Orelle Skiing

Orelle is a collection of hamlets in the Maurienne Valley. At one of these (Francoz) there is the start of a gondola to Plan Bouchet. Once there you can ski locally or you can take the newly upgraded six seater chair to the edge of the Val Thorens skiing. The local skiing to the east includes a learner tow and run and two consecutive chairs leading to Pic Bouchet, at 3230m the high point in the Trois Vallees System (even though it is actually in the "Fourth Valley"). The runs down include two good reds to halfway, a blue from there to the bottom and a good range of off piste options. To ski down into the Plan Bouchet bowl there is a red under the chair (with one steep pitch that is more difficult than some of the blacks above Val Thorens) and a winding blue. To reach this it is necessary to use the Funitel Grande Fond, there is also a good black (Rosael) down from Caron reached via the Caron cable car.

Orelle in one sense is simply a base for gaining quick access to the Trois Vallees for day trippers from the nearby towns and cities but it is slowly developing (there is a large development at Hameau des Eaux d'Orelle). It is an easy drive, only 6kms from the motorway - and if 600kms of runs is not enough, there is double that amount within 40 minutes.

So whats your point, exactly?

My point is that I read this in the Orelle entry:

Skiing in Orelle
We do not currently have enough information to describe the skiing in Orelle. If you have skiied here, or know the area, please tell us about it in the Ski Forum.

Probably better than writing inane comments......

Good shout, 600km? :shock:

That is a lot of (groomed) skiing :lol:

I have skied in Orelle several times when I was staying in Val Thorens. 600 Km is the total amount of piste available in the whole three valleys area.

Orelle is a small area, but quite pretty, with a glacier. It connects quite easily with VT. There is a very nice long red run where we had our carving lessons.

Ally

However I would warn it is not suitable for beginners or nervous intermediates. You have to be very careful which route you take down to VT if you ski mainly blues as there are some steep reds and blacks down if you take a wrong turn. It can be quite interesting crossing over from the chair to VT in horizontal snow and wind. Personally I love the long red down from the top of VT and would agree that it is steeper than some of the Blacks in VT. I have skied it that many times and achieved my fastest speed on it :mrgreen: The views over the Southern Alps are amazing. In fact in just two weeks I may be there again! Plan Bouchet can be interesting too particularly if it has not been bashed.

Pat Flisher wrote:Probably better than writing inane comments......

:lol:

I like you already! Thank you (and PSC) for the info on Orelle; we'll get that incorporated shortly.

Cheers! 8)

I looked on the main site and it said add details about Orelle in the forum, but I see somebody has already done so. I have been based in Orelle for the last three years so a quick update:

The upgrade to the chair from the top of the gondola to the ridge above Val Thorens made over the summer has made a lot of difference in that it is faster and doesn't close every time the wind gets up. The change to the pistes from the ridge down into the Val Thorens system has also made a difference in that by following the now blue Chamois piste you can make your way all the way into VT without needing to use a red (but remember on a snowy day the piste bashers take a good time to reach here).

On the Orelle side there are no changes to the pistes (there is a pitch in the red that is steeper than the black Goitschel above VT but the blue is easy and a good cruise). The final chair up to Pic Bouchet seems to be operating to a stricter timetable at the end of the day to prevent the slow skiers missing the last chair back to VT. In doing so it prevents the Orelle based skiers have a good last run down.

Slightly different subject, but why stay at Orelle? Not for apres ski and fine dining, 'cos there ain't none, even at the new Hameux des Eaux d'Orelle development. It is because it is a great base for drivers, with low accommodation costs for the Trois Vallees but easy access to other resorts as well. We have skied Valloire, Valmeinier, Les Sybelles, St Francois/Valmorel, Val Frejus and Val Cenis and we are going to add Les Karellis and Sauze d'Oulx next time.