Ski-Areas > Massif Central > Cantal (15) > Monts D'Auvergne > Le Lioran > Off Piste
It was the week of that United Nations report. The one predicting that the ski industry in Europe will be wiped out by global warming. At PisteHors.com were always big sceptics for the words of the doom mongers but we watched in horror as a hot foehn wind blew for six days and six nights searing over half a metre of snow from the pistes at Courchevel. You have to remember that Foehn is the German word for hair-dryer, which gives you a good idea its disastrous effects. By the sixth day the pistes were looking decidedly patchy and reports from the resort suggested that the Méribel Mottaret side of the valley would be closed for skiing.
PowerStef ripping it up
You know, it is in such troubled times that the bible is of great comfort. We turned to the good book of Matthew, or Matt, to his mates. Chapter 7, verse 7: he that seeketh findeth. So went and seeketh, hither and thither, on the Web, on the bulletin boards, phone calls to mates and then, on the Seventh Day, we found. A tiny spot slap bang in the middle of France called Le Lioran.
Book of Alex Roub, lesson 1
But the path of the righteous man is still beset on all sides by the inequities of life. So it was only at 1am, after a slow drive through thick fog across the high planes of central France that our hotel finally hove into view. Next morning and PowerStef was on the phone. Get yourselves up here, the day promises to be of biblical proportions well nearly. At least there is snow!
Iconic
Situated in the Cantal department Le Lioran is another one of those freaks of nature. What the summits lack in height they make up for in looks. Jagged little mountains with steep sides. The area is the largest vocanic range in Europe. Somewhere in the dim past of prehistory a giant stratovolcano was thrown up from the bowels of the planet. Today it is extinct, except for hot springs that bubble up to the surface. Our hotel was just the other side of the Tunnel du Lioran, built in the 1840's. This is being replaced by a new tunnel, a huge project costing some 84 million .
Don't leave the road, the view from the Chazes hotel
The hotel looked directly out onto the Plomb du Cantal, at 1885 meters the second highest point in the Auvergne after the Sancy. The full-moon, crisp clear mountain air and emptiness of the high Cantal plains made one feel as though we were alone on the planet. Then the bark of a dog, or a car sweeping up the pass would break us out of our revery.
By 10 am on Saturday the resort car-park was already buzzing. I bought a day's lift pass and headed up on the superb cable car to meet Stef and Alex. Gigi stayed at the café, drinking Vin Chaud and doing her marking for the Fac. Stef and Alex were waiting at the top and we headed off down the aptly named Névé piste. Despite the good snow the piste was hardpack with the caterpillar tracks of the Ratrac moulded into the snow. My Dynastar 4x4, never the happiest skis on piste, chattered and complained at the surface. Taking the fast Plomb du Cantal chair we decided to cut off piste towards chillingly named the Col de la Tombe du Pere (The Father's Grave Pass). We had visions of someone's dad entombed beneath the ice.
La Belle Gaufre, In Truffade We Trust
It was here we ran into La Belle Gauffre, he'd driven up from Limoges that morning and was resplendent in his "In Tartiflette We Trust" T-shirt, the motto of the SkiPass.com website. The off-piste descended in a series of gentle 20° slopes, with a nice soft smattering of fresh snow, interspersed by small cliffs and snow lips.
Davidof Style
Of course, we couldn't do the simple thing and just ski around these. Instead we took each as an challenge and a photo opportunity. Alex was undoubtedly the champion. On one jump he went so far he overshot the run out zone and landed on the flat, leaving a crater and bending a brand new ski pole in two.
So Endeth the Lesson
With some 60 km of pistes Le Lioran is the Auvergnes biggest station, although the proper linking of Super Besse and Le Mont Dore will best this. There are all kinds of runs from cruising blues to steep blacks served by 24 lifts and now covered by 55 snow canons. There is some good and interesting off piste, for example from the téléphérique and also after a short climb to the Puy du Rocher. It is also a good destination for snow shoes, cross country skiing with many challenging circuits and ski touring.
The next day I fixed skins in the station with the aim of climbing the Puy de Rocher on ski touring gear. At around 600 meters of vertical I thought this would good winter opener. From the station I took the Rocher de Cerf piste and then cut across to a shoulder I'd spotted the day before. This lead around to the summit with a series of challenging steps towards the end.
Le Puy du Rocher
I scrambled up these, quite difficult in the soft snow. The summit had been stripped bare by the previous days strong winds. A sea of clouds hid the bottoms of the valley. Towards the east three points stood out of the cloud, the Mont Blanc massif, over 300 km as the crow flies. Towards the west a haze obscured the view. We were told later that days as clear as this are extremely rare.
On a clear day, you can see forever
The descent had promised much but didn't live up to expectations. High up the snow was hard and windblown and troublesome to ski with style. Around 1700 meters it had become sun warmed and there was a pleasant few minutes of skiing. Lower down the surface turned lumpy, grabbing at skis and sending them in every direction except where you wished them to go. Still it is better than a wet weekend in Paris.