Ski-Areas > Northern Alps > Isère (38) > Vercors > Vercors-East-Couloirs > La Peyrouse
Peyrouse Couloir
Esthetically la Peyrouse is one of the most pleasing of the couloirs on the eastern border of the Vercors. Not too steep but steep enough to be interesting, it presents a slope of 40° over 250m with steeper sections at the top and middle, but nothing a good skier or snowboarder would have difficulties with. It is certainly not one of those sphincter clenching descents you get in the Belledonne but is long enough and wide enough for both freeriders and ski tourers to find something interesting.
The route
Parking at Garneyre is strictly limited. Two places, maybe three if you are being generous so it pays to arrive early. We crossed Saint Andéol and drove straight passed this tiny hamlet and were almost in Gresse en Vercors when we realized our error. The road to Gresse is very icy in the winter so we wasted quite a bit of time only getting started at 8h30.
Entrance Pinnacles
The climb crosses a flat field then heads into some steep and dense woodland. There was a full depth avalanche on the slopes below the couloir, a reminder that these east facing aspects are to be consumed early, even in the deep mid-winter months. The couloir itself is pretty obvious and is guarded by a number of pinnacles. A guide and his client were someway ahead of us on the slope and a group of four skiers rapidly gained on us from behind.
First skiers already in the Peyrouse
We decided to climb the couloir with crampons. The snow being well frozen overnight. The slope was too steep to climb with skis, well until Seb (joebar) came storming up behind us having climbed the whole length with skis on his feet.
Luc nears the top of the couloir
The Peyrouse is an extremely popular route. It is what the locals call an ecole couloir a training couloir. Seb was with a friend who was being broken in to the joys of couloir skiing.
Steep and crisp and even
Having left the car at 8h30 it was now just before 10h00 and the whole length of the couloir was bathed in sunlight. The snow was beginning to soften and promised an excellent descent. We exited and climbed to the Rochers de la Peyrouse marked as point 2011 on the IGN map. Looking westwards you see the Vercors plateau. The woods directly below are difficult to traverse being criss-crossed by small cliffs and lapiaz (pot holes formed by chemical erosion of the local limestone). No wonder the area is called Purgatory.
Team Pedro
By now we had been joined by Pedros team who were obviously keen on first dibs at the couloir. The guide and his client had already descended, the client doing most of the couloir en derapage.
Freefall
The Pedros gathered around the entrance like a troupe of Chamois while we watched from above. We know Pedro so this would be no problem for him but his mates looked more aprensive.
The alpha Chamois heading into the couloir to be followed by his prodigies. A few fluffed jump turns witnesses that the snow was not so easy as it had seemed. It was now 10h30 and the couloir was once again bathed in shadow, its day in the sun over. The snow rapidly refreezing in the icy mountain air.
The Troupe
The side slipping had formed a series of icy steps at the summit. I took these very gingerly. I was on my new couloir skis which seemed to have more overbite than Jim Carey and had been delivered with incorrectly adjusted Dynafit TLT Speed bindings I didnt fancy making my first turn and either pitching down the slope or having the heels pre-release.
Seb had no such worries and flew through the air with the greatest of ease. That daring young man on his flying skis. We actually wondered whether he just didnt like the rutted and frozen snow he had found.
Joebar gets into his stride
Seb would be involved in a couple of scares this season. He would pre-release in a steep north couloir in the Belledonne narrowly avoiding sliding over cliffs. His ski, seemingly liberated from its owners control, had no such reservations and disappeared down the slope and into woodland. The only trace, a broken heel Dynafit heel piece abandoned by the ski at the bottom of the slope.
Flyboy
Seb borrowed skis from his mate Marco and put up some good descents including the classic lInfernet du Grand Galbert before being involved in organising a dramatic rescue operation after an avalanche caught two of his friends on the Island of Corsica. All this in a ski mountaineering career of just three seasons.
David making it look hard
Out of the couloir and into the sun we hit spring snow and gentle slopes. Mindful of the avalanche we had seen we gave each other plenty of room and didnt hang around much instead heading for the relative safety of the forest.
Spring Snow
The snow got softer as we descended. The slope was tilted at around 30° and was struck almost at right angles by the low winter sun.
Sea of clouds
The forest proved a good deal more technical. We tried to follow some tracks then some glades but sometimes you just had to stop, take stock and step around the obstacles.
I'm a lumberjack
The French call this ski boucheron (lumberjack skiing) or ski sanglier (wild boar skiing) as you end up crashing through the undergrowth felling small saplings and making a lot of din. It is the price to pay for such an excellent couloir.
The couloir can be also skied "on spec" having climbed by the Pas Morta or Pas Etoupe couloirs to the north to make a tour. This is a good backup plan for the Pas Etoupe which can be hard to ski in poor conditions (narrow, rock bands).
3 February 2006
Luc, David, Seb and his friend.
GPS: N 44.9443° E 05.5199°, (1958 meters)
Orientation: East
Toponeige Rating: Danger: 1, Climb: PD, Ski: 4.1
Climbing: 970 meters, 3200 ft.
From Grenoble take the motorway towards Sisteron. Leave the motorway at junction 12 (Vif), cross Vif and take the first exit direction Col de l'Arzelier then to Saint Andéol. Cross Saint-Andéol and carry on about 1km to the tiny hamlet of Garneyre where there is a pull in with room for 2-3 cars.
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