{"id":529,"date":"2014-08-13T10:04:57","date_gmt":"2014-08-13T08:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/wordpress\/?p=529"},"modified":"2021-09-17T12:15:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T10:15:34","slug":"ski-montgenevre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/ski-resort-reviews\/alps\/ski-montgenevre\/","title":{"rendered":"Montgen\u00e8vre"},"content":{"rendered":"
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S<\/span>omehow the Col du Lauteret<\/strong>, highest and most exposed point on the route from Grenoble<\/strong>, has escaped the previous day\u2019s heavy snowfalls, so what can be a demanding drive is today a pleasure. After dropping down through Serre Chevalier<\/a> and Brian\u00e7on <\/strong>we roll into Montgen\u00e8vre<\/strong>. It\u2019s immediately obvious where the snow-clouds had been targeting; simply getting to our accommodation at the Le Chalet des Dolines<\/a>, between high walls of freshly-bulldozed snow, makes us glad we have snow-tyres.<\/p>\n

The sun is also sinking slowly, with the promise of fine weather for the coming week. Sure enough, the following morning finds us gliding off from beside the Hameau de l\u2019Obelisque<\/strong> area of the village down to the Serre Thibaud ski lift<\/strong> in still-freezing temperatures, beneath a steely blue sky. The high-speed \u2018t\u00e9l\u00e9mix\u2019 lift<\/strong> combines six-seater chairs with gondola-style cabins and has opened up some very worthwhile new terrain. It will become even more so as the plan to extend the terrain into nearby Mont Chaberton<\/strong> advances during the next few years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n…rising through natural forests of pine and larch which eventually give way to spectacular wide open powder bowls as-yet tracked by a only very few off-piste skiers. At the top there\u2019s the option of cruising all the way back down to the valley floor, but we\u2019re powerless to resist the huge views unfolding before us all the way to Sestri\u00e8re and beyond.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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From Le Chalvet (2630m) Brian\u00e7on appears far below, dwarfed still further by the dramatic backdrop of les Brian\u00e7onnais mountains.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The first few tracks appear on the irresistible fresh snow below the Rocher de l\u2019Aigle, gateway to the Monts de la Lune.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A gentle start in Montgen\u00e8vre<\/h2>\n
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From the top we warm up on Pharo<\/strong> and then Suffin<\/strong>, blue-graded pistes which between them create a satisfyingly long, gentle descent back to our starting point. Later we\u2019ll discover that the new lift offers back-door access to the neighbouring Italian resort of Clavi\u00e8re<\/strong> via Ba\u00efsses<\/strong>, another long, blue cruiser whose graceful plunge through a deep valley after which it is named enters silent woodland trails lower down. <\/p>\n

For now, though, we follow the main cross-border link indicated on the piste-map. The Tremplin chairlift<\/strong> hauls us to Le Prarial<\/strong> (2048m), where we ski down to the next lift \u2013 the Brousset fixed four-seater. This drops us at 2202m, for a quick schuss down to the Rocher de l\u2019Aigle<\/strong> chairlift. At the top we ski off at 2586m. Getting to the cross-border ridge has been simple enough, with just a couple of lift changes, all the while rising through natural forests of pine and larch which eventually give way to spectacular wide open powder bowls as-yet tracked by a only very few off-piste skiers. At the top there\u2019s the option of cruising all the way back down to the valley floor, but we\u2019re powerless to resist the huge views unfolding before us all the way to Sestri\u00e8re <\/strong>and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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