Alpine Flora

On this tour we will take a closer look at some of the eye-catching plants and flowers which thrive on the mountainsides of the Alps. Alpine flowers are fascinating for the fact that despite their often dainty looking outward appearance, they need to be extremely hardy (and clever) in order to cope with the harsh conditions in the mountains. The dozens of species that we’ll see on a single day of hiking have evolved in equally many ways in order to cope with adverse conditions: strong winds, periods of drought, extremes of temperature, long winters and thin or non-existent soil. The Saxifrage family of flowers is a great example of this: surviving on cliffs and outcrops up to altitudes of 4500m, it makes its home in cracks in the rocks and the name, derived from latin, literally translates as “stone-breaker”!

The winter mountain environment

On this tour, we will use snowshoes to head out and take a closer look at the winter mountain environment. Moving around on snowshoes gives you time to stop and really look at some of the intricate and often exquisite features of the snow cover. Climatic conditions have a great influence in this respect. Of course, snow comes in many forms when it initially falls from the sky - light fluffy powder, little snowballs known as “graupel”, tiny stellar snow crystals or the not-particularly-popular sleet, to name a few! But then the effects of wind, temperature and humidity can completely change the snowpack, consolidating it, destabilising it, moving it around, perhaps sculpting it into strange shapes or creating the pretty surface hoar, pictured above.

These things are appreciable in their own right but a greater understanding is also important when we consider it in the context of safety and avalanche awareness. Many of the interesting features we see also give us clues about the stability of the snowpack. While all mountain areas in the Alps have systems in place to analyse the conditions and publish avalanche forecasts/warnings, it is always beneficial to develop greater understanding and awareness to enable individuals to make safe choices when they venture into the winter mountains. This will also be discussed during our day together.

Geology

The Alps are fairly young, as mountain ranges go, dating back around 55 million years. They have been created through the collision of continental plates, Africa pushing north and shoving Italy into the rest of Europe. Massive upthrust resulted and the the Alpine range was born. The height of the mountains now remains fairly constant as the rate of upthrust is roughly matched by the rate or erosion.

Many of the rocks found in the Alps are however much older than the mountains themselves. The granite of Mont Blanc was formed more than 300 million years ago and has its origins in a prior collision of continents. Meanwhile the limestone found around Annecy and throughout much of the French and Swiss Alps was laid down as sediment on top of the granite, some 250 million years ago.

On our day in the mountains we will learn more about how the Alps were formed and why they have been shaped into the beautiful form that they are today. This is the more recent story of the relationship between the composition of the rocks, the forces exerted from within the earth and the erosive power of the elements - wind, water, glaciers, and mass movements.

For the love of Cheese

One of the quintessential elements of hiking in the Alps is the sound of cowbells, often drifting across the valley side to provide a melodic soundtrack to accompany the great mountain vistas. It has long been tradition that the cows and goats brought up to graze the lush alpine pastures have been equipped with bells to allow the shepherds to keep track of them over large expanses of mountainside. The animals are able to feast on fresh grass and dozens of varieties of wild flowers and this helps to bring great flavours to the many varieties of cheese produced locally, often right there on the farm.

If you like cheese then you will be in heaven in Haute Savoie, the home of Reblochon, Abondance and Tomme and where rustic dishes such as fondue, raclette and tartiflette are served in alpine chalets besides the trail. On this tour we will hike into the mountains to visit a working farm where one can see the cheese-making process first-hand. Depending on the location we will also picnic on some of the fresh local produce or stop for lunch at a mountain inn.