following list contains commonsense suggestions based on years of experience, and is offered as a means of avoiding mishaps. With care, and attention to detail, the chances are that you'll experience nothing more distressing than a small blister.
The original Refuge de Vallonpierre (Stage 6)
SAFETY DO'S AND DON'TS
Don't attempt the Tour of the Oisans too early or too late in the year.
Ensure you are both physically and mentally prepared for the challenge.
Plan each day's stage carefully. Study the route outline, taking account of the amount of height gain and loss, and the estimated time required to reach your destination.
If you intend to stay overnight in a mountain refuge, phone ahead to book a place.
Check the weather forecast with the gîte owner or refuge gardien before setting out.
Carry a few emergency rations and a first aid kit.
Watch for signs of deteriorating weather, and never be too proud to turn back should it be safer to do so than continue in the face of an oncoming storm, or on a trail that has become unjustifiably dangerous.
If your plans change and you decide against continuing to the refuge or gîte where you are expected, telephone at the earliest opportunity to let them know.
Do not venture onto exposed ridges if a storm is imminent. In the event of being caught out by one avoid isolated trees, prominent rocks or metallic objects (temporarily discard trekking poles), and refrain from taking shelter in caves, beneath overhanging rocks or in gullies. Instead kneel or squat on your rucksack, with head down and hands on knees.
In the unhappy event of an accident, stay calm. Move yourself and, if possible, the injured person (with care not to aggravate the injury) away from any imminent danger of stonefall or avalanche, and apply immediate first aid. Keep the victim warm, using any spare clothing available. Make a written note of the precise location where the victim can be found, and either telephone for assistance using a mobile phone (if available and you can get a signal), or send for help while someone remains with the injured member – assuming, that is, you're in a party of more than two people. Should a mountain hut be nearby, seek assistance there. If valley habitation is nearer, find a telephone and dial 112 (emergency number), or contact the PGHM on 04 92 22 22 22. Should it be impossible to go for help, the international mountain distress signal (given at the front of this guide) is: six blasts on a whistle (and flashes with a torch after dark) spaced evenly for one minute, followed by a minute's pause. Repeat for as long as is necessary. The response is three signals per minute followed by a minute's pause.
Remember…
There is no free rescue service in the Alps, and the cost of an emergency could be extremely expensive. Be adequately insured, and be cautious. The addresses of several specialist insurance companies whose policies cover mountain walking/trekking will be found in Appendix B. It is advisable to leave a copy of this policy at home with a friend or family member, and take the original with you. Reduced cost (sometimes free) urgent medical treatment is available to EU citizens carrying a European health insurance card (EHIC), which replaces the old form E111. However, payment is usually required at the time of treatment, so make sure you have insurance cover. The free booklet Health Advice for Travellers, available from post offices in the UK, gives details of entitlement.
The Parc National des Écrins
A shepherd pens his sheep near Refuge de la Muzelle (Stage 9)
The Parc National des Écrins, around and through parts of which the Tour of the Oisans makes its circuit, is the largest and highest in France. As long ago as 1913 a protected zone was centred on La Bérarde at the head of the Vallée du Vénéon in the centre of the range, but it took another 60 years before the Parc National was fully established. It now covers an area of some 91,800ha, with an outer protected zone almost doubling its size to 180,000ha. The park has scores of peaks reaching over 3000m, and in the 4102m Barre des Écrin the highest summit in France outside the Mont Blanc group.
Despite global warming the region retains a surprising number of glaciers, the southernmost ice sheets of any size in the Alpine range (albeit glaciers that are shrinking at an alarming rate). And it is largely due to the powerful rivers and waterfalls flowing from them that the deep valleys and ravines have been scoured.
The main, central core of the Parc National is contained south of the Vallée de la Romanche, and west of the Vallées de la Guisane and Durance. Its southern and western boundaries are convoluted ones, squiggling along and round the flanks of valleys to avoid road penetration and the cableways of ski resorts, always seeking to protect the most dramatic and spectacular mountains. All the highest summits and most of the glaciers are found within the park, and on six of the 10 stages of the Tour of the Oisans the route passes through this central core of Parc National territory. There are, of course, rules that govern use of the park:
Dogs are not allowed, even on a lead. Respect wildlife and livestock.
Do not pick or take samples of plants, rocks, fossils or animals.
Firearms are banned, and all wildlife is protected within the national park.
Leave no litter. Keep the countryside clean.
Light no fires.
Make no unnecessary noise.
Off-site camping is restricted to an overnight pitch between 7pm and 9am, at least one hour's walk from a road or park boundary.
Motor vehicles and bicycles are allowed only on authorised roads.
Alpine Flowers and Wildlife
The vast difference in elevation between valley bed and mountain summit, ranging from 800m to 4000m, coupled with oceanic influences in the north and west, and those of the Mediterranean from the south, are part responsible for the diverse flora of the Oisans region. The fact that crystalline and metamorphic rocks (granite and gneiss) dominate in the north and west, and sedimentary rocks such as limestone, schist and clay are found in the south and east, also plays a major part in the region's rich diversity. According to national park literature some 1800 species (representing half of all French flora) have been identified, 800 of which are protected by law, while around 40 species are considered either rare or endangered, and 35 noted for being endemic to the area.
Facing page (clockwise from top left): Alpine anemone (Pulsatilla alpina); St Bruno's lily (Paradisea liliastrum); poppies in Les Gauchoirs on Stage 10; the stemless carline thistle; the great yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea); alpenroses add a vibrant splash of colour to summer hillside.
On the Col du Lautaret at 2058m the University of Grenoble has a Jardin Alpin which has a good representation of local plants, but since this col is not included in the Tour of the Oisans it might be worth mentioning a few of the alpine flowers that may be seen along the way. In the early summer, or in higher regions where the snow is melting, the tassle-headed alpine snowbell, Soldanella alpina, is one of the first to exploit the damp meadows, and is closely
