Some photos from our hiking adventure in the Italian Alps in early September. This is Day 1 to Refugio Bezzi from Surier in Val Grisenche italy. Day 2 was a climb to the summit of the Becca della Traversiere.

Crescent Moon, Cloud Mountain, originally uploaded by firechick.

Daybreak in Chamonix France

Cragging at Vallorcine, originally uploaded by firechick.

A nice climbing crag near Chamonix.

Ibex relax against a background of the Glacier du Tour

View of Mt Blanc Massif, originally uploaded on flickr.

Take a break from the pistes, and get out into the wilderness on snow shoes. There are many trails (some maintained, others more adventurous) in the Haute Savoie and immediate Chamonix area for snow shoeing. Even when the avalanche level is high and the pisted skiing is closed due to this danger, there are safe walks one can do on snow shoe, such as this one high above Servoz in the Chamonix valley, with beautiful views of the Mont Blanc massif.

We ski several times a week (of course) but also snow shoe at least one day a week, often on a trek with our two dogs. What is great about the area is you can be as adventurous or laid back as you like. There are times we like to snow shoe into the high mountains (when the snow pack is stable) with a pack lunch, in the same areas where others choose to ski tour, and there are other times we prefer the more gentle wooded trails which often end at a cozy alpine restaurant for a nice cooked lunch before heading back.

This is a beautiful two day hike from near the town of Sixt Fer a Cheval (near Morzine and not far from Chamonix) best suited for strong hikers.

The first night was a relatively short ascent with 1050m of height gain to a mountain hut above Sixt at 1950m altitude where we enjoyed a lovely meal and warm beds.

The second day is the longest and started with breakfast at the hut, and was 1140m of height gain, with large amounts of ridge traversing and beautiful vistas across the Cirque des Fonts. We had lunch on Mt Buet and then started our return journey with 2200m of height loss.

This year we went in mid-September and the scenery and tree foliage was amazing with bright blue crystal clear skies, and the route was not crowded. There were a few late blooming alpine flowers on view, and we also managed to see a family of ibex. There is a bit of an airy scramble using chains to ascend the ridge-line to the summit of Mt Buet, which is 3096m (sometimes also quoted as 3098, 3099 or 3100m) in altitude. The route also gave us an opportunity to view first-hand the effects of global warming, as several of the nearby smaller glaciers marked on the map were already gone or disappearing.

Descent was by a completely different route which loops back to the car park, and has many long downhills, and chances to view ibex perched in the rocks as we descended Mt Buet. From the summit of Mt Buet there were beautiful views for 360 degrees.

This route is often done for acclimatisation before climbing Mont Blanc, as part of other multi-day tours in the region or is easily enjoyed as a two day hike in its own right, especially when done from this side of the mountain.

Les Quatres Têtes, from Flickr.

This is a very nice hike, and a good change of pace from the crowds of tourists in Chamonix. Starting from just above the town of Sallanches (25 minutes from Chamonix center), we started and first passed through the Alpages of Doran. This is a beautiful valley with working farms. It forms part of a set of hikes called the Tour du Pays du Mont Blanc.

There is a refuge (you can overnight there) called the Chalet du Doran which also has refreshments like beer. We stopped and had lunch in the alpage and were visited by some of the Abondance cows grazing there. Then the path climbed up to the Arête des Saix.

From the top of the Arête was a gorgeous view of the whole Arve valley, including a wonderful view of the massif of Mont Blanc. We spent some time at the top of the Arête just relaxing and enjoying the views, taking photos. From here you can continue to climb and summit one of the Quatres Tetes (a hikable peak) or just descend straight away towards the Chalet de Mayères.

Alpen Glow on the Fiz Range, from Flickr.

At the Chalet, (which also has a mountain landing strip where several private planes and gliders landed as we had aperitifs) a rustic and filling dinner is served, including a large cheese course and finishing with some strong local eau de vie. The sunset and alpenglow against the chain of the Fiz and the Mont Blanc massif was amazing. Descent by head torch back to the parking above Sallanches, with a beautiful view of the city lights below.

Total hiking time about 4.5 hours, with plenty of relaxing and eating time in between. Height gain 900m – 1500m (depending on variant chosen). Accessible to all levels of hikers and hill walkers.

This four day hike through the Swiss Valais is beautiful and scenic, passing through several Swiss villages, alpages and more remote mountain areas. It has a lot of height gain the first two days, with the option of hiking to the top of the Haute Cime of the Dents du Midi on day 2. Days three and four have less height gain, with the final day being relatively mild. The huts are all wonderful (but no showers on night 2), and several have restaurants in them (for extra charge and by prior arrangement, your meal can be more than the ‘refuge standard’ fare). There is a good chance to see Ibex at certain times of the year on day 1 or 2.