The devil’s own backcountry - Splitboarding in Val Thorens, Europe’s highest ski resort

Val Thorens, just above the cloud, under the Aiguille de Peclet (centre), as seen from the viewing platform at the top of the Pointe de la Masse lift.

 

Crikey, it’s nipppy! Something close to -20C we reckon, skinning up toward the Col de Thorens, after being deposited at the top of Val Thoren’s Moraine lift. We pass a skeletal finger of the Glaciere de Chaviere, straining pretty feebly, these days, down over the col and towards the town. Our guide, Stephane Spettel, of the ESF, tells us that 20 years ago the ice was 25 meters thick here, where rocks now poke through, with most of that retreat happening in just the last 5 years.

We shake our heads, and keep heading up. We are in the shade and can’t stop for too long in this cold. I’m already trying to take more steps - faster but shorter - to try to warm up my extremities.

Lurking just over our right shoulders is Pointe de Thorens (3262m), and Stephane tells us that “Thorens” is the old local dialect for “the devil”. Handy for keeping the children in the valley in line - parents, pointing up to it’s black mass, could tell them “If you don’t do your schoolwork, you-know-who will get you.”. We could do with a bit of hells’ warmth just now, without the accompanying downsides of course - but maybe old Thorens picks his tools and today is dealing in sub-zero temperatures. This area can be a beast when the weather gets serious – it’s all above the tree-line, the highest ski resort in Europe, but today we are lucky – cold yes, but no wind, and blue sky.

We hope we are going to be a lot luckier than the fella we are told bequeathed his moniker to the next col on our route today: One school of thought (no-one knows for sure, apparently) says that Col Pierre Lory is named for an old-time local priest who had to regularly cross these mountains on foot, to minister to his flock around the massif, one rough crossing too many though was the death of him..

Right now, we’re in the sunshine on the Col de Thorens, and astonishingly it’s now boiling up here! There used to be a lift right up to this spot, but it’s since been removed because the shrinking glacier, and warming temps made it too dangerous to keep it running.

 
 
 

The view from the north (Glaciere de Chaviere, right) around to the south-west (towards the Haute Mauienne Vallley, centre-left), with the Col de Pierre Lory the snowy face in half-sun further right.

 
 
 

Pointe de Thorens might have got naming rights, but this col joins us to the shoulder of Aiguille de Peclet, which being another 300m higher is the one that really feels like it looms over the resort below. It has some serious couloirs facing the town, classic descents.  Turning clockwise, the backside of Peclet, abuts the remaining bulk of the Glaciere de Chaviere, tourers skinning up it, likely heading for one of those couloirs. Then a sweeping view takes in the Haut Maurienne valley to the south, which you can actually get to by lift connections - or by touring - from Val Thorens to the Maurienne town of Orelle - an amazing link that saves a ton of driving around the Vanoise national park otherwise, and gets you to Modane, on the main train line to Turin and Italy, or back into the French interior.

An easy ski and skin up gets us to Col de Pierre Lory. Looking out over our planned descent, it initially looks as wild a view as behind us over the Maurienne;  a wide SW facing bowl, over a bit of the Glacier du Bouchet which clings to it’s upper section. But then we see a dark speck shooting right across the valley – a cable… and some rocketing specks under it. It’s actually a zipwire which can take you and your skiis at up to 100kph across the valley back into main main cirque around the resort, in a little under 2 mins. In January, in this cold. Brave souls!

On foot we navigate a rock band, then drop into the bowl, only skin tracks up it, no tracks down, despite the last snow being 10 days ago. A constant deep-freeze has kept that snow in great condition too, even if the base could be a bit deeper. The ride down is a blast, eventually funneling us into more heavily tracked routes coming from the Bouchet and Tyrolienne lifts, but there’s still pow between the tracks, and some exhilirating turns.

 
 
 
 
 
 

It's over too quick, back on a piste and on a chair to take us back up high. A taster of what’s to come: Val Thorens, or “VT”, is well set up for ski-lift assisted touring and free-ride, the layout of it’s lifts and terrain, and that it’s partner resort Les Menuires, lower down the same valley, let you connect a series of skin-ups and descents to give you a tour of the cirque that surrounds Val Thorens and Les Menuires, and even into the other Les 3 Vallées resorts.

We have a late lunch at La Moutiere. This beautiful timber chalet has a huge wooden terrace, which we ignore entirely in this cold and head into the open-fire-warmed interior. My vege-burger is super tasty, the hot chocolate with chantilly comforting, the panaché revives me - and we are off again. Little did I know that was the only sustenance to get me through the afternoon.. and evening!

A long ski down the pistes to Les Menuires and we pick up it’s Pointe de la Masse lift. Les Menuires was the original ski town at the head of the Belleville valley. There was resistance there to, and simple disbelief about, the idea of building another resort - Val Thorens - even higher up. “On the moon!” they said. Some very passionate local characters made it happen anyway, opening in 1971, but even 10 years later a government minister was heard on national radio calling for fighter jets to demolish the resort. Val Thorens persists and thrives though, now being one of the most snow-sure resorts in France, with several lifts up to 3000m, and it’s Cime de Caron lift to 3200m.

From the top of Pointe de la Masse (2804m) we get epic views in all directions: back to Val Thorens, with Aiguille de Peclet towering above it, while a sea of clouds pushing up the valley laps at it’s lower streets; into the Maurienne valley; to the jagged La Meiji, above La Grave; even to Meribel, which along with Courchevel and Val Thorens makes up the enormous linked Three Valleys ski area; and I’m mesmerized by the view of Mont Blanc, showing us it’s Italian side. I could stay here for hours, taking in these magnificent vistas.

But it’s getting late, and Stephane wants us moving. Our destination is the Trait d’union refuge, almost 10km away, above Saint-Martin-de-Belleville – a decent skin, then a long run down the Belleville valley to the village of Saint-Marcel, and finally a 300m vert skin up. We’d better get cracking, but we keep getting distracted by the views…

 

The village of Saint-Marcel is under the cloud-layer, around the valley to the right - still a ways to go!

 
 
 

By the time we start the main descent, the sky is fading to pink and it’s getting too dark for my goggles (I forgot my spare low-light lenses, not the only thing I’ll find out I’ve forgotten). As we ride fabulous deep snow, relatively untracked, and in-between wiping streams of tears from my eyes, I see Mont blanc still majesterially piercing that cloud desk. The last section before the village is a bit like a boarder-cross course and legs of jelly lead to a collision between two of us, snapping a ski pole: we’ll need to sort that for tomorrow.

The Italian side of Mt Blanc is a gorgeous backdrop to our evening descent to Saint-Marcel.

It’s pretty much fully dark as we walk the alleyways of Saint-Marcel, cross the main valley road and put skins on and head-torches too, except me, the other thing I find I forgot. But the others have theirs, so up we go, sucking up fatigue, hitting the trail and then a piste, clouds of vapour hanging in the still air from our deep-drawn breaths.

An hour later, we spy the Trait d’union chalet just down and off the piste – golden light pouring from the windows warming us even before stepping inside. Viviane Hudry, who has created this wonderful refuge, greets us all and with professional-level chivvying gets us all get sorted out and relaxed around the wood-burner in this log-cabins’ dining room. It’s now about 7.30pm and we’ve been moving for about 10 hours. Beer? Yes, please.

This chalet has a moving origin-story. Once a ruined shepherds hut, it was rebuilt and saw many cherished years of use by Viviane’s family and friends. After her husband, Jean-Luc, died, it was unused for a time but eventually Viviane decided to retire from her day job and open it to the public to provide a continuing link between her and Jean-Luc, and also between the chalet’s “first life” (with the family) and it’s current “second life” (for the enjoyment of visitors) – hence ‘trait’ (to draw a line) and ‘union’ (to join).

An energy-restoring and sleep-guaranteeing fondue with local red wine hits the spot, and indeed knocks us out. The beds are soft and welcoming though, and there are showers as well, so by morning we are restored and raring to go.

 

“Refuge”, yes, but the Trait d’Union comes with hot-tub and sauna!

 
 

One great thing about this lift-assisted touring is that we are never that far from a ski repair shop! After hiking from the Trait d’Union refuge to the top of the Saint-Martin Express, and then a biting-cold 5km of blues and greens down, under brutal blue-sky cold again, new poles are found in a ski shop in Les Menuires. As it happens, later today we will return again, for yet another replacement part: a broken board binding ankle strap - not going anywhere without one of those! - but a willing technician will fashion a serviceable replacement out of spares.    

We tackle two runs from the top of the Pointe de la Masse lift. First, the Vallee des Encombres - very easily accessed from the pistes but having no mobile reception, we are warned that if we come back, radios would be a good idea, just in case. It’s a widening valley with a host of lines in it, but we only descend about a third of the way down, skin up a few hundred vertical metres to La Gratte (2638) and drop into the Belleville valley again. Complex terrain shows us the first avalanche activity we’ve seen evidence of – a collapsed cornice that has left hundreds of meters of debris, some chunks still the size of washing machines. Staying well clear of that, there  are sections of wonderful snow in this playful terrain.

 
 
 

Stomachs are growling again and we pile into Le Setor restaurant and wolf down some lunch, if you can still call it lunch at 3pm.

Our target for the evening is the Lac du Lou refuge, and to get there it’s back up the Pointe de las Masse lift, turn left at the giant wooden Ibex beside the piste, and ride / bootpack along the ridge past Pointe du Collet Blanc before dropping down into the mid-section of the vallee Etroite with Lac du Lou below us. Man, this terrain is amazing - the snow is in great condition and there are loads of features to slash up against or drop off.

We keep a bit of height and slide up to the front door of Refuge du Lac du Lou, an attractive stone building overlooking the mainly frozen lake - the unfrozen bits being some holes kept open divers to drop through. I had thought ice-diving wouldn’t, er, float my boat, but after chatting with a dive guide and being shown the incredible colours of the ice from beneath, well, maybe one day. The refuge is a very modern and comfortable dorm interior. Showers, yes! (ok, timed, but long enough). We spend the evening in the bar/dining area being entertained by the antics of Alaska the dog, and Billy the cat, who is clearly the boss here. 

 
 
 

Morning brings sunshine again - and yet again we get to soak up those views from the top of what seems be a major jumping-off point for runs, the top of the Pointe de la Masse lift. Back again onto that ridge above Lac du Lou, this time going further south along it, to the Pic de la Grande Combe where we each get to take a different coulouir down. We could keep coming back to this ridge all day, and all day tomorrow, pushing further up this side of the Vallee Etroite - just a tiny fraction of the resort’s area.

 
 
 
 

After lunch back at the Lac du Lou refuge, it’s back to Val Thorens proper and up the Cime de Caron lift up to 3195m - it’s top-station all exposed workings showing the moving ballast weights and other compensating gizmos - it looks fragile, hard to imagine it coping with the sort of weather that can be thrown at it here sometimes.

From the piste, we drop off left to the Col de Lauzin and start a sweaty boot pack along the ski patroller line of the ridge - steep on both sides, with impressive cornices growing towards Val Thorens that give as wide a berth as we can. At the Gazex hut and we drop in, there are some tracks from here already - I did say it’s been 10 days since the last snow - but even so there’s a decent sized section of slope we can reach that is all ours. Magical.

 
 

Our sweat-soaked gear is crisping-up again in the intense cold that is descending, again late in the day. The door to the Fahrenheit 7 hotel, our lodging for the night, is right off the piste. It’s hip interior is also crucially warm, inviting and relaxed. Well-appointed too - even the boot-room has it’s own bar. Not a bad spot to be contemplating, and dealing with, my mulled-wine, as the last of the sun streams in the terrace windows, getting us back up to operating temperature as we re-live the fantastic free-ride terrain that Val Thorens has to offer – winner of the World Ski Award’s “World’s best ski resort” 7 times, eh? I’m getting an inkling of why.

I, for one, will be back - after all, better the devil you know, right?

How DO I?

Get there…

  • By Train - from the UK to Moutiers (full name: “Moûtiers - Salins - Brides-les-Bains”) - i.e. Eurostar and change in Paris, or via the ‘ski train’ with Travelski Express, direct overnight but only as a package with accomodation, transfers & 7-day lift pass (prices for April 2023 from £602)

  • By Plane - Val Thorens is about 2 hours drive from 4 international airports: Saint-Exupéry; Chambéry; Geneva or Grenoble

Find out About Val Thorens…

Find a bed…

 

Words - Andy B

Photos - Andy B, Credit to Jonny for the Lac du lou menagerie

 
Dispatches, FranceAndrew BealeSnowboarding, splitboarding, splitboard, high-altitude, freeride, france, three valleys, les 3 vallees1 Comment