STE-FOY-TARENTAISE: Part 2 - Off Piste

Ste-Foy may be a small resort in terms of piste skiing, but it is clearly in the Premier League for off-piste.  There is skiing from 3000m (if you're willing to take a hike from the top lift) down to about 1200m.   (For more on the debate on extending Ste-Foy's ski area click here.)

Ste-Foy offers off-piste slopes for all abilities (easier on the south side; more challenging on the northern flank).  Along withe La Rosiere, it also makes a bit of a thing about heli-skiing.  This is banned in France, but they "cheat a little" by dropping skiers off over the Italian border for their descent back.

In honour of these possibilities, the local ESF has set up a special "pole hors-piste".  

Some links:

1.   The White Room Chalet guide, which covers the special off-piste areas which are secured from avalanches by the pisteurs, but otherwise left to nature.

2.  Premier Neige also gives a pen picture of the various runs.  

3.  And here's the guide from pistehors.com

Meanwhile, here are some shots of the run to Le Monal:

The start: Col de l'Aiguille

Looking down on Le Monal, with
Tignes in the distance

Le Monal: many of the chalets
are being renovated.
Deserted in winter

Le Rocher de Pierre d'Arbine

Looking back from the track to Ste-Foy

To see some real skiers take the route, have a look at the video below.  It's from the Quebecois Plaisir de Skier series, with our presenter taken round the local slopes by local monitrice Marian Bréchu.  In addition to the run to Le Monal, they take to the north face and ski down for a meal at Le Miroir, just above the road to Bourg St Maurice.

The White Room Chalet

STE-FOY-TARENTAISE: Part 1 - Le Vallon du Clou

The debate has been going on for some time.

Should the tiny resort of Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise be allowed to expand its ski area into the beautiful and islolated Vallon du Clou?

This week, we appear to have closure.

There's a full report in Le Dauphiné on the decision to give the valley protected status.  Here is a belt-and-braces translation:

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Ste-Foy will not be extending its ski area into the vallon du Clou.  The site, at c2000m, has just been given protected status - in its entireity - by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.  The two new lifts which the ski resort wanted to install in the north of the valley will therefore not be happening.

                                 

With this addition to the list of Savoie's "sites classées", the Ministry is looking to protect "the quality and riches of this savoyard countryside".  "It's a remarkable location, which still features traditional pastural activities....with amazing scenery all around: lakes, glaciers, the high mountains".

Further down, at entry of the valley is the famous hamlet of Le Monal, which was given protected status in 1987 (and is a mecca for off-piste excursions by the way).

Off-piste above Le Monal.  The entrance to
 the valley is on the left

For the mayor of Ste-Foy-Tarentise, if this decision "isn't a surprise", it's still bad news:

"We were only looking at the highest part of the valley", says Raymond Bimet.  Just 150 hectares out of the 2,692 which make up the site.  For us, this is not incompatible with the site having protected status, because it would only have had minimal impact on the eye. In addition, we were ging to build an "entry point" to the site which would show visitors the differeent features, flora and fauna of the site".

That's not enough, say the environmental associations (Vivre en Tarentaise, Frapna, Mountain Wilderness, Club Alpin Francais...) who have been battling for several years for the site to be protected from development.  "When you classify a site, you are talking about a complete geographical area" says André Collas, of Frapna Savoie.  "It's as if you wanted to protect a church but you are only taking into account the majority of the building.  It just doesn't make sense" argues Vincent Neirinck, of Mountain Wilderness.

In the future, walkers wil therefore be able to enjoy the whole of this high valley without seeing ski lifts in front of them or on the horizon.  But Ste-Foy's town hall hasn't given up quite yet - they are planning an appeal against the decision to classify the whole of the valley as protected.

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OFF THE PISTE: The Red Bull "Linecatcher"

   Updated 19 January 2012

Here's what happened:

And there's another video via Atomic Skis here.

Updated 12 January 2012

January sees a serious off-piste/backcountry ski competition come to Les Arcs. "The best free-skiers" in the word on the Fond Blanc slopes", proclaims the Dauphiné.

The "stade" is off-piste - at the Cirque du Fond Blanc, on the Arc 2000 side of the mountain.  You get there by climbing the improvised steps from the top of the Clocheret lift.  But this is not particularly encouraged; pictures will be beamed back to Place Miravidi in Arc 1800, for example.

Previous "host resorts" have included Vars and La Clusaz.

The official opening is today, with the competition proper starting on Monday.

Armchair off-piste skiers like me enjoy looking at the various options in Didier Givois' Les Clés du Paradiski, available in resort.

Le Dauphiné's preview also covered a "bluffer's guide" to the various words used in "freeski" circles, given that they all have English origins:

Rider: a name given to both skiers and snowboarders.  Only skiers are participating in the Linecatcher.

Le Freeride: The practice of ski or snowboard on a virgin (off-piste) slope.

Le Freestyle: Also for skiers and snowboarders - involves acrobatic displays of various types.  Style counts for everything.

Le Backcountry: A hybrid of freeride and freestyle, taking place on virgin slopers.  This is the discipline of the Red Bull Linecatcher.

Glad we've got that sorted!