This was the last day of good weather so I tried to make the most of it in terms of both skiing and pictures.
Xavier led us up Moutiere and Grand Fond and into Orelle. Orelle is high altitude, with skiing ranging from 7,700 - 10,500 feet, though south facing. Accordingly the early morning groomer in there was quite firm. But Xavier’s plan was a sequence of off piste runs.
We rode the Peyron and Bouchet lifts, then skied off the back onto the Glacier du Bouchet.
All the skiing up there was on chalky winter snow.
Next we rode the new Orelle Caron gondola to Cime Caron. We traversed off piste far skier’s right on the Orelle side.
We paused for a minute at these rocks. Xavier, Lucy and Philip there:
Xavier led us on stairstep traverses, linking ski fall lines with SE exposure for maximum morning sun.
The snow was not entirely smooth, but it was far less beat up than the Monday excursion from Pointe de La Masse, in particular fewer frozen irregularities to disrupt your skiing. The smoothest corn was on this final pitch in the background behind Mike.
This off piste route is called Combe Sans Nom according to Xavier. We now had an exit traverse, which you can see had some sketchy parts in the background here.
In the foreground is the 150 vertical bootpack we climbed in about 10 minutes.
Putting skis back on here:
Plan Bouchet comes into view here:
We took the Rosael chair, then Niverolle trail on the Val Thorens side so we could use the Thorens Funitel to drop back into Orelle. Here we skied a broad slope of smooth corn about 12:30.
Here we have a peek at the glacier run we skied first in center left background.
In big snow years there are skiable couloirs in the prominent face at right.
It did not escape my notice that the Lory piste run to Plan Bouchet had butter smooth corn. So when Xavier led the group back to Club Med after 1:15, I remained in Orelle. Not that many people get back there to chew up the groomers, so I skied all of those pistes in ideal corn snow, 13K vertical in less than 2 hours, before returning to Val Thorens via the Cime Caron gondola.
Once at the top of Cime Caron I noticed a group of Germans heading off piste, one of them here.
This is probably one of the routes to Lac du Lou.
There was an ice formation in view of the Bouchet chair.
At the top of Bouchet is a zipline over the glacier to Col de Thorens.
Notice that you carry your skis on your back so you have them to ski down from Col de Thorens.
After 3PM high clouds arrived as I skied down Combe de Caron.
I skied 4K vertical down to Les Menuires. View up from there:
The lift in center background is Plan de l’Eau, which we rode after the Lac de Lou run Friday.
I rode the Bruyeres gondola and skied to Club Med.
Val Thorens is ahead as directed by the large sign. Similar signs were to my left to Meribel and my right for Les Menuires.
I skied 31,500 vertical, best day in the Alps of this trip so far and a good case for best day of the season.
Xavier led us up Moutiere and Grand Fond and into Orelle. Orelle is high altitude, with skiing ranging from 7,700 - 10,500 feet, though south facing. Accordingly the early morning groomer in there was quite firm. But Xavier’s plan was a sequence of off piste runs.
We rode the Peyron and Bouchet lifts, then skied off the back onto the Glacier du Bouchet.
All the skiing up there was on chalky winter snow.
Next we rode the new Orelle Caron gondola to Cime Caron. We traversed off piste far skier’s right on the Orelle side.
We paused for a minute at these rocks. Xavier, Lucy and Philip there:
Xavier led us on stairstep traverses, linking ski fall lines with SE exposure for maximum morning sun.
The snow was not entirely smooth, but it was far less beat up than the Monday excursion from Pointe de La Masse, in particular fewer frozen irregularities to disrupt your skiing. The smoothest corn was on this final pitch in the background behind Mike.
This off piste route is called Combe Sans Nom according to Xavier. We now had an exit traverse, which you can see had some sketchy parts in the background here.
In the foreground is the 150 vertical bootpack we climbed in about 10 minutes.
Putting skis back on here:
Plan Bouchet comes into view here:
We took the Rosael chair, then Niverolle trail on the Val Thorens side so we could use the Thorens Funitel to drop back into Orelle. Here we skied a broad slope of smooth corn about 12:30.
Here we have a peek at the glacier run we skied first in center left background.
In big snow years there are skiable couloirs in the prominent face at right.
It did not escape my notice that the Lory piste run to Plan Bouchet had butter smooth corn. So when Xavier led the group back to Club Med after 1:15, I remained in Orelle. Not that many people get back there to chew up the groomers, so I skied all of those pistes in ideal corn snow, 13K vertical in less than 2 hours, before returning to Val Thorens via the Cime Caron gondola.
Once at the top of Cime Caron I noticed a group of Germans heading off piste, one of them here.
This is probably one of the routes to Lac du Lou.
There was an ice formation in view of the Bouchet chair.
At the top of Bouchet is a zipline over the glacier to Col de Thorens.
Notice that you carry your skis on your back so you have them to ski down from Col de Thorens.
After 3PM high clouds arrived as I skied down Combe de Caron.
I skied 4K vertical down to Les Menuires. View up from there:
The lift in center background is Plan de l’Eau, which we rode after the Lac de Lou run Friday.
I rode the Bruyeres gondola and skied to Club Med.
Val Thorens is ahead as directed by the large sign. Similar signs were to my left to Meribel and my right for Les Menuires.
I skied 31,500 vertical, best day in the Alps of this trip so far and a good case for best day of the season.
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