{"id":4652,"date":"2015-09-22T11:23:40","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T09:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/wordpress\/?p=4652"},"modified":"2023-09-20T10:41:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T08:41:34","slug":"ski-albiez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/ski-resort-reviews\/alps\/ski-albiez\/","title":{"rendered":"Albiez Montrond"},"content":{"rendered":"
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O<\/span>ver the years we\u2019ve visited all kinds of ski areas, both large and small. While the big names are undeniably impressive, we have to say that we\u2019ve also developed quite an attachment to many smaller, more traditional areas. Albiez<\/strong> popped up on our radar when we finally managed to plan a visit to Les Sybelles<\/strong>, and decided to base ourselves in La Toussuire<\/a>, from which Albiez is clearly visible just across the next valley.
It looks tantalisingly close, in fact, but in winter the drive between the two villages isn\u2019t exactly direct, involving a drop down to Saint Jean de Maurienne<\/strong>, followed by a wayward ascent on the other side. Around 45min later the climb finally eases, the landscape opens up and we find ourselves on a plateau at whose far end we roll into Albiez-le-Vieux<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\nThe panoramic views to our right are sensational, and we gaze at them in awestruck silence until they\u2019re finally obscured by a snow-covered ridge just before our arrival at the top station.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"View<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Two
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Beautiful wide pistes are great for perfecting your carving skills.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"View
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Albiez possesses sensational mountain scenery.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Albiez: authentic mountain village style, pure and simple<\/h2>\n
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It\u2019s late March, so things are looking more springlike than wintry, but while there\u2019s little snow remaining in heart of the village the cover elsewhere still looks very skiable (proving that altitude alone isn\u2019t always a reliable indicator of snow-reliability). Not surprisingly, we have no problem at all finding a convenient parking space \u2013 everyone is obviously up there somewhere on the mountain, leaving barely a soul to be seen in the heart of the village. After picking up our lift-passes at the tourist office we walk to the nearby Grand Loup chair-lift<\/strong> and sit back for a first look at the ski area.<\/p>\n

The leisurely ride gives us time to look across at the Loup draglift<\/strong> to our right, which serves a blue-graded return run plus a red traverse over to the base of La Blanche 4-seater chair<\/strong>, visible over on our left. The latter hauls skiers up to 2060m<\/strong> and is a surprisingly high-capacity lift for just a couple of runs, but was conceived with an interesting possibility in mind, namely to be extended to the ridge above the top station. Doing so would neatly link the terrain of Albiez<\/strong> to that of its neighbour in the next valley Les Karellis<\/strong>, whose own topmost lift is just visible on the ridge. So far it remains a project, but might still happen one day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Today, though, its close companion the Cr\u00eate de l\u2019Ane drag-lift<\/strong> is closed, since the terrain it serves is south-facing and hence the first to lose its snow cover towards the end of the season. It\u2019s a shame, as this steep, easternmost sector has an enticing-looking sense of wild remoteness, and is home to an area designated as an \u2018espace rando<\/em>\u2019<\/strong> exclusively for the pleasure of off-piste<\/strong> skiers.<\/p>\n

When we reach the end of our haul we ski off and head right on Cr\u00eate Corbeau, a wide blue-graded run to the base of the Les Aplanes drag-lift<\/strong>. While riding the drag the panoramic views to our right are sensational, and we gaze at them in awestruck silence until they\u2019re finally obscured by a snow-covered ridge just before our arrival at the 2100m<\/strong> top station. From here we take Plan Corb\u00e9<\/strong>, which serves up a swirling red-graded descent which brings us to the base of the La Blanche 4-seater chair<\/strong>. On the haul back up we get a closer view of the officially-closed eastern sector and spot a couple of skiers who have obviously made their way across from where we\u2019re currently heading and are having fun working their way down on the sections which have best retained their snow cover.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Back up to 2100m for more, this time via a chairlift<\/h2>\n
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When we reach the top we find ourselfves back at the point to which the drag-lift had towed us, so we re-ski the enjoyable scenic blue cruise beside it. This time, though, we ski past the base of the drag-lift and continue onto Pr\u00e9s Perroux<\/strong>, for a spot of high-speed carving down this safe and super-wide blue. It\u2019s the perfect run for this kind of fun, which continues all the way down to 1490m<\/strong>, where it finally flattens out. What\u2019s more, we have it virtually to ourselves, mainly as it\u2019s now well past midday. Having by now put a reasonable distance under our skis (with over 600m vertical drop<\/strong> on the run we\u2019ve just skied) we\u2019re more than happy to break for lunch, and to unwind during the leisurely stroll which brings us to the welcoming Lo Sonails<\/strong> restaurant in a narrow street at the lwoer end of the village.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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