February has been a funny month here in Alpe d’Huez, ending with a foot of snow, a hoard of visitors and an overriding sense of total exhaustion. On a personal level, it ended with two sets of x-rays, two bloody knees, a filling and a sprained wrist… thank goodness it’s March!

The start of March is always greeted with relief in the mountains. The Half-Term rush over and Easter weeks away, we can return to a steady rhythm safe in the knowledge that there’s still plenty of snow to come and the season is far from over. In fact, there’s more hope of snow at the moment than there has been for the past two months, with cloudy skies and a northerly wind battering the higher pistes.

The dump that arrived on Saturday evening, gradually getting heavier through the night had been long forecast and much needed, but the return to winter conditions did take some by surprise. The change in weather has obliterated the suntan schedules of more than a few seasonnaires and most were back on the piste this week, despite the February queues.

As for me, the sprained wrist has simply compounded my waning enthusiasm for skiing and it looks like I’ll be off the mountain, on doctor’s orders, for the next four weeks. That said, any official advice from someone with letters after their name usually fuels the rebellious spirit that got me out here in the first place so maybe I’ll be back on skis next week… For now today though, I made the sensible decision to go for a walk instead.

Looking for something gentle, after last week’s frenzied trek to l’Alpette, I took the Grande Sure chairlift to the top of the Signal (2115m) and set-off on La Crete du Signal. The path takes you down the side of the Souveraine piste and along the ridge of the promontory that separates Alpe d’Huez from Villard Reculas.

The route takes less than an hour but is pretty steep in sections. By the end of the last incline my heart was pounding and my ears burning in the cold wind. There’s a storm blowing in from the north and the strong gusts across this exposed headland reminded me that – although it’s now March – winter is far from over.

If you’re interested in following in my footsteps, you can download the walking map and check out more of my
photos.

Click on the link for more information about hiking in Alpe d’Huez, and do email me any questions or comments, we’d love to hear what you think!