February 17, 2017

Off-Piste Skiing in La Grave and Montgenèvre

Ski et cascade dans la journée!Ski Tour to Les Orres

Two days of off-piste skiing in La Grave and Montgenèvre: Girose glacier, Vallons de la Meije and soft powder turns with Samantha under sunny skies.

A skier in the powder snow at Montgenèvre, on a slope lined with larch trees.

I’ve been hired for two days of off-piste skiing with Skier Lodge in La Grave, guiding an international crew with American, English and Dutch accents. We spend one day in La Grave and one in Montgenèvre.

Day 1: the classic off-piste runs of La Grave

We spend our first day in La Grave exploring the classics of this ever-beautiful place. Not everyone in the group is used to off-piste skiing; some are trying it for the first time! The conditions are ideal for it: cold, smooth snow on most of the classic routes.

We start with a little tour of Chancel in the sunshine. The views are perfect today! Then we head up to the summit of la Lauze for a little run on the glacier de la Girose, with a chance to take a closer look at the crevasses.

Back up to la Lauze, we ski the full length of the glacier before dropping back into Chancel, where we enjoy a well-earned break on the terrace of the refuge de Chancel. An essential stop in La Grave...

We finish the day with the classic Vallons de la Meije, under the watchful eye of the local queen!

Off-Piste - La Grave - Final Run Down the Valleys

Day 2: off-piste powder in Montgenèvre

For our second day, we head to Montgenèvre in search of good conditions. An excellent choice! My team has shrunk a little since yesterday, and by the afternoon, only Samantha is still keen to ski!

Although it hasn’t snowed for several days, we find plenty of fresh tracks to make with very little searching... and lovely soft powder on the right aspects!

We mix runs reached directly from the lifts with off-piste routes requiring a short walk... A beautiful final run at la Plane!