Skiing 4000m Peaks in Summer

Skiing normally brings up images of powder and snow covered alpine villages with mulled wine and after-ski bars. However, many of the highest peaks are best skied in the spring and these good spring conditions can persist well into July or later sometimes. Skiing down wide open, high alttitude glacier slopes with nobody around in corn snow is exactly what summer skiing is about. One of the best venues for summer skiing is the Monte Rosa area. From Gressoney/ Alagna you reach the Punta Indren lift, which drops you off on the snow at 3200 metres. From here, many snowy 4000 metre peaks are accessible without much technical difficulty and they are perfect for skiing.

With summer ski touring, an early start is essential as it does get warm in the afternoon, it is summer after all! In the photo above you can see a number of high peaks in the Monte Rosa, all ideal for ski descents. As a mountaineer who skis, you can knock off a few summits and enjoy making big carving turns down the empty glacier and be down in a fifth of the time it would take on foot!

Clicking into your skis on a high alpine summit is a cool feeling, knowing you will be down in no time and the best part of the day is still coming, unlike your normal mountaineering descent!