 Poster: A snowHead
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As someone who’s spent years working in the around the Alpes and in Serre Chevalier I’m all too familiar with Grenoble Airport and the difficulties getting from the airport to resort can bring. A mixture of little available information from French websites, crowds, flight delays and changeable weather mean the potential for problems is endless. After spending far too many hours searching for reliable information I thought I’d try to collect what I’ve learnt the hard way in one place.
Grenoble to Serre Chevalier and Grenoble to Briancon
Travelling either of these routes means traversing the Col du Lautaret. The Col isn’t to be taken lightly – with a high point of 2508 metres this is one of the highest altitude sections of paved road in Europe. Obviously travelling on a road which is as high as some of the pistes you’re heading to ski means the weather is a serious factor.
Driving
If you are considering driving from Grenoble to Serre Chevalier in either your own vehicle or a rental car then having snow tyres all round or good chains and 4-wheel drive is vital. For the much of the ski season travel without these provisions is not allowed, and the police often enforce this with checks on either side of the pass. You can check the conditions on the road on this website http://www.inforoute05.fr/wir3/circulation.html but be warned, when the French authorities refer to ‘Circulation difficile’ the conditions on the road would be reason for closure in most other countries. It is assumed by the authorities that anyone driving this road is familiar with mountain conditions. The Col regularly stays open with 20cms plus of solid compacted snow on the road. It is worth considering also that on the Grenoble side of the pass right until the real climb starts you are driving in the Isere Department and then cross into the Haute Alpes Department – this means the responsibility for clearing the roads is passed on and road conditions in the Hautes Alpes can be vastly different from those in Isere. Don’t assume because the roads have been well cleared up to this point that they will continue to be. Another consideration is the wind – even if it’s been sometime since the last snowfall a strong wind can make the visibility as poor as in a blizzard.
By Bus or Coach
Travel from Grenoble to Serre Chevalier by bus is not a simple procedure. You must first get the airport shuttle bus to Gare Routiere in Grenoble from the airport. The only company running any regular service is Lignes Express Regionales – LER 35. You can find their timetable here- http://www.vfd.fr/horaires/ler-35/ler35-18-12-2010-au-24-04-2011 From personal experience this service is not the most reliable, on more than one occasion I’ve been left attempting to hitchhike in the snow when services simply haven’t arrived. There is no source of information when cancellations occur except calling the information line (not cheap on a roaming UK phone) as LER do not have staff at ticket offices at either end. Bookings must be made in advance. And at EUR 35 each way it’s not great value either.
All in all, Grenoble to Briancon travel is never simple, so these days my recommendation to friends and family is simple book a transfer in advance with a company that has properly equipped vehicles and experienced drivers. Getting a door to door service, particularly when you’ve got heavy snow equipment in tow or children already tired from travel, is well worth it. From past experience I’m happy to recommend Alpine Transfer Company - www.alpine-transfer-company.com. ATC also offer ski transfers to Les Deux Alpes and Alp d’Huez .
Steve Honey
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Gosh, and there's me zipping backwards and forwards over the Lautaret without giving it a second though.
You exaggerate a tad.
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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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Lizzard, as do we, although they did close it just after we zipped back over towards Grenoble on Jan 5th. It wasn't easy trying to get back from Grenoble hospital without a car though when hubby was in. Insurers organised me a taxi in the end,with a very good driver, but I thought for a while I was at the mercy of the bus service, and I had already been told the weather was bad on the Lauteret.
Steve82, no relation to anyone working for ATC are you?
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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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No relation as such but I do deal with them pretty regularly and have got to know them. But have always been excellent hence the recommendation - please feel free to mention any others that provide a similar service you may have dealt with in the interest of fairness?
And granted, when the road's in good condition it's nothing to worry about. But I ended up hitching from Mont de Lans back to Briancon on New Years Day (which was some exceptionally heavy weather) and did it in 4wd Kangoo with snow tyres and it was pretty sketchy to say the least. I'm not claiming it's like this on a daily basis just at it's worst.
I think spending a lot of time in the Alps you quickly get comfortable with alpine driving conditions. This was intended more to give fair warning to someone coming on holiday from the UK and considering hiring a car, bear in mind most people I know in the UK won't drive in 2cms of slush let alone the Col on a bad day. All things are relative. This is just referencing what clients I've had in the past have relayed to me about their experiences driving over.
I think it's fair to say when you consider the costs involved with hiring, the completely useless bus service (glad you agree there anyway!) and the POTENTIAL for bad driving conditions that arranging a transfer is certainly worth considering?
Welcome the comments though and of course this is just my opinion, not a definitive article.
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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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Steve82, Welcome to 
It's probably considered poor form to make such an obvious recommendation on your first post - sounds a lot like spam..
Still hang around for a while and given you spend a lot of time in the alps please feel free to contribute to the snow reports section or anything else you can add too (e.g. snow chains threads as nauseum) and we'll forgive you...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No drama, this was posted on another forum where I am more regular, just figured seeing as I'd taken a bit of time writing something a bit more in depth I'd put it up elsewhere, all good.
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> Gosh, and there's me zipping backwards and forwards over the Lautaret without giving it a second though.
frankly I'm shocked, like an idiot I've been driving around the alps for the last 20 years in a 2wd car and never put chains on, what a fool I've been, I guess I've just been totally oblivious to the risks I've been running. I'm going straight down to the VW garage tomorrow to order a Audi Q7.
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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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If we're driving from Grenoble airport to Valloire, the Michelin route planner route doesn't take us over this col - but are there any other potentially 'iffy' roads the way we'll be going:
Airport - Grenoble - A41 - A43 - 'Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne' - D902 - Valloire?
Many thanks,
Joe 
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TangoFiver, no really high roads until you start to climb up to Valloire. It is autoroute for the majority of your journey.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks hellsbells! 
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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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There is no need for you to pass the Lautaret, tango5er, from Grenoble to Valloire. As you mentioned, head towards Chambery, hop on the motorway and exit at St Mich', then up the road to Valloire. The only col you will pass is the Telegraphe just before falling onto Valloire. If you go through any pass before that, you are definitely not in the right direction !!!
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Yeah I think thats the route the michelin site suggested, was just unsure of any other cols etc I might have to go over!
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FAQ
