La Grave
Encyclopedia
La Grave is a commune
in the Hautes-Alpes
department in southeastern France
.
It is a small ski resort
in the French Alps
, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay
; adventurer and Geographer Ordinary to Henry II of France
.
and although patrolled, has no formal avalanche
control. The area is dangerous to ski unless supported by a guide, including much glacier
travel at the very top.
Unsurprisingly, La Grave is a mecca for off-piste and extreme skiers, offering some of the most exciting and challenging lift-served terrain in the world. The vertical drop totals 2,150 meters, although it is possible to ski below the resort to the road and increase the vertical descent to 2,300 meters.
Mechanical access to the mountain is limited to a closed, two-stage, pulse gondola system. The first lift starts at 1,450 meters, runs through one intermediate station (known as P1 at 1,800 meters) then terminates at Peyrou d'Amont (2,400 meters). The second stage of the gondola runs directly from Peyrou d'Amont to the Col des Ruillans (3,200 meters). The top of the gondola then allows access to button lift (which is the world's only fully suspended surface lift) to reach the top of the Girose Glacier (3550m). The Girose Glacier can also be reached from the resort of Les Deux Alpes
on the other side, although this entails a one to two kilometre walk (between certain hours transport across is provided).
There are two main routes of descent available, with many offshoots and couloirs available. To the skier's right of the gondola station at the Col des Ruillans are 'Les Vallons de La Meije', a variation of which leads to the infamous Trifides couloirs, and ultimately to the valley bottom and the Romanche River. Skiers can also make leftwards traverses to return to Peyrou d'Amont or P1 to avoid skiing the lower section which can be rocky or even grassy meadows in poor snow conditions.
To the skier's left from the Col des Ruillans is known as the Chancel route (also accessible from the Girose Glacier) which leads to several couloirs (the Banane, Patou, Couloir du Lac) around the Lac de Puyvachier and the Refuge Evariste Chancel. Below this point skiers can either traverse right to return to P1 or descend directly to the valley floor and village of Les Fréaux via the steep Fréaux Couloir, the entrance to which is easily confused with the top of an icefall so should be treated with care.
Alternative descents include various routes to the south of the highest point of the lifts (the Dome de Lauze, at the top of the T-bar) in the Vallon du Diable. These lead to the picturesque village of St Christophe en Oisans from which alternative transport must be arranged in order to return to La Grave or to join the Deux Alpes lift system and return via the top of the Girose Glacier. There are several direct routes from the top of the Girose Glacier to the valley such as Chirouse and Orcières; these involve complex routefinding and sometimes abseils. Other classic routes are the Pan du Rideau and Y-Couloir, reached via a short walk from the top of the first T-bar; they involve a steep ski down onto the Glacier du Rateau then rejoin the Vallons de La Meije.
As a testimony to the extremely perilous nature of the topography, even some of the most accomplished exponents of the off-piste sport have perished at La Grave. Perhaps most noteworthy, in April 2006 Doug Coombs
died while trying to save a friend in the Couloir de Polichinelle.
There are restaurants at Peyrou d'Amont and the Col des Ruillans, and food is served at the atmospheric Refuge Evariste Chancel. Beds at both the Refuge and in a sleeping space in the Col des Ruillans restaurant are available for overnight hire by prior arrangement.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes is a department in southeastern France named after the Alps mountain range.- History :Hautes-Alpes is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is a small ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in the French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay
Nicolas de Nicolay
-Biography:Born at la Grave in Oisans, in the Dauphiné, he left France in 1542 to participate in the siege of Perpignan which was then held by Emperor Charles V of Austria....
; adventurer and Geographer Ordinary to Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
.
Skiing
The area is famously unpistedPiste
A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
and although patrolled, has no formal avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
control. The area is dangerous to ski unless supported by a guide, including much glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
travel at the very top.
Unsurprisingly, La Grave is a mecca for off-piste and extreme skiers, offering some of the most exciting and challenging lift-served terrain in the world. The vertical drop totals 2,150 meters, although it is possible to ski below the resort to the road and increase the vertical descent to 2,300 meters.
Mechanical access to the mountain is limited to a closed, two-stage, pulse gondola system. The first lift starts at 1,450 meters, runs through one intermediate station (known as P1 at 1,800 meters) then terminates at Peyrou d'Amont (2,400 meters). The second stage of the gondola runs directly from Peyrou d'Amont to the Col des Ruillans (3,200 meters). The top of the gondola then allows access to button lift (which is the world's only fully suspended surface lift) to reach the top of the Girose Glacier (3550m). The Girose Glacier can also be reached from the resort of Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes is a ski resort in the French Isère département. The village sits at 1650m and lifts run to 3600m . It has the largest skiable glacier in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix, where the largest mountain in western Europe is located, Mont Blanc...
on the other side, although this entails a one to two kilometre walk (between certain hours transport across is provided).
There are two main routes of descent available, with many offshoots and couloirs available. To the skier's right of the gondola station at the Col des Ruillans are 'Les Vallons de La Meije', a variation of which leads to the infamous Trifides couloirs, and ultimately to the valley bottom and the Romanche River. Skiers can also make leftwards traverses to return to Peyrou d'Amont or P1 to avoid skiing the lower section which can be rocky or even grassy meadows in poor snow conditions.
To the skier's left from the Col des Ruillans is known as the Chancel route (also accessible from the Girose Glacier) which leads to several couloirs (the Banane, Patou, Couloir du Lac) around the Lac de Puyvachier and the Refuge Evariste Chancel. Below this point skiers can either traverse right to return to P1 or descend directly to the valley floor and village of Les Fréaux via the steep Fréaux Couloir, the entrance to which is easily confused with the top of an icefall so should be treated with care.
Alternative descents include various routes to the south of the highest point of the lifts (the Dome de Lauze, at the top of the T-bar) in the Vallon du Diable. These lead to the picturesque village of St Christophe en Oisans from which alternative transport must be arranged in order to return to La Grave or to join the Deux Alpes lift system and return via the top of the Girose Glacier. There are several direct routes from the top of the Girose Glacier to the valley such as Chirouse and Orcières; these involve complex routefinding and sometimes abseils. Other classic routes are the Pan du Rideau and Y-Couloir, reached via a short walk from the top of the first T-bar; they involve a steep ski down onto the Glacier du Rateau then rejoin the Vallons de La Meije.
As a testimony to the extremely perilous nature of the topography, even some of the most accomplished exponents of the off-piste sport have perished at La Grave. Perhaps most noteworthy, in April 2006 Doug Coombs
Doug Coombs
Doug Coombs was an American alpine skier and mountaineer who helped to pioneer the sport of extreme skiing, both in North America and worldwide.- Biography :...
died while trying to save a friend in the Couloir de Polichinelle.
There are restaurants at Peyrou d'Amont and the Col des Ruillans, and food is served at the atmospheric Refuge Evariste Chancel. Beds at both the Refuge and in a sleeping space in the Col des Ruillans restaurant are available for overnight hire by prior arrangement.