Only suitable for the brave
THE SNOW THAT LOOKS LIKE CREAM
Off-piste skiing is here to stay . Gone are the long hours in the queues for the ski lifts and even further away the outdated idea that this sport existed for and for competition.
Now what it is about is going down impossible lines, as impossible as it may seem to us to reach them. We are in the Val d'Aran, where gravity and snow merge to create radical descents.
Yes indeed, a lot of technique is required, wide boards, backpack with anti-avalanche system, shovel, probe and the electronic device to search for avalanche victims . But everything can be rented or better yet, all that equipment is given to the client if he decides to get on the helicopter.
Val d'Aran: let yourself be inspired
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE BAQUEIRA BERET
There are countless freeride routes throughout the ski area of the Aranese resort. But let's go in parts. The first thing is to detail the itineraries that they will allow us to use mechanical means of Baqueira Beret. In this case it is the descents on the south face and north face of the "Mirador" area. Here there are slopes like the famous Escornacares or the very technical Vaciver tuc , where there are several channels not suitable for beginners. These are just a few examples of the extreme descents that can be accessed from the station itself.
Outside of Baqueira Beret the itineraries are more demanding , but also longer and more rewarding. To access them we will need crampons and an ice ax and in many cases it will be necessary to hire a snowmobile with a pilot. He will be in charge of picking us up after finishing the descents.
To begin we can opt for the lines that appear in Bagergue, an area that is accessed from Blanhiblar. Its snow is creamy, slippery like no other and after finishing the descent we will be in the surroundings of the municipality that gives it its name: Bagergue.
Another of the freeride destinations is Montgarri . We start the descent from the Dossau crests in a unique route, especially on sunny days, with large accumulations of snow that will delight the most aggressive. A snowmobile will return us to the civilized world.
Freedom!
BY HELICOPTER DESCENTS MULTIPLY
Without a doubt, it is the best option -and actually the only one- to get out of the ski resort environment and look for new goals. There are several High Mountain guide companies that offer this activity. Prices are by no means cheap. For example, two flights with their consequent descents are around 300 euros that reach 600 if we decide to make five descents. In any case, We will always be accompanied and directed by freeride specialists.
We have an extension of routes that exceeds the Baqueira ski area by fifteen times. We recommend the Escunhau Valley itineraries.
* The journalist Alfonso Ojea is the Director of the program of Chain BE specializing in snow, white tracks , which has been on the air for 20 years.
Follow @alfojea
Allows the most daring to free descent from the highest peaks of the station
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