Cities of France: La Grav
Mountain village La Grav (La Grave, www.La-Grave.COM) Lies at the northern foot of a huge ice array of La Bar, crowning the same name (3988 m). A knitted road with a resort area of serr-chevalier (8-12 km east, to Briancon – 24 km) on the one hand and the Alp-d’Jeez zone – Le de-Alps (6-8 km) on the other, La Grav considered a recognized center of extreme riding.
The join zone of La Grra – La Meal can not boast an abundance of pleasure establishments, shops and luxurious hotels, but here there are everything for the mountains of experienced skiers – more than 110 square kilometers of glacial and snow fields with a height drop of about 2150 meters, large The number of complex areas of riding for fans of all styles and types of recreation, green wooded slopes at the bottom of the resort and colorful architecture of the La Count itself, as well as nearby villages of Villar-d’Aren (Villar-D’arene), Le Shayah (Le Chalet , Le Chazelet), Le Terrars (Les Terrasses), Lez-Yer (Les Hieres), Ventelon (Ventelon) and Le Freo (Les Freaux).
There are only 12 km of locked tracks (25% are suitable for beginners, 75% – for experienced skiers, the exact classification is difficult to give, since much depends on the specific conditions of the skiing period), but these modest figures should not be confused – La Grav is popular thanks to its Voloshrass skating for fans of which here is a real expathere. The slopes have a northern exposition, therefore are famous for good snow and extensive virgin areas, narrow gorges and ice fields, as well as abundance of the most complex descents with numerous sidewars, walls, discharges and ice areas with a large steepness. In addition, there are many interesting sites for mountaineering and snowboarding, and the variety of slopes allows you to choose the tracks where the collision with other skiers simply unlikely.
The slopes are serviced by 4 lifts, but only two cable cars can raise on the very top of the riding zone – the rest serve local lower routes. In 30 minutes, the La Meije Glaciers Telepherique Glaciers Telepherique Lifts the skiers to Ruyan’s pass (Col Des Ruillans, 3200 m), then Bougiel Teleskis Des Trifides, or Dome de lauze, takes out 3550 meters from where almost all major descents of the region start, and also famous chancel tracks (conditionally "Red") and vallon de la-between (conditionally "Red-black"). It is also possible to descend to the area of the Serchechal (according to the Lottery glacier and the gorge of the river of the same name, however – to get along the way will be much easier), as well as a fairly simple descent in the les-alps zone on the Mont de Lan glacier.
Since the landscape of the region is very complex, and special natural climatic conditions often lead to avalanche formation, it is recommended when riding the services of a guide conductor (avalanche sensors are required for riding in the area).
For lovers of the plain skis there are two tracks with a total length of 10 km. Due to the characteristics of the region here, there are not so many entertainment – three restaurants with good cuisine, several bars, with a dozen cafes and only one and a half or two thousand seats in sixteen hotels quite modest level (usually 2-3 stars). However, the sports features of the region clearly outweigh the possible inconvenience, if such can be considered predominantly homemade kitchen, silence and almost complete absence of fuss, so characteristic of the rest of the mountain resorts of Savoy.
The nearest airport is Grenoble (90 km), which can be reached by car on the highway N91 Grenoble – Briancon. Also enough access and by rail – in the same Grenoble, TGV Paris – Grenoble line walks on the same Grenoble, and the Briancon railway station is only 24 km from the resort.
Skiing season in La Grave lasts from December to April, but in the upper zone you can ride at the beginning of May.
