What you get in this adventure: An experienced, UIAGM High Mountain Guide with extensive knowledge of the area Five days of backcountry ski touring Avalanche safety kit if necessary (transceiver, shovel, probe and harness) What’s not included: Technical backcountry ski touring equipment Transportation of the participants and guide on the days that you leave La Grave, transportation to La Grave and all the trips during the adventure Food and snacks Accommodations Cable car transportation

How fit do I need to be?

You’ll need to be in very good shape for this one. Expect five to seven hours on your feet, five days straight, over varied terrain—with controlled descents in whatever conditions the mountain serves up. Everyone should be comfortable on challenging red-level resort runs or harder, and able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning. For the advanced program, plan on 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of climbing on uneven terrain, so bring your legs.

What if I’ve never backcountry skied before?

You’ll need previous backcountry experience to join. The intermediate tour asks for a solid skiing level; for the advanced program, touring experience helps but isn’t essential. Expect hours of skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain every day. Your guide handles the planning, keeps an eye on your technique, and coaches you on reading the terrain—and they carry the avalanche training to make the call when it matters.

What equipment do I need to bring?

For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring: Alpine touring skis, telemark skis or splitboard with skins (can be rented) Touring boots and poles (can be rented) For personal items, we recommend bringing: Helmet Sunglasses or ski goggles Gloves and hat Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended) Ski pants (Gore-Tex recommended) Down jacket or vest Synthetic or wool base layers, underwear and socks One triple-action locking carabiner or two conventional locking carabiners Repair kit and Leatherman for your equipment (can be shared between several people) Water bottle and 1L of water Thermos with a warm beverage — optional Food you can eat on-the-go First aid kit Sunscreen Daypack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 30-40L backpack) Camera — optional

Can I rent equipment?

All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent: Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel and probe from Objectif Meije Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots and poles can be rented from Objectif Meije Ski rental locations are in La Grave and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and pricing: For this adventure, the max client-to-guide ratio is 4:1. Costs per person decrease as the group grows for this adventure, so it’s the perfect opportunity to ski with friends and family. Backcountry skiing in La Grave can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18, you’re good to go. Minors may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis. If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

To get to La Grave, most people fly into Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport , 2 hours away from La Grave. When you get to Lyon, you can rent a car or take a bus or train to Grenoble, and then take a bus directly to La Grave. You can also fly into Turin Airport 2.5 hours away. From Turin, you can rent a car or take a train to Bardonecchia and then drive to La Grave for 1h 20 minutes. The meeting place is in La Grave. Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.

Safety measures and insurance

We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout. Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.

La Grave | France

Backcountry Skiing in La Grave

Name: Guided Backcountry Skiing in La Grave, France
Brand: 57hours
Availability: InStock

1 day

From $550 ()

La Grave sits at the foot of the Massif des Écrins, in the shadow of 13,070-foot La Meije—a quaint ski village in the French Alps with a serious reputation. With only one groomed run on a glacier, this is a resort in name only: open bowls, steep couloirs, and glaciated descents stretching into the distance, built for experienced backcountry skiers. It’s never crowded, so good days can feel like your own powder stash—but this is demanding terrain with real consequence, so ski it with a guide.

Adventure Highlights

Admire the out-of-this-world vistas of the French Alps all around you
Push your off-piste skills to a new level on diverse top-tier terrain
Escape the crowds and suit all your ski needs in this serene haven

Duration

1 day

Season

January through April

Group size

Up to 4 people

The adventure, day by day

Download itineraries

Give yourself five days in La Grave and ski some of the best off-piste terrain in the world. The area is famous for steep, committing lines—but your guide reads the group and builds each day around your level. You’ll ski the area’s classic routes. And if you’ve already logged backcountry days and want to level up your skills, this is the trip to do it on.

Intermediate Backcountry Skiing With a Guide

Day 1: Evaluation and classics in the area

On the first day of this electrifying adventure you’ll meet up with your guide who will evaluate the level of the participants so that he can tailor a perfect trip for you! You’ll head out to La Grave’s classics such as Les Vallons de La Meije and the Chancel route and get a chance to ski down some scenic routes and head down through several steep couloirs, all while taking in the glorious mountainous vistas that the French Alps offer.

Day 2: Experience the Girose Glacier, the La Banane and Patou couloirs

On this day you’ll experience some steep slopes and descents and ski on the Girose glacier, the highest point you can reach using a lift in the resort. On the Chancel Route, you’ll head down La Banane and Patou, the steep-sided couloirs, with La Banane being longer and, as the name suggests, a bit curved.

Days 3, 4 and 5: Conquer stunning couloirs, Saint Christophe, Trifides…

Over these three days, your guide leads you through a string of alpine valleys and legendary couloirs. Couloir de Fréaux is the gentlest entry—narrow and steep off the top, then a long, flowing descent that drops you into the village of Les Fréaux.

La Voûte opens on a broad slope and steepens as you go. The Chirouze sector packs three steep couloirs side by side, each better than the last. You’ll also ski toward the village of Saint Christophe en Oisans and drop into the Trifide couloir.

Get ready to enjoy the fields of untracked powder while skiing on some of the best and most challenging off-piste terrain in the world! This is a true paradise for any advanced freerider who wants to challenge themselves even further and reach a new level in the backcountry. On this 5-day adventure, your guide will show you the ins and outs of some classic spots as well as some routes for the more advanced enthusiasts and adapt the terrain choice to your abilities. Hire an expert guide and enjoy backcountry skiing in La Grave!

Advanced Backcountry Skiing With a Guide

Day 1: Evaluation and Classics in the area

Day one starts with meeting your guide, who sizes up the group’s level and shapes the days ahead around it.

Then it’s straight to the classics—Les Vallons de La Meije and the Chancel route. You’ll link scenic descents, thread a few steep couloirs, and take in the full sweep of the French Alps as you go.

Day 2: Experience the Girose Glacier, the Banane and Patou

Day 3: Combeynot massif

Let your guide take you to the Combeynot massif, a real skiing paradise where the snow is great, the slopes are quite steep and there are many couloirs on top of that. The views from this massif are breathtaking and even though the terrain is steep, you won’t regret it once you’ve conquered it!

Days 4 and 5: Conquer stunning couloirs and glaciers

During the last two days of this adventure, you’ll head out to different valleys from the cable car and/or by using the skins. Ski on some legendary couloirs such as Couloir de Fréaux, la Voûte and the Chirouze couloirs. Couloir de Fréaux has the easiest access and is narrow and steep in the beginning, after which you can enjoy skiing down a long descent. La Voûte contains an open slope and gets steeper and steeper as you go. The Chirouze couloirs count three steep couloirs, one more stunning than the other. You’ll also ski towards the small village of Saint Christophe, visit La Meije Glacier and spend two days and one night in a mountain lodge!

Adventure Architect

Let’s build something unique. Design your own adventure from the ground up and let us handle the rest.

Start Designing

Photo gallery

Adventure, packed to go

Backcountry Skiing in La Grave

Adventure Brochure

Adventure brochure

Download to share and explore full itineraries, key info, FAQs, and guide details.

Download now

Meet your guides

Seasoned pros, local legends, and passionate adventurers—your trip is in the best hands.

5.00

Nacho Garrido-Lestache

Nacho is a certified UIAGM/IFGMA Mountain Guide, canyoning guide and ski instructor who began to enjoy the mountains in a professional way in 2000. He enjoys mountains in all of their forms but his specialties are the Aragonese Pyrenees, Chamonix and its Mont Blanc massif as well as La Grave and La Meije. Working as an independent guide has given him the opportunity to implement his values and philosophy into his own work and this is what allows him to adapt to the wishes and abilities of the people who accompany him on these adventures.

Things to know

What you get in this adventure:
- - An experienced, UIAGM High Mountain Guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  - Five days of backcountry ski touring
  - Avalanche safety kit if necessary (transceiver, shovel, probe and harness)
What’s not included:
- - Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
  - Transportation of the participants and guide on the days that you leave La Grave, transportation to La Grave and all the trips during the adventure
  - Food and snacks
  - Accommodations
  - Cable car transportation
You’ll need to be in very good shape for this one. Expect five to seven hours on your feet, five days straight, over varied terrain—with controlled descents in whatever conditions the mountain serves up.

Everyone should be comfortable on challenging red-level resort runs or harder, and able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning. For the advanced program, plan on 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of climbing on uneven terrain, so bring your legs.
You’ll need previous backcountry experience to join. The intermediate tour asks for a solid skiing level; for the advanced program, touring experience helps but isn’t essential.

Expect hours of skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain every day. Your guide handles the planning, keeps an eye on your technique, and coaches you on reading the terrain—and they carry the avalanche training to make the call when it matters.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
- - Alpine touring skis, telemark skis or splitboard with skins (can be rented)
  - Touring boots and poles (can be rented)
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
- - Helmet
  - Sunglasses or ski goggles
  - Gloves and hat
  - Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended)
  - Ski pants (Gore-Tex recommended)
  - Down jacket or vest
  - Synthetic or wool base layers, underwear and socks
  - One triple-action locking carabiner or two conventional locking carabiners
  - Repair kit and Leatherman for your equipment (can be shared between several people)
  - Water bottle and 1L of water
  - Thermos with a warm beverage — optional
  - Food you can eat on-the-go
  - First aid kit
  - Sunscreen
  - Daypack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 30-40L backpack)
  - Camera — optional
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
- - Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel and probe from Objectif Meije
  - Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots and poles can be rented from Objectif Meije
Ski rental locations are in La Grave and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and pricing:
- - For this adventure, the max client-to-guide ratio is 4:1.
  - Costs per person decrease as the group grows for this adventure, so it’s the perfect opportunity to ski with friends and family.
Backcountry skiing in La Grave can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis.
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to La Grave, most people fly into Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport, 2 hours away from La Grave. When you get to Lyon, you can rent a car or take a bus or train to Grenoble, and then take a bus directly to La Grave.

You can also fly into Turin Airport 2.5 hours away. From Turin, you can rent a car or take a train to Bardonecchia and then drive to La Grave for 1h 20 minutes.

The meeting place is in La Grave. Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.

Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
- Fully refundable within the initial 48 hours from booking, unless the trip date is less than 7 days from the time of the booking.
- Cancellations up to 7 days prior to the trip date are refundable 100%.
- Cancellations within 7 days prior to the trip date are non-refundable.

Have more questions?

Our team is here to answer your questions and plan with you.

Book This Adventure for a Private Group

Book a fully private 57hours adventure for your group. We customize dates, group sizes, terrain, guides and accommodations — so your adventure fits your people and your goals.

Talk to an Adventure Planner