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Tour de Comberousse Trip
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

The Tour de Comberousse takes in three different valleys in the North Belledonne mountain range. It is long, 2100 meters of climbing (or descent, depending how you view things) but not espeically difficult being rated 3.1 by the www.volopress.fr guidebook. It looks like a good plan yesterday before a Mediteranean weather front sweeps up from the South bringing unstable weather.

Leaving the car at 1100m at 7.30am there was a stiff 700m climb to reach the snowline from the valley. After that the slopes lead to the Col de la Porte d'Eglise, possibly the most technical part of the trip. I chose to scramble up the rocks on the left - they had quite a bit of verglas which made it trickier than it looks - I should maybe have taken my crampons out and climbed up the slope but it ends up around 40 degrees and the north winds had formed a small corniche I would have to break.



Col de la Porte d'Eglise

Instead I existed on a higher col (2540m) and then skied down the north-east slopes which were just softening under the sun at 10am. The fresh snow (about 5cm here) didn't stick too well to the frozen base.



At around 2100m I refixed skins and climbed the fairly gentle slopes of the Glacier du Gleyzin. I'd last been this way 10 years ago in the company of a very pleasant 18 year old French girl called Sylvie.


Glacier du Gleyzin

The glacier exits on the Col de Comberousse, there was some avy activity on east slopes but just surface slides. The fresh snow deepened to around 10cm on the climb. No one had been this way for some time.

From the Comberousse it is possible to climb directly to the Col de la Valloire without removing skins or descending. It is an east slope so pretty warm by midday and you can see that some other ski tourers have caused a small avalanche crossing from the Puy du Selle Gris. Not particuarly worrying but not a good idea to hang around too long on slopes like this. The crossing is not exposed but I fitted my ski crampons as I expected that the snow was quite hard beneath the fresh, a good move.


Selle du Puy Gris and the Col de la Valloire right

And the reward? about 1000 meters of skiing down the superb Grande Valloire valley in superb conditions.



You can't do much better than that. Here I was following some other ski tracks.



At the lac de la Folle (lake of the mad woman - there must be a story there) I checked the beautiful col d'Arguille only to see 4 skiers engaged on the south-west facing slopes. It was still quite cool but 1pm seemed to late to be doing this climb. They must have been making a tour from St Columban and the east facing slopes of the Combe du Tepey could present some danger.



Topo Guide:
http://www.bivouak.net/topos/course.php?id_course=245&id_sport=1
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

It looks to have been the most beautiful day Going green. davidof, What is the time difference for the ascent and descent?


Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 12-05-05 14:12; edited 1 time in total
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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?

davidof, What beautiful pictures! Could you package this whole mountain up and send it back to Blighty so that I could look at it through the window when I'm bored at work. Madeye-Smiley
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davidof, beautiful pictures...and they don't give me vertigo! snowHead
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

davidof, that looks absolutely wonderful. But I'd much rather be at work Sad
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You'll need to Register first of course.

Frosty the Snowman wrote:
What is the time difference for the ascent and descent?


7.30 left car at 1100m
8.30 reached refuge de la petite valloire 1750 meters
9.00 snowline approx 1900 m
10.15 col de la porte d'Eglise (2540 m)
11.00 bottom of glacier de Gleyzin 2175 m
12.15 col de la Valloire 2751 m
13.15 snowline at bottom of Grande Valloire 1700 m
14.15 village of Grand Thiervoz 1000 m
14.30 back at car 1100 m

Apart from the last 200 meters which was on nevé type snow it was all fresh snow.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

davidof, So of a total of 7hrs that sounds like about 1h45 downhill - 25%. Not bad (std rule of thumb I understand is about 20% down to 80% up). That's pretty good going uphill - raise a bit of a sweat did it? V.envious am I - stuck in this virtually windowless office.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!

GrahamN wrote:
davidof, So of a total of 7hrs that sounds like about 1h45 downhill - 25%. Not bad (std rule of thumb I understand is about 20% down to 80% up). That's pretty good going uphill - raise a bit of a sweat did it? V.envious am I - stuck in this virtually windowless office.


Yes the timing was about what the guidebook suggested. Apart from maybe the distance vs need to move fairly quickly it is the kind of trip many of the advanced intermediate snowheads would enjoy.

BTW: I have worked in far too many windowless offices in the last 20 years.
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