Content
La Grave Advanced Skiing
© copyright B. Boone, P. Tournaire, D. Grillet, D. Le Guen / OT La Grave - La Meije
The three Trifide couloirs have been the scene of many tragic accidents, but each April, hundreds of snowboarders and skiers gather at the top of the slopes, generally at the Dome de la Lauze at 3,550m, for the La Grave Derby – a 2150 metre (7054 feet) vertical drop which usually ends at the river as there is unlikely to be enough snow at this time of year to reach the village. In lean snow years the race might end at mid-mountain (2400 m). Some racers, making as few as half a dozen turns, have completed the course in little more than six minutes!
On the other side of the mountain there’s an excellent and not over-difficult off-piste run down to the remote climbing village of St-Christophe-en-Oisans – again, best done with a guide. To return, you’ll need transport back to the picturesque little village of Venosc, from where you can reach Les Deux Alpes by gondola.
