Ski Areas > Northern Alps > Chartreuse > Les Pres > Le Croix de l'Alpe
From the village of les Prés follow a path that climbs between a field to the left and house to the right towards the north west. It enters the woods and cuts across a forest trail at 1100m then the main trail at 1125m then another trail at 1260m. Finally at 1365m you should follow the trail to the north for 100m before picking up the path which leads to Pre Orcel. At Pre Orcel traverse across to a field and pick up the track that leads to the Cabane de lAllier. From the Cabane follow the main trail to the north, it rapidly doubles back to the south to follow a horizontal and very pleasant path under the cliffs. This can be difficult when there is a lot of snow.
The track finally climbs to the south-east through a wide and gentle couloir at 1650m to reach the col de lAlpe at 1797m. From here the Croix de lAlpe is clearly visible.
The descent is possible through the forest however there are some hidden cliffs, particuarly towards the croix de l'Alpe. The forest roads are skiable from the first snows of winter but are not particuarly interesting.
It should be possible to descend by the col de Belles Ombres
| Mountain Range | Chartreuse |
|---|---|
| Summit | Croix de l'Alpe |
| Altitude | 1821 meters |
| Orientation | East |
| Starting Altitude | 960m |
| Vertical | 860 meters |
| Map | IGN TOP 25 3333 0T Chartreuse Nord |
| GPS Waypoint | N 45.4184° E 05.9266° |
| GPS Route | Google-Earth:Les-Pres |
| Grade[1] | Danger: 3, Climb: PD, Ski: 2.3 |
| Snowboarders | The traverse from the Cabane de l'Allier is flat |
| Equipment | ski crampons |
| Road Access | A41 -> Le Touvet -> Saint Vincent de Mercuze -> Montalieu > Les Prés |
| Author | davidof |
It was very windy today but there was no wind and also no base to the fresh snow. I followed the usual path to climb up to the col but took the forest roads back as there was not enough snow to ski in the forest. A final descent across the fields with about 20cm of fresh was excellent.
* Weather : Sunny, cold, cloud sea
* Avalanche Risk: Moderate (2/5)
* Participants: Alone
Category: Trip Reports
<< | Les Pres | >>