Free-rando Crévoux

Some places make you smile a little sceptically when you first see the ski lifts. Then, a few runs later, you wonder why you didn’t come sooner! Crévoux is one of those places: a small resort in the Hautes-Alpes that doesn’t need to make a fuss to keep your skis happy. Enough drag lifts to count on one hand, larch trees galore, lovely slopes and hidden bowls. Pack your climbing skins, and the full potential of the terrain opens up!

A little climbing, plenty of possibilities

What is freerando in Crévoux? Halfway between off-piste skiing and ski touring, it means using the lifts to gain altitude, then continuing on climbing skins to reach a descent you couldn’t access simply by skiing downhill. Ski touring adds a freedom that lift-accessed off-piste skiing alone can’t offer: the chance to explore descents away from the crowds! Your legs do some of the work, but the drag lifts do their share too.

In Crévoux, in the heart of the Parpaillon massif, the scenery changes completely from one run to the next: open slopes, larch forests, narrow snowy ridges and playful bowls. Higher up, Lake Serre-Ponçon often provides the backdrop. Plenty to keep both eyes and skis busy, without turning the day into a competition to see who can climb the most.

Small resort, real mountains: why go with a guide?

The lifts may be close by, but once we leave the pistes, we’re in mountain terrain, with everything that involves. The forest can provide useful reference points in poor visibility; it doesn’t make avalanche risk disappear. My role as your guide is to choose routes according to the snow, visibility and your skiing ability, manage the group’s pace and adapt our plans to the terrain. Knowing several options means we can change areas, leave a slope alone or find a good alternative. The best descent is the one that gets you home in one piece…

What does a freerando day in Crévoux look like?

We start by discussing the conditions, what you’d like to do and our avalanche safety equipment. A few off-piste runs close to the resort help us warm up and get to know each other. Then the skins come out, and we head for a change of scenery. One climb followed by a long descent, or several shorter climbs to explore different slopes: we’ll adapt to the snow and the group’s energy levels. A picnic with a view, a few tips along the way and time to enjoy the scenery round out the day. The aim: good skiing, an adventure that suits you and, if the powder joins the party, a few whoops of joy between the larches!