Summer in the Grand Massif

“But what is there to do in the Grand Massif in the summer?”

This question always amuses us when we ask our winter guests if they would like to book a holiday with us in the summer months. They look at us with a baffled expression as though we are crazy!

“No really, what am I going to do in the mountains when there is no snow?” they ask.

What do ski resorts do in the summer?

If you have never visited the mountains in the summer we are sure you will be amazed at the amount of activities there are on offer. Don’t think it is all about hiking up that steep mountain slope that you skied down in the winter, oh no, it can be as adventurous or relaxing as you want it to be. The weather is generally warm and sunny (ok there may be some wet days, but isn’t that the case with any summer holiday?) and can even reach temperatures in the mid 30’s.

Whether you want to get out and about hiking or biking, are looking for activities to keep the children entertained, want to explore the local sights or just feel like relaxing (well it is a holiday after all) you will find it all in the Grand Massif.

To help you visualise your summer mountain break we have listed just a few things that you can choose to fill your holiday itinerary.

Activities:

• Hiking, walking, geocaching

• Running, trail running

• Cycling, road biking, mountain biking, pump track, fatscoot

• Treetop Adventures, Via ferrata, rock climbing, mountaineering

• Mountain Kart, cani kart, speed dragoz, horse and pony riding

• White water rafting, canyoning, potholing, swimming, fishing, paddle boarding

• Paragliding

• Nature trails, bird watching

• Golf

• Wellbeing, pilates, yoga

Day Trips from the chalet by car

• Chamonix - 40 minutes

• Annecy - 40 minutes

• Geneva, Switzerland - 45 minutes

• Courmeyeur, Italy - approx 1 hour, Mont Blanc tunnel return pass for a car is €60

• Yvoire - 1 hour, while there pop over to Nyon in Switzerland on the ferry

• Evian - 1 hour 15 minutes

Of course it doesn’t all have to be go, go, go! Why not relax on the chalet terrace with a refreshing drink and good book, picnic in the mountain meadows surrounded by alpine flora and fauna or sit by one of the many lakes and watch the world go by.

Notable events

• Velo Vert Festival - 2-4 June 2023

• Ultra Trail du Haut Giffre - 16-18 June 2023

• L’Etape du Tour de France - 9 July 2023

• Tour de France - 15-16 July 2023

When does the Grand Massif open for the summer?

The start of the summer season in the Grand Massif is this weekend, the opening dates for the resorts are:

Samoëns - 26th June to 29th August 2023

Flaine/Les Carroz/Morillon - 3rd July to 29th August 2023

When does Chalet Le Pery open?

The chalet is open on a bed & breakfast, part or fully catered basis for those that wish to enjoy a Spring or Summer break in the mountains. If you would like to experience a mountain vacation get in touch with us and reserve your spot!

Winter in the Grand Massif

On the summit of ‘pointe rousse’

“A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute.” - Hans Gmoser

Winter Season 2020/2021

It was closed………….. THE END!!!!!!

Only joking! well not entirely. It was closed, but it wasn’t the end.

When the Grand Massif closed 5 weeks early in the middle of March 2020 we did not expect for a moment that the COVID-19 pandemic would have such a big impact on the upcoming 2020/2021 winter season.

Returning and new guests had their holidays booked and were looking forward to their usual winter getaway and we couldn’t wait for the season to start.

It was a nail biting time as each week passed by and the start of the season loomed closer with no news on an opening date. We waited with baited breath and hoped that it would be good news - travel would be allowed and the ski resorts would open. Sadly it was not to be.

Thankfully most of our bookings moved to the 2021/2022 season under cover of the COVID policy we had in place. We would like to thank those guests for supporting us and we can’t wait to welcome you all next year instead, double celebration!

Weather conditions

How annoying it was to have some of the best weather conditions we have seen since we moved here in 2014 and no guests to enjoy them.

We were blessed with early snowfall in November which provided a really good base and it was the first time we had snow at the chalet level (800m) for Christmas & New Year!

It snowed for most of the month of January providing excellent conditions for some great powder days.

From the middle of February to the middle of March we were blessed with sunny bluebird days with the snow returning once the school holidays were over.

The start of April was more fine weather, then, what would have been the resorts closing weekend (had it opened!) 30+cm of fresh snow arrived with an unseasonal cold snap.

Days out on the mountains enjoying the conditions were not over yet!

Ski touring (by John)

With the lifts closed this presented a rare opportunity for me to explore other areas close to home and not part of any ski resort maps. During a normal winter season, ski touring for me is somewhat limited to areas adjacent to the ski area as I have to be available/on call for guests during the day.

Some of the time we would ski tour within the Grand Massif’s boundaries due to bad visability and stay on familiar terrain. However, given the chance we would go and explore and challenge ourselves to new areas, peaks, valleys, cols and couloirs.

These ranged from fairly long days starting at 06:00 (any earlier was not possible due to the 18:00- 06:00 curfew in place at the time) and involving 2,000m plus of ascent, to shorter climbs and descents, depending on our goals for the day. On some days our plans had to be abandoned completely due to changes in the weather or for safety reasons. All this made for some very interesting adventures!

Some of the most memorable days we had included:

• ‘Pointe de sans Bet’ 2,240m

• ‘Pointe Rousse’ 2,577m

• ‘Dents Blanches Occidentales’ 2,709m - on the Swiss border

• ‘Pointe de Marcelly’ 1,999m - Praz de Lys, overlooking Taninges

• ‘Le Roc d’Enfer’ - day tour involving a total of 1,700m ascent and three different cols

• ‘Mont Buet’ 3,098m, see blog

• ‘Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme’ 2,443m, see blog

Other ski resort activities

Whilst the lifts were not operating all was not lost for those holiday makers that were able to visit the area, mainly over the peak weeks of Christmas, New Year and the school holidays. Outside of piste skiing/snowboarding there were many alternative ‘on-snow’ activities that were enjoyed, such as:

• cross country skiing

• snowshoeing

• avalanche safety

• igloo building

• fat biking

• ice climbing

• dog sledding

• snowmobiling

Gallery

We have put together a short gallery showing what we have been up to these past few months, we hope you enjoy it.

Summer in the Grand Massif

With the winter season now behind us we are looking forward to what this summer may bring.

If you would like to experience a mountain adventure look no further, there are so many activities to choose from you will be spoilt for choice. Don’t worry if you are not an adrenaline junkie, it can be as action packed or as relaxing as you like.

We can help you with your accommodation of course and offer a choice of B&B, part or fully catered to suit your requirements.

If you would like any information drop us an email, we will be happy to help.

Ski Touring to the ‘Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme’

Our Ski Tour to the ‘Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme’

Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme

The Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme is located in the commune of Beaufort-sur-Doron in the Beaufortain massif and on the boundary of the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments. At a height of 2,443m it is at the crossroads of the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), Grand Randonnée 5 (GR5) and the Tour du Beaufortain.

Our Itinerary - Day One

After picking up some lunch from our local boulangerie we left Châtillon-sur-Cluses just after 09:15. It was a bit of a late start, I know, but the rest of the group had to do the school drop off (I had forgotten what that’s like!) and make arrangements for their children over the next 36hours. Our destination was ‘Les Contamines’ just over an hours drive away. Once there we headed to the end of the valley and the parking at ‘Notre Dame de la Gorge’, 1,200m, and the start of our adventure!

Our plan was an overnight stop at the refuge, about 11km up the valley.

Conditions enabled us to put our skis/splitboards on at the parking and around 11:00 we started by following the summer walking route of the TMB & GR5. This heads south up an old Roman road which climbs steadily up through trees and passes over a couple of bridges to ‘Nant Borrant’ where it begins to flatten off and the trees are left behind.

The climb from here was very gradual. We worked our way up the valley, past the refuge at ‘Le Balm’, 1,706m, towards a traverse over some old avalache debris from a steep easterly face to our right. Here the valley opened out into a wide flat plain which we followed southwesterly towards the ‘Col du Bonhomme’ in the distance.

At about 13:00 we stopped for a bite to eat, we were sat at 2,150m, the sun was blazing and we are down to baselayers or T-shirts! While here we picked out some possible lines for the way back tomorrow.

After our break it was time to crack on and head up towards the col. We were keen to get to the refuge as early as possible as there are a limited number of beds available and they’re on a first come first served basis! From the ‘Col du Bonhomme’, 2,329m we headed along a 1.5km traverse on a steep southerly face to the ‘Col de la Croix du Bonhomme’ and the refuge.

At around 15:45 we finally reached the refuge, 2,443m, after an 11km tour in hot spring conditions. Just our luck, there were already others at the refuge and they had bagged the beds in the main hall leaving us the cold dorm at the back!

After dropping off any unnecessary weight and our overnight kit we decided to get in a little ski/board before we made ourselves at home. We headed down towards a small chalet at about 2,000m over mellow undulating terrain. We were all very surprised by the snow quality and it felt good carving up the spring snow after the long hike up.

At one point on our descent we arrived at a small but steep rollover, something didn’t feel right and as I skied around it I released a small slab avalanche. Whilst this wasn’t life threatening it did highlight the potential dangers that are always present. We continued down to the ‘Chalet de Plan Varrarg’ then transitioned for the climb back to the refuge.

On the climb back we were again reminded of the potential dangers by “Whumpfing” sounds every 10mins, this is where a weak layer in the snow pack collapses and the snow pack drops. It’s a little unnerving and on steep slopes, normally above 30˚, this would be a big concern. Taking a closer look we identified the problem, a weak faceted layer of snow 15/20cm below the surface, this information would now play a part in the planning of our route for the following morning.

Back at the refuge we had to organise and dry our kit, with the stove already lit this didn’t take long! The others were a friendly lot and we all shared in collecting snow and boiling it for water, as there’s no mains supply here! People chilled outside on the terrace and watched the sun go down, as it disappeared over one horizon the moon rose from the other. At this altitude the night sky was absolutely stunning, it was a clear night with amazing views of the stars and we were blessed with a full moon.

Dinner comprised of saussison and ‘Adventure Food’, dehydrated meals where you add boiling water, not quite restaurant quality but it was very much appreciated after a long day! This was all washed down with a nice glass of red (well we are in France after all).

The rest of the evening was spent studying the map and planning our route for the following day, a short 200m climb then an 840m run down to ‘La Ville des Glaciers’. From there a long climb northwest over the ‘Col d”Enclave’ leaving a couple of options for the run back to the parking.

Our itinerary - Day Two

After a good nights sleep for most, a restless night for me as I never sleep well at any kind of altitude, we had some breakfast. ‘Adventure Food’ porridge yum yum, I’m not sure I’d have it again! With water replenished and bags packed we were ready to leave, it was 08:40 and not a cloud in sight, it was going to be another hot one!

We headed west towards a small rock band with a steep icy approach, with our couteaux (ski/board crampons) fitted we traversed over the ridge, or should I say I traversed over the ridge! The rest of the group, who were on splitboards, found this section difficult to ascend with most opting to boot pack the final 15/20m.

From here it was a short 100m to the first col at 2,639m. The snow looked great and we were all keen to make our first turns of the day down the 40˚north face. The snow was great and after the first 100m of cold soft snow we were back into the sun and on firm spring snow.

The run down to ‘La Ville des Glaciers’ was mellow and playful and seemed to go on forever. Arriving at the bottom we located the bridge which we needed, to cross the river, and transitioned there. We all shed our winter clothing and opted for light baselayers or T-shirts and applied plenty of sun screen. It was now 10:30 and already very warm!

Heading north up the open valley past ‘La Ville des Glaciers’, 1,810m, we made our way up towards ‘Combe de Bellaval’ and heard the same “Whumpfing” as yesterday afternoon, this might have posed a problem for later!

By the time we reached the the Combe the “Whumpfing” had stopped but there was large avalanche debris on the valley floor which had come down from the southwesterly face to our right and some smaller slides directly in front from previous days.

However, the easterly aspect looked good and spacing out we made our way up a small northeasterly facing gully to a flat plateau with a 150m ascent to the col. Regrouped we made our way up to the ‘Col d’Enclave’, 2,672m, and admired the amazing views.

After a short break we spotted our line, there were some rocks to negotiate with what looked like hard pack snow before some great looking powder. I side slipped into the first section and the hardpack was in fact ice, I locked off my bindings as I didn’t want a pre-release here! Once past this I made my first turn and it was all worth it, 200m of lovely soft cold snow. As the slope started to mellow and receive some sun it became more and more sun affected until it was spring again and we were back in the valley seeking out somewhere for lunch.

Our picnic spot just after the ‘Lacs Jovet’, 2170m, had views south down the valley and up towards ‘Col du Bonhomme’ and yesterday’s route up from ‘Les Contamines’. With lunch over we made our way back over to the skin track we took the day before, traversed the old avalanche debris and made our way back down to the parking at ‘Notre Dame de la Gorge’.

The bottom section had lost a lot of snow cover from the previous day and it was nessesary to walk small sections before finally skiing back to the van for a celebratory beer or two.

Accommodation

Le Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme is an ungarded refuge in the winter months, it had a gas hob, a wood burning stove and a composting toilet.

Equipment

In addition to our normal touring kit we also took food for the two days, sleeping bag, wash kit, toilet paper, extra water (and wine!) and a head torch.

Ski/Splitboard Tour buddies

Arno AlpAdventures

Jack, Lynda and Rob

Follow Us

Instagram: @chaletlepery

What is your most memorable ski tour, we would love to hear about it?

Ski Touring in the Grand Massif

Our Day Ski Touring Mont Buet - Giffre Massif

Of the many ski touring routes in the Grand Massif, Mont Buet was one I definitely wanted to experience!

Having already hiked it in the Spring/Summer it was only natural to want to ski tour it in the Winter for a different experience! With the closure of the ski resorts, due to the COVID-19 virus, and no guests staying in the chalet it became a possibility this year. In February, Joss and I made our first attempt from Salvagny/Sixt but after 2 1/2hrs we had to abandon our plans due to the amount of avalanche debris in the valley. With the arrival of new snow in March we planned a second attempt, this time from Vallorcine (the normal route).

Mont Buet facts

At an altitude of 3,096m its summit is the highest in the Giffre Massif mountain range in Haute-Savoie and is one of the biggest day ski tours in the local area. It is sometimes called ‘Mont Blanc des Dames’ as it is excellent high altitude training. The outlook from the summit is stunning with views over the Mont Blanc Massif and the Matterhorn. It is also said that you can see as far as Lake Geneva on a clear day, not sure how much this is true as we couldn’t see it today.

Our Itinerary

I met up with 3 others on the col in Châtillon-sur-Cluses at 06:15 grabbed some supplies from the local patisserie and headed off on the 1 hour drive to Vallorcine on the Franco-Swiss border to the start of one of a number of routes up to the summit of Mont Buet.

The weather forecast for the day was sunshine, temperatures were due to rise with a freeze level of 2000m by the afternoon and the avalanche bulletin was 3 out of 5. With conditions looking good we started the 1,750m ascent at 07:40 and followed the normal route.

Leaving the carpark at “Le Buet” 1350m we headed in a westerly direction up a deep wooded shady valley along “l’Eau de Bérard”, the trail at this point is well used by both skiers, snowboarders and showshoers. After about an hour the valley started to open up into a large bowl and we arrived at the “Refuge de le Pierre à Bérard” 1950m, although we could only guess its exact location as it was completely buried under the snow. We were now in full sun and the temperature was already starting to rise along with the gradiant of our climb.

From here we headed in a north westerly direction up to the “Col de Salenton” 2500m where we could see other groups traversing under a large cliff band and over the col. We reached the col at around 10:30 and took the opportunity to grab a short break and rehydrate. Refreshed we followed the traverse, gently climbing north towards a weather station high on the “Arête de la Mortine”. As the traverse started to steepen we attached ski crampons to get a better grip on the wind scoured snow and tackle the steep 250m climb up to the weather station “Abri de Pictet” at just over 3000m. Finally, with the sumit now in sight the last 100m was a mellow 10min skin to the top. After 5hr 15mins we arrived at the summit, 3098m, the views were amazing and not a cloud in sight! There were another 5 or 6 people at the top all taking in the glorious views and preparing for their descent.

After transitioning (removing climbing skins and preparing to ski/snowboard) and a spot of lunch, we made a plan for our descent based on what we’d seen on the way up. Our plan was to ski down “Creux aux Vaches” a mellow valley leading to a couloir exiting just above the “Refuge de le Pierre à Bérard”

The snow conditions were a mixed bag of good, ok and downright horrible making it an overall interesting descent however, we did find some nice pockets of snow on our way down. As the valley narrowed and steepened we entered the couloir, the spring snow was at first slushy and became more and more chopped up the further we went, in places it was starting to refreeze as the sun became obscured by the high sides of the couloir.

Exiting the couloir and back into the “Vallon de Bérard” we headed back down the valley maintaining some speed over the flatter sections until we reached the narrower part of the valley and back into the trees. From here we retraced the path we had climbed that morning back towards the carpark. To our amazement and obvious delight we found a Bar/Restaurant at the bottom that was open (takeaway only) and had to take the opportunity to grab a beer and chill in the sun before the drive home.

All in all the whole tour was just over 7 hours, a long day……yes, but one that will be remembered!

Is Ski Touring for everyone?

Ski touring is for those enthusiasts that already have off piste skiing/snowboarding experience and can easily handle red level runs and a variety of snow conditions. If you are at this level and enjoy getting away from the crowds then yes it could be for you! It does not have to be a long day or multi day tours, you can start with short in-resort tours, even next to the piste where you feel safer. As you progress you can start venturing further a field.

The route we took had nice mellow slopes and didn’t pose anything too difficult or steep but it was necessary to have a certain level of fitness as it is quite a demanding ascent.

Top Tips - It is essential that you have the right avalanche safety equipment with you; avalanche transiever (ARVA), shovel and snow probe (and know how to use them). Alway check the weather forecast and avalanche bulletins before you go, and have a good understanding of the terrain you are touring in as they are generally unsecured.

Ski Tour buddies

I would like to thank my ski tour buddies for a great day out!

Joss from Chalet Brio

Arno from AlpAdventures

Jonny ‘chopper’ all out ski bum!

Follow us

Instagram: @chaletlepery

What is your most memorable ski tour, we would love to hear about it?