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LA GRAVE |
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Most of the pictures in this article were kindly supplied by Charles. Check out his site by clicking on the banner above. |
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Visit the Official La Grave site |
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What could I write about La Grave that’s not already been written? This
small French village with no more than a couple of bars and hotels, yet
it's home to some of the most extreme lift served terrain on the planet. A
“resort” with just 4 lifts, no ski patrol, no avalanche control and an
unlimited scope to do whatever the hell you want and nobody to tell you
otherwise, whether it kills you or not. The imposing |
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Myself and Nils on board one of the most famous lifts in the world |
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Lets get one thing straight right from the start: La Grave is not a place for the vast majority of skiers and boarders. Visitors to La Grave should be confined to the hardcore, experienced thrill seekers who want the ultimate in lift served terrain and are prepared to deal with the dangers that accompany it. If you’re a part of the “longer, faster, steeper, deeper” crowd, you simply have to visit La Grave. Everyone should make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives, although once might not be enough once you feast your eyes on this mountain. Which brings me to the most important part: make sure you hire a guide. Or make sure you’ve left a next of kin address in your hotel along with your medical insurance details, because you’ll need one or the other for sure. This is not a place for egos. Get cocky here and Mother Nature will slap you firmly in the face. This place hasn’t been adapted for skiing and snowboarding. Here, it is you who will have to adapt. |
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Bazu enjoys himself in the La Grave powder. Bazu is a guide, working out of Val d'Isere, check out his website |
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The area is officially made up of two communities. The small |
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Yours truly about to fulfill an 8 year dream. |
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It goes without saying that safety equipment is a must for anyone venturing onto the mountain, but again the responsibility for this lies squarely with you. You’ll need at least a transceiver, shovel and a probe, along with any other equipment you deem necessary depending on your intended routes for the day. A lot of the routes may require climbing equipment, but this is all available locally. Most of the routes available are incredible, ranging from steep narrow couloirs down 45 or 50 degree slopes to huge, long ranging touring itineries. The only limit is your imagination. |
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Sophie tries a Swell Panik swallowtail board for size |
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As you can imagine, guides are abundant in La Grave. The local tourist office even supplies guided tours every day to stop visitors from getting into trouble, so there no excuse for ending up somewhere you shouldn’t. Unlike conventional ski areas, there isn’t a mad scramble to get to the lifts on powder days in La Grave. Well there is, but a queue in La Grave isn’t quite the same as in other parts of France. Nor is there that increased pressure to ride further and further out of bounds (there is no “in bounds” anyway) to get to more and more fresh lines before the bloke next to you on the chairlift does. Here, as a rule, if it isn’t safe it’s left alone until it is. And La Grave is so massive the powder lasts for days, not hours as it does in most places. 50 cm of fresh had fallen the night before we arrived, resulting in decent conditions, however if it doesn’t snow for a while the mountain can turn into a whole heap of steep icy moguls. |
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The Miura Man |
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