Ski de Randonnée (Ski Touring) on the Tricot Glacier Route
When the lifts close and the piste-bashers head home, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce becomes a quiet basecamp for ski tourers heading up the Col du Tricot — a classic high-mountain route that delivers glacier travel, solitude and a descent through untracked powder back to the village.
The Route
The Col du Tricot sits at 2,120 m and is reached by skinning up from Saint-Nicolas through the alpage of Tricot, gaining roughly 700 m of elevation over 5 km of well-defined touring track. The upper section crosses the lateral moraine of the Bionnassay Glacier, offering close-up views of seracs that feel almost close enough to touch.
The descent back to the village follows the same line and takes 45 minutes on good snow — a sustained intermediate run through open powder bowls that funnel neatly back to the village outskirts.
Conditions and Safety
The route is rated PD (peu difficile) in ski-mountaineering terms and is suitable for confident intermediate skiers who are comfortable on ungroomed terrain. A guide is strongly recommended for first-timers: the glacier section involves crevasse risk and requires knowledge of avalanche rescue protocols.
The Compagnie des Guides de Saint-Gervais runs half-day and full-day ski-touring courses from December to April, with equipment rental available in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.
Why Saint-Nicolas Is the Perfect Base
At 1,163 m the village sits higher than Saint-Gervais and receives more reliable snow cover, making it a favoured overnight stop for tourers doing multi-day traverses of the Mont Blanc massif. The gîte d'étape in the village (Gîte Le Fiou) offers drying rooms, hearty Savoyard dinners and early breakfast starts.
After a day on skins, the village bakery opens at 07:30 and the smell of freshly baked pain de seigle (rye bread) drifting across the square is, frankly, one of the better alarm clocks in the Alps.
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