{"id":494,"date":"2014-08-11T14:30:43","date_gmt":"2014-08-11T12:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/wordpress\/?p=494"},"modified":"2022-12-14T16:39:14","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T15:39:14","slug":"ski-la-norma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/ski-resort-reviews\/alps\/ski-la-norma\/","title":{"rendered":"La Norma"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

T<\/span>here are compelling reasons for our having come here: La Norma<\/strong> has long figured on tour operators\u2019 listings and, on a more personal level, the layout of the ski area<\/strong> on the piste map has intrigued us. It\u2019s high time we satisfied our curiosity. We always like discovering areas which offer skiers some high altitude terrain backed up with more sheltered runs down below the tree line, and La Norma certainly seems to fit the bill. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

Things begin well. The drive up to La Norma from Modane<\/strong> turns out to be one of the quickest and most straightforward we’ve experienced, and almost before we know it we\u2019re entering the very heart of the village. Better still, La Norma is one of the few ski villages to offer free undergound parking<\/strong> \u2013 a worthwhile feature we\u2019d like to see elsewhere. However, as our accommodation is some way from the car park and we have bags to transfer, we drive on and instead park outdoors very conveniently, just across from our apartment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\nThe run is a beauty, taking us around the mountain through the kind of pine and larch forest we’ve come to love in the Alps.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n\"Beginners
\n

La Norma is known for its safe beginners area for small children, conveniently sited near the apartments. <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\n\"A
\n

The highest pistes at La Norma offer more advanced skiing.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

Pasta on the piste<\/h2>\n

The next day we pick up our lift-passes and climb aboard the Melezet gondola lift<\/strong>, which drops us at 1985m<\/strong> in a snowy clearing from which it\u2019s possible for even novices to ski all the way back down to the village via two long Green-graded pistes. There\u2019s also a mountain restaurant here (L’Eterlou ), with a cheerful and affordable pasta bar<\/strong> with a panoramic terrace. We\u2019ll be back, but for now press onward by dropping down on a short Red piste to join the Carrelet chairlift<\/strong> for a ride up to 2332m<\/strong>. From here intermediates have a Blue-graded run back down among the forest on Marmottes<\/strong>, but this sector also demonstrates that La Norma also has some quite steep terrain up its sleeve. After a gentle run on Marmottes to the Norma II chairlift<\/strong> (which replaced the difficult Norma I draglift some years ago) we enjoy views of skiers tackling La Norma\u2019s topmost slopes before laying some tracks of our own.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

White on Black<\/h2>\n

Once off the lift there’s a choice of a Red (Perdrix) or the steeper Norma 2 Black. We go for the latter, which is quite wide, giving the kind of on-piste views which bring a powerful sense of skiing down rather than merely around a good-sized mountain. Since it begins at 2750m the snow has maintained its quality, so we launch off with the kind of confidence which only comes from sensing that there\u2019s plenty of edge-grip for our turns (we don’t like icy surprises).<\/p>\n

Eventually things ease as Norma 2 meets Norma 1, its lower Red-graded successor. Having got our legs nicely warmed up, we decide to carry on and work our way back down through the tree-line to meet the aptly-named For\u00eat Red piste<\/strong>, with a vin-chaud stop at the welcoming Grizzli mountain restaurant<\/strong>. The onward run is a beauty, taking us around the mountain through the kind of pine and larch forest we’ve come to love in the Alps. Being relatively low, the piste is also equipped with snowmaking<\/strong> all the way down to the village to assure a viable return route whatever mother nature might provide in the way of snowfalls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain<\/h2>\n

Having got back almost to our starting-point, we take the Repose chairlift<\/strong> from the front de neige, and during the haul up through the trees survey events on the Chalets Red piste snaking below us. This time we ski off at 1840m, and drop down to the nearby Plateau de la Repose, where we take the Arlette chair up to the 2309m<\/strong> mark. From here it’s a short ride on the topmost lift \u2013 the Clot 3-seater chair.<\/p>\n

Even before the 2500m<\/strong> arrival point the views are sensational<\/strong>, and even more so from the protection of a nearby ridge beyond which the mountainside falls away with head-spinning drama in the direction of neighbouring Termignon<\/strong>, now part of the Val Cenis Vanoise<\/a> ski area. To our eyes it looks distinctly ‘marginal’ but in the right snow conditions is a favoured haunt for freeride skiers with a taste for challenging terrain and remote-feeling natural settings.<\/p>\n

We enjoy a nice, cruisy Red-graded descent on Arlette<\/strong>, which takes us on a pleasingly wayward run through the trees and drops us back at the Plateau de la Repose<\/strong>. By now it\u2019s lunchtime, so we ski back to the apartment and some much-needed refuelling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n