Towel
•  1 Body soap
•  1 Toothbrush with small toothpaste or a started one
•  1 small shampoo (small format - specialized stores sell small bottles that you will keep your hiker's life).
•  1 pair of earplugs to better sleep at night in a refuge

Pharmacy & others:

•  Your Usual or Personal Treatments
•  1 Light Survival Blanket
•  1 nail clipper
•  What to make small dressings
•  Some compresses and tape (Strappal)
• Your guide will have a more complete pharmacy in the event of a bigger accident.

For relaxing time: A small book or Card game…

Necessary for meals, in order to avoid to make garbage – we try to go towards a “green stay”:

•  1 TuperWare large enough to contain a nice salad for lunch or other
•  1 light knife: Opinel type
•  1 Fork and 1 Spoon
•  a nice specialty to share with the rest of the Team, liquid or solid
   

Useful Information

Useful information for the trail week:

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is advised as well as other insurance guaranteeing search and mountain rescue (10,000 Euros guarantee approximately).

Access

How to reach Bourg Saint Maurice, 73700

• By train, access by TGV to Bourg Saint Maurice station - the hotel will be reachable by shuttle;
• By car from Albertville, access by expressway to Moutiers - Bourg Saint Maurice is 2.5 hours from Lyon.

Night before the trip and last night after the activity

We have chosen to include in the price the night before the trek beginning and the night after the end of the trek, in order to allow you to better organize your transports and to avoid to rush, as well as making your trip easier without having to worry about additional nights.

You will be given specific information about the hotel and how to reach it at the time of booking.