Snow Shoeing Around the Lac Tueda
A suggestion for non-skiing family or friends
This past week I have had my parents visiting resort. My mother tried skiing last year and spent most of her time rolling around on the floor while other people tried to pull her back onto her feet only to have the whole process start over just moments later.
This year she decided (and I agreed) that she would not attempt to ski and would instead sample some of the many other delights that the mountains have to offer.
So on a sunny Thursday morning we boarded a bus to Mottaret while my brother took my dad off for an adventure of his own on the Altiport as he tried to learn to ski – better late than never.
Over in Mottaret we strapped snowshoes to our feet and began one of the many walking trails on offer. We decided to go with one of the longer routes around the ‘Lac du Tueda’ [see maps here] – a large lake that could just as easily have been a football pitch as it was entirely covered in snow. It was quite beautiful nonetheless.
The walk, which is in a national park area that is out of bounds for all but Nordic skiers, takes you around the peaceful and picturesque lake and up into the tree covered the mountainside above it. The trails are well marked and there are several points at which the trail forks giving you the option to extend your walk.
It was good fun using the snowshoes but I don’t believe they were necessary in current conditions. Perhaps they would have been more appropriate after some fresh snowfall. It was nice to do something a bit different though.
As we walked up into the trees above the lake we stumbled across a small mountain refuge operating as a restaurant and sat and had a hot chocolate in the sun.
It was a lovely way to spend a warm sunny day in the mountain and refreshing to slow things down a bit and spend a day at walking pace instead of rushing down the mountain on skis.
Walking guides are available at both the Tourist Office and lift pass offices and if needed, snowshoes are available to rent from all good ski shops for a nominal fee, or you can go with a guiding company.
