Ski Touring Route in Les Houches
Marked trail for ski tourers up to Prarion
A new ski touring route has been opened in Les Houches, allowing beginners to get a taste for the sport without having to head off into the unknown.
The marked trail starts at Les Chavants, near to the bus stop at the Prarion lift station. The route is marked along the way and climbs from 1012m at the base to 1860m at the top of the Prarion gondola – giving you a good old 848m uphill leg workout.
Ski touring (also called ski de randonnée) involves hiking uphill on skis that have been fitted with special bindings that allow you to move your heels up and down; you gain traction from the “skins” on the bottom of the skis that stop you from sliding backwards. Once you've hiked up as far as you like you remove the skins, click your heels into place and ski back down again. No lifts/pistes required and you get to see areas that are off the beaten track.
The Les Houches trail is a great introduction to the sport, as the route is clearly marked and has been chosen for it's safety and accessibility. You don't need to be an experienced off-piste skier as the end of the trail brings you out into the centre of the pisted ski area. Touring kit of skis, boots, bindings and skins can be hired fairly inexpensively (30-40€ per day) from most Chamonix sports shops.
