La Grave Village
La Grave is too rugged to be pretty. It’s really just a small mountain climbing town, with a sprinkling of hotels and about 600 local inhabitants. The road passing through it is annoyingly busy at times.For any uninitiated visitors who happen to be driving through this beautiful but remote part of the Dauphiné region, their first glimpse of the jagged La Meije summit and beneath it, La Grave’s high steep slopes is the sort of startling sight that makes people pull over and crane their necks as they attempt to follow the contours of the mountain to the top.
The village itself is unpretentious and rugged rather than chocolate box pretty. It has narrow streets and a weather-beaten church, but it’s not particularly old: it dates back only two or three centuries. It’s really just a small climbing town, built on a bend in the road above the banks of the Romanche river.
There’s a sprinkling of hotels and apartments and about 600 local inhabitants – but no conventional wooden chalets. Major fires in previous centuries have discouraged the local population from building with wood. Traditional architecture in the La Meije area is almost exclusively stone: blocks of tuff (a volcanic stone) and shale, sealed with mortar, and slate or flagstone roofs.
La Grave is surrounded by a number of smaller villages and hamlets, including Les Fréaux and Le Chazelet. Villar d’Arène, at 1650 metres, is the last village before you go over the col and reach the Briançon side of the Hautes Alpes. Almost the first village you reach on the other side is le Monetier, part of the Serre Chevalier ski area, and only about 30 minutes drive away from La Grave.
Ski hire and equipment rental in La Grave
There is a choice of ski rental shop in the resort, but their prices are quite high if you simply walk into them when you arrive. . Generally, if you want to save money, you’re much better off booking in advance with a reliable service provider.
Pre-book with Skiset in La Grave and save up to 50%
Skiset has an excellent reputation for hiring out good modern equipment for skiers and boarders of all standards including advanced. It’s shop in La Grave is centrally located and has a good range of skis and boards for off-piste skiers. If you book online in advance, you can save up to 50% on what you would pay if you walk into the shop. You will also save time when you arrive in the village, because your ski rental equipment is reserved, fully prepared and ready and waiting for you.
Check Skiset shop location and advance booking discounts currently available in La Grave >>>