Ski-Areas > Northern Alps > Isère (38) > Chartreuse > Le Sappey
Le Sappey and Chamchaude
At just 12 km this is the closest ski resort to Grenoble. On route you pass the excellent Café des Alpes with its terrace and view over the Belledonne and Oisans mountain ranges. The village is at the foot of the magnificent |Chamchaude mountain, a must for a short ski tour. The resort is better known for its cross country and nordic skiing. There is a total of 57 km of cross country trails. For experts, the cross country pistes link Le Sappey with Saint-Pierre de Chartreuse via the Col du Coq. The area would make an excellent base for exploring the many ski touring possibilities in the southern part of the Chartreuse mountains.
Le Sappey - Piste Map
The resort itself has 6 pistes served by drag lifts. The ski area extends from 950 metres to 1350 metres. The longest run, the Grand Sommard and Pre du Plat offer an impressive 400 vertical meters with slopes in excess of 20 degrees.
Drag Lift
Skiers and boarders should also take care. The slopes are fairly low lying, we visited on Christmas day, still quite early in the season. Although the pistes were snow covered there was no base. The pistes have a few stones which were not good for skis and or thumbs as we found out after a fall.
Le Sappey celebrated 100 years of skiing in 2007.
As you can imagine the off-piste is limited due to the thickness of the forest. There is a bit of between the pistes and you can cut through a break in the fence from the Pale (barb wire fences are a real danger in the Chartreuse) over gentle slopes towards la Faurie. Return is by the cross country ski paths.
Nearest Airport(s): Grenoble St-Geoirs 60km (1h00), Lyon Saint-Exupéry 105km (1h15)
Road: D512 from Grenoble
Rail: Grenoble TGV, then regular VFD Bus service
Accomodation in le Sappey is a bit limited. The Auberge de Sarcenas just to the north of le Sappey has rooms from 35 to 50 per night and is an excellent spot for food. The view is out over the south of the Chartreuse towards the Néron mountain and the Vercors.
Le Sappey has a number of excellent restaurants. We like the traditional Cafe de la Place opposite the Church. A bit stark inside the terrace is excellent. More upmarket is the La Grignotte with its excellent local cuisine.
There is a small supermarket in le Sappey. Grenoble has a full range of ski and other shops. For general sports clothing we suggest Decathlon at la Tronche which is en-route to le Sappey.
http://www.chartreuse-tourisme.com/
Respect copyright. Contributions must be your own work and not copied from other web pages or elsewhere.
Category: Ski Areas
<< Le Planolet | Isère | Les Deux Alpes >>