{"id":487,"date":"2014-08-11T12:30:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-11T10:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/wordpress\/?p=487"},"modified":"2019-09-20T15:10:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-20T13:10:00","slug":"ski-crest-voland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/ski-resort-reviews\/alps\/ski-crest-voland\/","title":{"rendered":"Crest Voland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

O<\/span>ur approach from the Val d\u2019Arly, past venerable, unmodernised mountain chalets, suggests that this is going to be interesting. Sure enough, the sinuous route up to Crest Voland requires a steady hand \u2014 not easy when there\u2019s so much dramatic scenery to distract the eye at every turn.<\/p>\n

Crest Voland is at first glance the classic mountain ski village, with a cheerful, welcoming style and a refreshingly strict low-rise planning policy. The ski-lifts are also located close to the heart of the village. And for us, snow conditions are perfect when we arrive, so next morning we set off early with Alexis, our ESF moniteur, on our own grand tour of the terrain above the Val d\u2019Arly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\nThe sheer scale of the terrain becomes apparent as we work our way systematically around the mountain and down into Praz sur Arly, almost 900m below.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n\"Fresh
\n

En route for Les Saisies from Hauteluce.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\n\"Skier
\n

The wide, gentle pistes at Crest Voland are safe for young children and learners.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

The circle game<\/h2>\n

We begin 1767m above Notre Dame de Bellecombe on Mont Rond, swooping down through silent wooded glades and heading back up to the exposed vastness of Mont Vores (2069m). The sheer scale of the terrain becomes apparent as we work our way systematically around the mountain and down into Praz sur Arly, almost 900m below. By now it\u2019s clear that today is going to be a high-mileage day \u2013 which is how we like it, particularly when the journey reveals a succession of new and varied surroundings.<\/p>\n

Our lunch stop looks, feels and smells like an authentic chalet restaurant should, and La Montagnette enjoys a tranquil setting below the Roc des Evettes, between Praz and Flumet. Copiously warmed and refreshed, we press onward to tackle the assortment of drag lifts serving this area. Low-tech it may sometimes appear, but the system works, and gets us where we’re heading, back up to Mont Rond for a final run back into Notre-Dame de Bellecombe, right where we started.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n