From the village it looked about 80% clear of snow to the summit of the Tour de Famelon so we set off from the chalet to see if we could get to the summit. Around 1900m there was still a fair amount of snow but we were able to kick steps and make a track through. We set the only trail over the snow and the only other footprints belonged to chamois.
Following the actual path was impractical as it was snow covered so it was better just to cut a trail through the snowfields trying to avoid the areas where weak snow bridges have formed over the fissures of the limestone. Being familiar with the area the snow and limited visibility didn’t make too much of a challenge.
We only saw a handful of other people all day and only two of them ventured much above the snow line. It’s a great time to be on the mountain, challenging conditions under foot in places but well worth it to have the summit to ourselves and to be one of the first people to summit on foot without skis or snowshoes for the season.
