Cuneo – Nice with your skis on

A ski mountaineering trip that ideally retraces the historical Cuneo Nizza, a railway line made famous by its numerous tunnels, a route that crosses steep Alpine slopes and marks the transition from the cool Cuneo valleys – covered with snow until late in the season – to the charming Cote d'Azur, with mountains that gently descends towards the sea and to the nearby Provence so close with its lavender scents.

Departure

Dates to be defined

Travel program

Day 1: Start of the trip

Meeting in Borgo San Dalmazzo at ATL – Global Mountain Guides Office (Bertello Palace) at 2:00 pm; check of individual equipment and transfer by private van to Valle Gesso in S. Anna di Valdieri – Tetti Gaina (1100 m). Ascent in about three hours to the Valasco refuge (1763 m) - ancient hunting lodge of the Royal Savoy Family - located in the center of the beautiful plain of the same name. Dinner and overnight stay at the end of a short day in which you enter the “world” of the Maritime Alps.

Day 2: Reaching the top to enter Val Morta

From the refuge, you reach the top of the Piana Superiore del Valasco to enter the Val Morta, and you reach the Testa di Bresses with a sustained climb. After briefly descending to the Fremamorta lakes you cross them to gain a beautiful descent that leads to the Pian della Casa. Once you put the sealskins back on you start climbing again to reach the Remondino refuge in about two hours, where you dine and spend the night.

Day 3: Brocan Pass

Breakfast at dawn and departure for the Brocan pass: without reaching it, you cross in a slight descent towards the Colle del Mercantour to then conquer the summit of Cima Ghigliè (2998 m), a splendid panoramic balcony in the heart of the Maritime Alps and the Val Gesso. The subsequent descent is little known to Italian ski mountaineers and goes between the rocky pinnacles and snowy couloirs of the Baissette and Mont Pelago peaks, descending a good part of the Vallon Sangue and then making a final crossing in a beautiful forest of sparse larches and reaching the Refuge Cougourde (2090 m). A wonderful and sunny place, at the edge of the larch forest and dominated by the elegant rocks of the Caire di Cougourde.

Dinner and overnight stay in the refuge.

Day 4: Trecoulpas and the Pas des Ladres

Departure downhill that quickly, among spectacular centuries-old larches, allows you to reach the Vallone di Trecoulpas and shortly the Pas des Ladres (2448 m). A short but beautiful descent towards the Ref. De Cougourde leads to a basin where the snow begins to give way to the first grass; here you put your skins back on and start climbing again along the French itinerary of Monte Gelas, reaching the Cima Balcone (3085 m). The final descent is spectacular and unique, passing through the Col de la Terrasse it leads along splendid slopes to Lac Long, from which you continue to the Ref. Nice (2232 m).

Day 5: Reaching the Summit and the descent into Fontanalbe Valley

The final day of “wide breath,” during which you expect to find the sea at every turn… so you climb along the Vallon Niré, passing the lakes of the same name, to reach the Montolivo Pass (2748 m) and then descend to the Lac Noir de Valmasque. We are in the Valley of Wonders in the presence of Monte Bego and the Grand Capelet. Once the skins are put back on, the itinerary continues to reach the latter's summit (2935 m), passing through the Col de Valmasque (2548 m) and along the last steep slopes with the Cote d’Azur behind you. The long final descent into the Fontanalbe Valley among thousand-year-old rock graffiti up to Casterino. Cuneo Nizza on Ski finds its skiing finale here: the French Riviera and Nice are now close, and vegetation, lights, and scents give clear confirmation of the gradual transition from the austere valleys of Cuneo to the gentler and more relaxing environment of the French side. Return by private van to Cuneo and end of services.

Is it for me?

Adventure

Freeride/ski touring

Commitment

Landscapes

Travel factor

Gastronomy

Culture and folklore

LEGEND: based on our personal experience, the evaluations give a subjective, measured and highly reliable value of the elements that make up the travel experience.

Other informations

Departure and return

Mountain Guides Global Mountain office, Bertello Palace, via Boves, 4 - Borgo San Dalmazzo, Cuneo

Guaranteed departure

Minimum 5 partecipants

Documents

IDENTITY CARD

The participation fee includes

4 overnight stays with breakfast and dinner in the refuges included in the itinerary with accommodation in multiple bedrooms;
half board treatment (breakfast and dinner);
private shuttle service on the 1 st day from Cuneo to Terme di Valdieri;
private shuttle service on the 5 th day from Casterino (FR) to station;
train ticket for return to Cuneo;
accompaniment by the mountain guide for the entire duration of the trip.

Payment Methods and Cancellation Policy

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