 Poster: A snowHead
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Going in January with a group of twelve of mixed ability. Should be a mad time, was wondering if anyone had any hints and tips about off piste and also some good runs and places to eat. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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La Balme Rocks my world!
I wana live there or Les Gets, actually here is not bad, oh and then there is Les Arcs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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La Balme is cool. If there's been some snow coming down, it's close to heaven. It's so accessible and easy to get that, well, it is actually off piste serviced by lifts.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Me and my brother going there the las weekend of January, and we've the same question!!!!...... where?? jeje. Both have good level (for example, we can do most of schindlerspitze couloirs, or the Valluga downhill in St Anton), and stay 3 days (26-29th) looking for good freeride. We look for an offpiste serviced by lifts, or with small hiking (20-30minuts).
I found some good things on the net, but nothing explicit, in all sites says, ohh La Balme rocks!!! So, I understand (we never been there) that La Balme and Torchière are a big "free" bowls...... I found other route that starts at the Top of La Balme, do a traverse, and finish near the Lac des Confins (Combe de Bellacahat I think)... In other sites speaks about the trees down the l'Étale cable car (next to the balck ever "unpisted")......or the forest in Beauregard.........
We will stay at u'fredy at two steps of l'Étale, so after a night storm, can be a good start  
More spots to try??? Are there places to avoid (for frequent avalanche danger or normally froxen..or similar)???
Thanks...... In compensation we promise a photo report......
Example of our promise..... (St Anton - January 2005) 
The complet gallery (Sorry, but text is in Catalan....)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Talk to ESF and go out with Fabien Pollet-Villard. He's knows the mountains like his own pockets having grown up by the lifts and trekked the whole area also in the summer so he knows what's under the snow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the replies will have to explore some more and AlTom, the photos are great, look forward to the next set.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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My 2003 Good Ski Guide says La Clousaz is good value, friendly and very French with a charming village and a good place to get away from crowds of Brits. The areas are linked by a good bus system. Its main drawback is that it is very low for Haute Savoie (1,100 - 2,600m) and it says the pistes are of limited appeal to advanced skiers. However it says nothing about the off-piste (it's only a round-up entry)and in this sort of resort where usually not many people ski off piste it might be rather good (if you can find where to go).
Apres Ski bars: Le Pressoir (especially snowboarders), Lion d'Ore (lots of resort workers - advice on off piste?), Les Cave du Paccaly and Le Grenier. L'Ecluse is best Disco (glass dance floor over the river, Club 18 live bands attracting locals and slightly older people. But all rather quiet during the week - lively at weekends.
Best food Le Foly (very expensive) , and Symphonie in Hotel Beauregard (expensive). Chalets de la Serraz and L'Alpage de Tante - both a bit far off, L'Arbe (local specialities) and La Scierie (very trendy).
All this is just from my GSG.
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dt
dt
Guest
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As demos said the ESF are pretty good when it comes to guiding in La Clusaz. I skied with Raymond Thovex a couple of times and he seemed to know where to go. The best descent he showed us was off the back of L'Aiguille. When you reach the top of the L'Aiguille chair take off your skis and climb up the 20 odd metres above the lift, right to the top of the hill. When I skiied it there was a cornice forming from windslab up there, so probably best to attempt only with a guide, but nothing to serious if you know what nick the local snow is in. Once you go off the back there is a substantial descent down into the Combe de Fernuy which stays in the shade. As a result the snow remains in beautiful condition for ages, and few people know about it, so it provides some cracking skiing. As everyone else has pointed out Balme also produces some great options, but the best skiing on that side is to be had in the Combe de Bellachat next door. If you hike round the side of the Balme, away from the Aiguille, and following the tracks you end up in another Balme-esque valley, but this time one devoid of lifts or pistes. You are then free to ski down to Lac des Confins, about 900m below, from where you can get the bus to La Balme and go back and do it all over again. There is another massive open and unpisted valley which is easily accessible, right next to the top of the Aiguille chair. Keep your skis on, skate up to the fence at the edge of the area and duck the rope. You have to ski along a small path across a rocky face, but its nothing nasty, and then you are gifted with another huge and deserted valley to play in. Again, if you dont know you way around a guide would be useful for the first couple of times as you have to make sure you leave at the right point to avoid being caught in a snowless forest miles from a lift. That said, Borderan is skied an awful lot so you could just sit 100m behind someone else and follow them. I also like the trees below Combe de Voret that lead down to the green nursery slope that in turn leads back to La Clusaz. At the top of the Fernuy red, before it cuts off and drops down the Combe de Fernuy, drop off the piste and down towards the trees where there is some pretty nice tight and twisty powder in amongst the trees. The above are by no means exhaustive, and I would definitely recomend a guide, especially as certain parts of the area can be a bit avalanche prone (as with most decent off piste) and it makes sense to get to know where the risks lie. Plus, the ESF are pretty reasonable in La Clusaz, so it wont break the bank.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Loads of great data, thanks. Any thoughts on whether an ESF guide would take a combination of skiers and boarders in a party?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Thanks!!!
Maybe too many things to do in 3 days..... we will see...
I found all the places and routes that you mention with the help of the ski map and some photos (of course, before ski it, we will check the conditions with "pisters" and look at the places from lifts or marked pistes...), excepte the first route posted by PropagandaSnowboards....sorry 
dt, there is a green run (motte) that crosses sometimes the low part of Combe de Voret, is the forest "descently" spaciated to ski at all?, or it's better to take the green. I understand for your description that we can ski until the last crossing.
In fact, all the routes that you describes I can imagine it with skimap and photos, the first time that I saw it I thinked: OHH!!! Nice place......but the "locals" help always is important. In the Pyrenees (most in the spanish side), unfortunately the runs are "closed", we have more runs in much less terrain and much less vertical, that it translates in less "wild" terrain...
For the Beauregard forest which side of black slope is skiable? The side down the green run (Envers), the side down blue run (Guy Perillat) or both??. And I suppose that from the top of L'Etale there are some descent couloirs down....
All places looks with easy acces, so it means that La Balme, Fernuy and Borderan after a snowfall are all traced in a morning.....
SO, All sectors have some places to discover........I hope for powder days.... Maybe this program can be a good choice: weekend aventure
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Steve Sparks, I think they might, if particularly they do both themselves (like Fabien, for example). Best is to call and ask.
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You know it makes sense.
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dt, Hmm, you're getting me interested....
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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These are the gems of information that make me salivate. Now i am thinking maybe i should fit a few days la clousaz this coming season. Thanks dt.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have just edited the ski map a bit. Some of the place mentioned earlier are here with red paint. The pics I had above are from Torchere - the actual Balme chair was still closed as there was too much snow those days... While Borderan is skied a lot, stick to the left side of the lifts, not right, if possible and continue straight down from the drag lifts to the little bowl which is emptly and outside the pistes. Then just follow traces in the forest. Easy.
Also, skiing down from Etale under the lift is good fun, but beware, later it becomes rocky and there are nasty drops where you do not want to enter...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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demos, looks brill. Can't wait to get there in January 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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FAQ
- you come out just down by the car park.
