Off the Beaten Piste in the Queyras – 3 Day Intermediate Ski Touring Escape

This is a carefully crafted itinerary, designed to offer a rich and rewarding 3-day ski touring experience, with a balance of scenic climbs, satisfying descents, and immersion in the wild beauty of the Queyras.

As with all true backcountry adventures, nature sets the terms. Avalanche risk, weather, and snow conditions can all influence the exact route. Your UIAGM guide will assess the conditions daily and may adjust the plan to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the group — whether that means altering the order, changing huts, or adapting the terrain.

That said, the aim is always to stay true to the theme and level of this intermediate tour: steeper ascents than beginner routes, more technical terrain, and quiet, high-altitude landscapes far from the pistes.

It’s important that all participants have the required fitness and ski touring ability for this level. For safety reasons, the guide reserves the right to refuse to continue the tour with any skier who is not adequately prepared or capable. If you're unsure about your level, we’re happy to advise — and our beginner ski tour is an excellent stepping stone.

While the details may shift, the experience — ski touring through remote alpine valleys, resting in high mountain refuges, and travelling under your own power — stays the same.

You need to get yourself to the Alpine town of Gap today where you will spend your first night. Gap is a beautiful Alpine town nestled on a large plateau surrounded by mountains and is the capital of this part of the Alps, the Hautes Alpes department. 

You will find squares with large coloured buildings and fountains in the pretty pedestrianised area with outside seating and a range of quality restaurants and bars to choose from.

You will probably arrive by train or bus to the main train station and the hotel is walking distance from there. You can check in and leave your baggage before heading out for a meal in one of the many local restaurants in Gap. We will suggest a meeting time of 7pm for everyone in the hotel lobby so you can meet each other and go out together for your first night.

There are various ways to get to Gap, which are detailed in the Getting There section of this holiday page.

Full day guided off piste skiing in practising technique and high mountain safety.

Your guide will pick you up from the hotel this morning and go through kit for the week before driving up to a local ski resort for your first day. If you are hiring equipment you will collect this en route.

Today is about re-finding your ski legs and practising some off piste skiing using the lifts and getting some good tips from your guide in different snow conditions. This is a good way for the guide to get a feel for everyone's level. Please note that if the guide does not think your level is good enough to continue the full tour safely, we reserve the right to cancel your holiday at this point with no refund. 

During the day you will also revise your high mountain safety knowledge and refresh some of the essential skills for ski touring such as avalanche search and rescue.

Lunch isn't included for today as there will be the option to eat in a restaurant at lunch in the resort (this is payable as extra).

For kit, you will be able to leave anything you don't need for the trip at the hotel (ski bags, suitcases etc) as you will be coming back here on your last night. It is also possible to leave things in the minibus for the duration of the refuge to refuge tour.

Tonight you will stay a second night in your hotel in Gap

Your adventure begins at Pont de Lariane, just outside Molines-en-Queyras, where there’s convenient parking for those arriving by car. If you’re coming by train or without your own transport, your guide can collect you en route from Guillestre–Montdauphin — just let us know in advance so we can coordinate.

Please note: the tour begins today, so if you’re travelling from further afield, you’ll need to arrive the night before. We’re happy to help you arrange a comfortable stay nearby.

The tour begins with a steady climb through open terrain to the Col de Longet, a gentle warm-up with beautiful views. From there, the ascent steepens as you tackle the final climb to Pic Traversier — your first proper test of kick turns and edge control on steeper ground. At the top, you’ll be rewarded with sweeping panoramas and a fabulous descent through open slopes and quiet powder fields.

You’ll arrive at the Refuge de la Blanche, nestled in a high valley near the Italian border, where warm food and a rustic mountain welcome await.

• Ascent: ~900m

• Distance: ~8km

• Overnight: Refuge de La Blanche

Today’s tour weaves through some of the most striking high-altitude scenery in the Queyras. From Refuge de la Blanche, you’ll skin up to the Col de la Noire, with a steady ascent that opens into a vast, snow-covered valley beneath the flanks of Rocca Bianca.

After a short descent back into the Vallon de la Blanche, you’ll climb again to Point 2959, a wild and remote spot with a commanding view of the surrounding peaks. From here, a fun and sustained descent and then scenic traverse leads across to the Col Saint-Véran (2,884m), the gateway to one of the day’s most memorable sections: a spectacular ridge climb to the summit of Pic de Caramantran (3,025m). The ridge is broad but dramatic, offering airy views across the Italian border and deep into the Queyras.

From the summit, you’ll descend via the Col de Chamoussière, enjoying a long, flowing run into the valley below and the welcoming Refuge Agnel, nestled beneath towering peaks.

If conditions and energy levels allow, there’s an optional final climb to the Col de l’Eychassier, offering bonus views and a satisfying sting in the tail for those keen to squeeze out every metre.

• Ascent: ~1,000m (plus optional ~200m to Col de l’Eychassier)

• Distance: ~10km

• Overnight: Refuge Agnel

The final day of your tour delivers one of the best climbs and descents in the Queyras — a fitting finish to this intermediate adventure. From Refuge Agnel, you’ll skin back up to the Col de Chamoussière, but this time from a new perspective, climbing into the morning light.

From the col, the route ascends steadily toward the Pointe des Sagnes Longues (3,037m), a proud summit in the heart of the Queyras. It’s a challenging climb, with steeper sections that demand good, failsafe kick turns and a steady rhythm — but the rewards are immense: expansive views and a thrilling final descent.

The descent begins with a steep gully — exciting but manageable for intermediate tourers — which soon mellows out into gentler terrain, offering a joyful, flowing run all the way back to Pont de Lariane.

It’s the perfect finish: remote, scenic, and utterly satisfying.

• Ascent: ~850m

• Distance: ~11km

• Finish: Pont de Lariane

  After three unforgettable days in the high mountains, it’s time to say goodbye — for now. If you need help arranging a final night’s accommodation, just let us know. We’re also happy to give you a lift back to Guillestre to catch your train or continue your journey.

Guided ski tour with beautiful views of the Mont Viso throughout.

This is a really aesthetic route that goes round the Pain de Sucre, including 4 climbs and 4 descents and is a classic tour in the Queyras. There will be plenty of practise skinning up! You will do an easy climb up to col Vieux (2806m) and then you will do your fisrt descent of the day and traverse until the start of the next climb - Brèche de Ruine (2908m).

Once at the Brèche you will have time to take in the views before your next descent in the couloir de la Ruine. You'll then put your skins on again and climb up a really nice couloir that takes you to the col d'Asti (3145m). From here there is a beautiful descent that takes you into Italy where you have one last skin up to the col Agnel (the famous Tour de France col in the summer!). Then you can enjoy the descent all the way back to the refuge. 

Guided ski tour to the magnificent Grand Queyras - the grand finale!

For the last day you have several options before heading down. Pic de Foreant or le Grand Queyras are both beautiful tours. By now you will have a good sense of the local conditions and your own ability and you can discuss which option is going to be the best for the 'grand finale' with your guide.

After your peak, you will ski down the valley to a small village, where you can have a drink in a bar and relax after a pretty full on but incredible week! Your guide will then go and pick up the minibus and take you back to your starting point in Gap for a well-deserved shower and night out in town!!

After a week in the wild it’s back to reality, and time to go home! But one thing is for sure, you will leave with some great memories.

You will be in Gap this morning and will be able to walk to the train station to get your bus or coach on tot he TGV or airport, depending on how you are travelling. There is a great market in Gap on Saturday mornings, so today is a good opportunity to browse around the stalls if you have time before heading off.