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Off piste route into the Maurienne valley from the south?
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Does anyone know of a route from the Mont Thabor/Valmeinier area, heading north, that comes out in the Maurienne valley, preferably somewhere near the Orelle lift? How we'd reach top of this 'run' is under discussion!


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 18-01-13 11:13; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Are you talking ski touring routes? Where were you hoping to start from? I don't know the answer but I've skied off piste in the area - around the Val Frejus resort (near Modane, approximately above the Frejus Tunnel) which was very good.
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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?

Hi snowball, we'd be coming up from the Serre Chevalier side, so yup, guess it would have to be a ski touring route from there. Another option (if it exists!) is to get ourselves to a resort (Valmeinier?) with a lift up and off piste route down to the valley. I'll look into your Val Frejus suggestion, thanks.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

Val Frejus is nearly at Modane - actually you could easily ski down to Modane from it - so probably not much help. It is quite a way from Serre Chevalier to Orelle (presumably via Montgenevre - a really nice resort, which would take you as far as Mont Chaberton by lifts: and from the lifts the valleys head off North). The way by road would be via Mopntgenevre, Oulx and the Frejus tunnel but I don't know anything about off piste routes near there. Do you have the 1:25,000 Cartes de Randonnée maps (Cartes IGN)? They have touring routes on them. You might be able to work something out. I've got 3536 OT(Serre Chevallier/Montgenevre), and 3534 OT(Val Thorens/Modane - which you would just creep onto the edge of) but not the 3536 OT one in between, with Mont Thabor in the middle.

However you could also consider going via Italy: from Montgenevre you can ski almost to to Oulx in Italy on piste (Italian map "Carta dei Sentieri e dei Rifugi No. 105) and north west of there, beside the Italian entry to the Frejus tunnel (just to its West), is the Bardonecchia ski area. However I don't have the map North of Oulx ( which would be 104). Italian 1:25,000 maps, by the way, are not nearly as good as the French ones - the contours are at 25m intervals rather than the French 10m intervals.

Sorry, none of this is from personal touring experience.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks for the pointers snowball, love maps so going to have fun researching and planning!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.

Looking at linking Montgenevre, Bardonechia and Val Frejus ski areas, it looks not such a big labour as I thought. Perhaps doable, if there aren't any huge cliffs or unbridged rivers in the way.
By the way, the old, fortified upper city of Briancon is worth visiting on the way from Serre Chevallier to Montgenevre (and it is itself ringed with other forts, some huge). There is a good off-piste run I've done that goes more than half way down to Briancon (from Montgenevre to La Vachette) and Briancon lower town is directly in contact with one end of the Serre Chevalier skiing. So perhaps it could all be done on skis if you really want to.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

would have thought you could get up there from the Nevache valley then down to Val Frejus. See this TR where they access Thabor from Van Frejus

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2027079&highlight=thabor#2027079

a more roundabout alternative would be to ride the lifts/ski from Briancon up to Monetier. Taxi or tour over to La Grave. Ski La Grave and down through the Les 2 Alpes system to Mont de Lans (or do the off piste run to Cuculet.) Taxi to Auris en Oisans. Lifts up to Pic Blanc. Tour over the Pic Bayle and ski the Glacier de St Sorlin down to St Sorlin d'Arves. Taxi to Orelle
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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!

OK, now with altis you have someone who knows first hand. Why not PM him. (Good one Arno)
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