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

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.