Minimum altitude: 1,604 meters
Distance: 20.3 km
Slope Aspect: Various
Vertical Climbed: 537 meters (1,762 feet)
Vertical Descended: 538 meters
On the Plateau de l’Arselle the season is stretching on a little longer than usual. They’ve pushed the closure back by a week this year
A small timing mishap to start the day: I’d forgotten about the clock change, which means a later opening time. Arriving at 9:50, I was greeted by “closed” signs despite tracks that looked freshly groomed. Ten minutes later, things were up and running.
Up on the plateau, the northerly wind was still making its presence felt. Strong gusts swept across the open terrain, building drifts and reshaping the surface. Progress was uneven at times, with sections of heavier, wind-affected snow slowing things down.
The best skiing was to be found in the shelter of the trees, not that there’s a huge amount of forest cover around Chamrousse, but enough to offer brief, welcome reprieves from the wind. Unlike last week, temperatures stayed low and the snow remained cold throughout, which made a noticeable difference in glide where the surface was protected.
Despite the extended opening, it felt like the season was already winding down. Only a handful of skiers out a few club groups early on and by midday the plateau had largely emptied.
A solid outing overall, with a bit more than 20 km covered but at a slow 6m10 / km pace
Cold, windy, drifting snow on the trails.
