One mountain, one lift, no piste.
The ultimate off-piste skiing challenge begins in La Grave. There's one big mountain with one lift on the border to a national park.
The village of La Grave is a tiny, sleepy village with three bars and a couple of hotels at 1450 m above sea level. The lift system carries you to 3550 meters so the vertical difference is simple mathematics.
The first time you go up with the old gondola you might think that the lift is slow. And of course the unique gondola lift from the 70s is not the fastest in the Alps. But truth be told, it's a long way to the top. Just relax, enjoy the scenery and prepare for the biggest off-piste descent in the Alps.
The mountain is called La Meije, pronounced "La Mesh" and offers incredible skiing opportunities with fields, big glaciers, forest and steep corridors. And if all this doesn't happen to be enough we have a mini bus to take us to other ski resorts in the area.
In less than an hour, we can reach Alp d'Huez, Les 2 Alpes, Serre Chevalier, Montgenèvre and some other smaller ski resorts.
Mountain guides
You will be skiing with a certified mountain guide throughout the week. Your mountain guide not only provides safety, but also seeks out the best snow. All of our mountain guides are certified through the international UIAGM/IFMGA programme. The mountain guides at Skiers Lodge come from all over the world but they all speak good English.
Fat skis
We recommend fat skis — a waist between 85 and 95 mm is a good rule of thumb. If you don't have your own skis, there is a rental shop in the village.
Accommodation
We stay at the classic Hotel Des Alpes, nowadays more commonly known as Skiers Lodge. Here you will meet a friendly, welcoming community of skiers from all over the world. The lodge has comfortable rooms and offers a fantastic four-course meal every night. A large breakfast buffet in the morning will give you the fuel for a full day's skiing.
Ski pass
In order to have the flexibility to ski wherever we want, we buy our ski passes day by day. Ski passes are therefore not included in the price.
Avalanche and safety equipment
Everyone in the group will be provided with avalanche safety equipment such as a transceiver, shovel, and probe. Harnesses will also be supplied. Your mountain guide will ski with the rope, ice axe and other equipment for glacier skiing and rappels. All safety equipment is included in the price.
Getting to La Grave
La Grave is located in the south part of the French Alps about 80 km from Grenoble which is the closest airport. An alternative is to fly to Lyon, 190 km from La Grave.
Price includes:
• Standard room with double/triple occupancy.
• Lodge accommodation – twin room. Breakfast, 4 course evening meals.
• Guiding 6 days per week (guiding starts on Sunday).
• Local ground transportation in La Grave and to other ski areas (minibus).
• Use of avalanche transceiver, harness, shovel, rope, harness.
Not included:
Travelling to/from La Grave
Lunch
Ski pass
Skiers Lodge
This is a cooperation between Skiers Lodge and Mountain Guide Travel. You are welcome to place your booking, but all payment is to be done directly to Skiers Lodge.
Dear Andreas,
Many thanks again!
Best wishes,
Iona
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Hi Andreas,
Thanks again for a terrific weeks skiing in and around La Grave. I can't remember a better week for a long time.
Maurice Needoff
Number of days: 6 days skiing, accommodation 7 nights
Price: On request
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