Gers bowl January 2010

Paragliding in Gers Bowl

While skiing the bowl a para glider whizzed past nearby – shown in attached photograph.

The main run is the black Styx which is quite steep but plenty of terrain to select the best route to the bottom of the drag lift. The drag lift takes you back to the top of the Combe de Gers or if the Cascade run is open (the longest blue run in Europe) then you can ski down to Sixt fer a Cheval and catch the free shuttle bus back to Samoens and cable cars and chair lifts back to Flaine or elsewhere in the Grand Massif. Attached some photos providing views looking both down into the valley and back up the bowl; including the drag lift.

Combe de Gers is accessed from the top of the DMC (Les Grandes Platieres Cable car)or the Col de Plate chair lift. The conditions were fantastic (no moguls but amazing snow with plenty of powder and some un-tracked spots). This is an under rated ski area, the views down the valley from the top of Styx, the terrain and challenge, in my opinion makes Gers one of the best ski runs in the French Alps. Suitable for strong intermediates and experts.

Lower slopes of Gers Bowl

Gers Bowl Lone skier

An alternative treat from Cascades or Styx is the restaurant at the Gers lake, a popular place to sit, enjoy a meal and admire the scenery. Access is either off the bottom of the Styx run, which means a walk around the lake shore, or from the notice and phone that is situated by a bridge on the Cascades run, after dropping into the Gers valley; skiers call up the restaurant and are pulled up to it on the back of a skidoo (the ride and tables are best reserved in advance).

Flaine skiing December 2009

An estimated 100 cm of snow at 2200 m and 20 cm at 1600m was sufficient for a good day of skiing in Flaine. Disappointingly, there were only 3 ski lifts open; the small beginners lift at 1600m, the large DMC telecabine providing access to the top of Flaine and the Col de Plate chair lift accessible the bottom of the Serpentine/Crystal ski runs.

Grand Massif mountain view

Serpentine ski run Flaine

The ski runs in Flaine were in great condition with plenty of snow cover until reaching the village at 1600m where some stones had been churned up. The images above show the ski runs at the top of Flaine.

Snow continued to fall in the village of Les Carroz d’Araches from Monday Dec 14th, with a centimetre or so every day until Friday 18 December when heavy snow continued to fall all day, leaving at least 10 cm in Les Carroz village and continuing to the upper slopes at 2200m.
The snow cannons were active all week, with sub zero temperatures (typically -10 degs C during he daytime) throughout. The good snow base built up in November and the blown snow, plus the snowfalls in Decmber made for excellent sking over the Chrstmas period.

Chateau Chillon on Lake Geneva

View through Dungeon window

The chateau is famous owing to the imagination of writers and poets who have set works and stories involving the chateau. Lord Byron visited the chateau with Percy Shelley in 1816.  Byron was so inspired by the story of the monk Francois de Bonivard who was held captive in an underground prison dungeon from 1530 to 1536 and wrote the poem “The prisoner of Bonivard”. You can see Byron’s name etched into one of the pillars in the prison dungeon.

Some of the views from Chateau Chillon are shown below.

Chateau Chillon on Lake Geneva views

Chateau Chillon on Lake Geneva views

We paid 12 CHF for each adult, children are 6 CHF for entry. Entry is over a wooden bridge straddling the natural moat (formed by the lake). The chateau tour is well laid out for self guiding, ipods with audio guides are available at extra cost but i used the provided guide which described the history and takes you through each of the 46 points on the route, covering the underground rooms and dungeons where you can look across Lake Geneva through barred windows, great halls, storehouses, crypt, courtyards, dining rooms, bedrooms, the Bastion and Keep and some spectacular views around the lake from the drawing rooms, keep, chapel and elsewhere.Chateaun Chillon view from underground dungeonChateau Chillon underground dungeon. We spent about 2 hours touring the chateau, then continued the drive around the Swiss part of the lake through Lausanne, Nyon and Geneva back to the French Alps and Grand Massif.

Driving from Les Carroz D’Araches, after 30 minutes and driving through Marignier and the village of Bovere i parked the car at an altitude of 1160 m. The sign below shows the well marked route with the peak at 1863 m,  estimated at 2 hr 20 mins walking.   

Start of the Mole walk

Views on the Mole walk

Continuing the climb for another 30 minutes I was unclear of the route to take to the summit. With a thunderstorm on the way i took more photos and abandoned the walk in the interests of safety and decided to do the walk the next day (weather permitting) from the other sode of the mountain.   

The estimate to the summit from this side of the mountain was 1 hr 20 minutes.   

Start of the Mole walk from 1300m

The final ascent from about 1600 m was on a narrow steep ridge, which would not be easy to traverse in wet or windy conditions. The views at the summit were spectacular, views on the valley cities of Cluses, Bonneville, montain views of Mont Blanc and the Aravis range and Lake Geneva.  

Narrow ridge at top of Le Mole

The final ascent from about 1600 m was on a narrow steep ridge, which would not be easy to traverse in wet or windy conditions. The views at the summit were spectacular, views on the valley cities of Cluses, Bonneville, montain views of Mont Blanc and the Aravis range and Lake Geneva.   

Le Mole cross and views

Narrow Ridge to top of Mole

The Cascade run was open. These are photos of the scenery as we made our way from the top of Flaine to Sixt fer Cheval at the bottom of the ski run.   

Exiting the DMC telecabine in Flaine

Start of the Cascade ski run

Skiers alone on cascade ski run in Flaine

The white sea in Flaine

Approachng treeline from Flaine to Sixt fer Cheval

View through trees on lower slopes approaching Sixt fer Cheval

Bottom of Sixt fer Cheval

At the bottom of the run is a small restaurant that serves snacks and drinks where one can wait for the free bus that takes skiers back to Samoens and Morillon to continue skiing.