Few steep pistes; good off-piste The two long, steep and bumpy black runs from Bellecôte to the Chalet chairlift below Col de la Chiaupe were returned to off-piste status in 2009/10 – not surprising, given that they were rarely open, but a shame all the same. The newish piste linking this area to Les Bauches and Montchavin doesn’t really deserve its black status, but the Crozets black that meets it, from the bottom of the Inversens chair, is a good run. Up on the glacier, Chiaupe merits its black status for a short stretch, but really the tough piste skiing is now confined to the Biolley sector. On the back of the hill, the Coqs and Morbleu blacks are seriously steep, Palsembleu less so. From the very top of this sector, Etroits owes its black status to a quite short pitch that is both steep and narrow, but is otherwise harmless. The long Emile Allais red down to the La Roche chair is north-facing, often quiet and great fun in good snow. But experts will get the best out of La Plagne if they hire a guide and explore the vast off-piste potential – which takes longer to get tracked out than in more ‘macho’ resorts. The glacier and Biolley sectors have some excellent off-piste terrain. More serious undertakings include numerous runs from the glacier to Les Bauches (a drop of over 1400m). For the more experienced, the north face of Bellecôte presents a splendid challenge with usually excellent snow at the top. You can descend to Peisey-Nancroix (a drop of 2000m), enjoy a splendid lunch at the charming, rustic Ancolie (a real favourite of ours) and then catch a taxi or free bus to the Vanoise Express cable car. Another beautiful and out-of-the-way run starts with a climb and goes over the Cul du Nant glacier to Champagny-le-Haut.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:53:59 +0000
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