Fantastic snow conditions in La Grave

You come out for the Retro Telecabine at 3200m to a beautiful view of the glacier, Meije, and whats ahead of you. At this point, you have to go through the barrier which starkly reminds you that the responsibility lies with you and it's up to you to make the right choices on the line and the snow conditions whilst skiing here, in this magical wild place.

We started the day with a trip to P2 down the Vallons itinerary. We were met with chopped up fresh snow, fantastic views and it was all we could do not to whoop with joy! If you come off the classic route here, there is the opportunity for some fresh tracks. We are quite high, so the snow is still cold and therefore light and fluffy. A powder hounds dream! On the first decent, we traversed back towards P2 to benefit the maximum we could from the cold fresh snow that is available up high before the sun hit it. This side of the mountain tends to get the sun first in the day and, with the avalanche risk being high in the Alpes at the moment, 3/5 here in La Grave, it's important to be aware of the effects of the snowpack heating up during the day and deciding your route with this in mind.

On our second run, we did this side again but continuing through the trees to P1. This was fantastic fun as there is plenty of snow in the trees so it's like a playground. You just have to be sure not to drop lower than the traverse line whilst moving through the trees. Again, there are fresh turns to be had and the snow has stayed cold here. When you pop out of the trees just above P1, there is a good section of large moguls to tackle. They are formed by good skiers so are nicely shaped and easy to ski but can have little icy patches on the back sides so be ready.

Chancel is a fantastic side of the mountain, in some ways slightly less striking that the Vallons as you're not directly below the Meije or the glaciers but its wide open and less steep so allows more time for admiring the views. We took a high line to the right to get some fresh tracks before coming back towards the Refuge Chancel. We travelled high above the lake to reach the refuge for a fantastic lunch of tartiflete. Having been well fed and watered, we continued on down towards P1 through the forest on the Chancel side which was even more fun and games than the Vallons forest with glades of fresh snow and traverse lines of bumps to play with. The second time around, we attacked the easiest of the Couloirs into the lake, the “Couloir de Lac”, to rejoin the forest. The conditions in the couloir were fantastic and the entrance relatively easy. Just 3 or 4 short turns before it opens up to a lovely wide fun descent to the Lac.

Having had a fantastic day and ticked off one of the best days skiing ever for most of the group, we decided to finish it with a ski all the way to the village. There were bumps, bridges and patches of grass but all easily visible and avoidable where needed. The bridge is well covered in snow but has a bump onto it and off it, so beware! Only one fall from our group here and it was a fairly slow-motion sit down to the side. At the bottom, we took off our skis and walked up the 10 mins to the car park and then to the Castillian for a well-earned beer.