Two days in Bardonecchia with my Norwegians: powder in the larch forests of Rochemolles, freerando, good food and a little too much génépi!
It’s time for my annual get-together with my favorite Norwegians! As usual, the original plan goes out the window shortly before we leave… Snow conditions are a bit unpredictable in the southern Alps, so we’re heading a little further north!
Since my travelers are arriving in Turin, we'll start with two days in Bardonecchia. This modest resort in Piedmont, just a stone's throw from France, offers great potential for off-piste and freerando skiing and remains relatively uncrowded by freeriders of all kinds! We'll have plenty of time over two days to carve our own tracks off-piste—all easily accessible from the resort!
Day 1: Around La Mulatière
After Tor, Karl, and Eddi arrived very late in the charming, wild, and ghostly village of Rochemolles, our first day of getting into the swing of things won’t be sunny—but that was to be expected… Today, a storm is raging across northern France and the Alps. We’re getting a few spills over from it, but conditions remain acceptable. We’ll even see the sun peek out!
We set off toward La Mulatière with a short climb on skins, which takes us to a beautiful, wind-sheltered valley… From the very first turns, the powder is flying—it looks pretty promising!
A short hike on skins takes us right back to the restaurant—a must-stop on our skiing adventures! While our love of great snow and the mountains drives us, our love of good food is no less important!!
A little time by the slopes to wrap up the day, and then we head back to the hamlet of Rochemolles… From beers to glasses of red wine to génépi, the reunion is joyfully celebrated—and will leave us feeling a little rough the next day!
Day 2: Around Jafferau
For today, we’re focusing on the other part of Bardonecchia. I’d planned an ambitious itinerary involving a descent through a wild valley, a climb back up on skins, and a direct arrival at Rochemolles… But the planned descent looks pretty battered by the wind, and I can tell the group isn’t as fresh as we’ve been in the past… So I decide to scout out the local off-piste runs to see what’s good to hit with our skis…
A short off-piste run nearby to warm up before heading out on a wilder route. I suspect the larch trees above Rochemolles are good powder spots. The suspense remains. Above the forest, the hard, rugged snow doesn’t look promising at all! Eddi and Tor follow me with confidence, as usual, but are wondering what magic trick we’re going to pull off to get some good skiing in this area!!
From the very first larch trees—and even before that—it’s pure madness! Not a soul in sight, and certified, organic, local powder in a forest made for skiing!
The return trip along the flat trail is a bit of a drag. Tor and Eddi discover that the distances given by a guide aren’t always to be taken at face value!! “Fifteen minutes,” he said! In any case, we know where we’re going to ski this afternoon!
After lunch, we met up with Karl for a run together… well, until we lost track of Karl for good for the rest of the day! We stayed in the woods, but a little closer to home…
To wrap up the festivities, I suggest to Tor—who’s still hungry for more—that we take one last run even farther into the “Larch Forest of Happiness” and head straight back to the hamlet of Rochemolles… A divine descent, completely untouched!
The end of our two days in Piedmont: we cross the border to reach the Haute-Maurienne.
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