Читать книгу Tour of the Queyras. The GR58 and GR541 in the French Alps онлайн

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However, there are also significant differences between walking in the Alps and in the mountains of the British Isles. Firstly, the Alps are at a considerably higher altitude. In Britain we are used to thinking in terms of 3000 to 4000 feet for the major peaks. In the Alps this figure is 3000 to 4000 metres, i.e. over three times higher. The highest point reached on the Queyras Tour is 3208m (10,517ft) on the Pain de Sucre, and even the lowest col is at 2251m (7379ft) above sea level (the Col de Bramousse). However, very few people are affected by altitudes below about 3000m (9840ft) – it is usually only above this height that altitude sickness and associated problems are experienced – so there is generally no cause for concern at spending a holiday at these relatively modest altitudes. Furthermore, although heights of 2950m (9000ft) and above are regularly attained on the Tour, remember that in the Alps even the major valley systems are at a significantly higher altitude than those in Britain. The village of Saint-Véran, for instance, at 2020m (6622ft), is over twice the height of Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, so the total amount of climbing in any one day is often no more than in the Welsh, English or Scottish mountains.