Читать книгу Mountain Adventures in the Maurienne. Summer routes for a multi-activity holiday in the French Alps онлайн

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The explorer Edward Whymper devoted a chapter of Scrambles Amongst the Alps to the ingenuity of the Fell railway and Frejus tunnel, both engineered to cross the Alps from here and in World War II fierce battles were fought to gain control of the road. The famous Maginot (or Alpine) Line, built to defend the French border, ran through the valley and on many of the routes in this guidebook you will see the remains of fortifications and evidence of the front line.

So why have so few British mountaineers heard of this once well-known area? Perhaps it is because it lacks the highest peaks – nowhere is the 4000m contour reached – and has fewer glaciated summits than the higher and more famous Alpine regions. But this only makes it perfect for the connoisseurs of mid-grade mountain adventures, those wanting challenging routes and those wanting to mix and match their mountain activities.

The valley offers some of the finest modern via ferratas in France, routes specifically designed for sport, with reliable and well-maintained equipment taking direct lines up soaring cliffs and into the deepest of gorges. Walks and scrambles allow real summits to be reached from the valley in a day, with views reaching to the highest mountain giants in the distance, and mountaineering journeys allow the high summits to be reached without tackling glaciers. Cyclists will find themselves surrounded by Alpine giants familiar to any Tour de France follower, Col de l'Iseran, Col du Galibier and Col de la Croix de Fer amongst them. Nor will mountain bikers be disappointed, with waymarked trails threading through the forests and ski lifts to take the sting out of long climbs. Plenty of rock climbing venues cater for everyone climbing from V Diff through to the higher E grades.