Col du Lautaret

About one of the longest descents in the Alps, the dangers of "getting stuck" in La Grave and how long ten minutes can be.

For almost 15 years now, we have been taking an annual ski trip as old friends. The destination is always drawn by lot - and at the end of the last trip, the lot decided: in February 2025, we were going to the Pyrenees. Unfortunately, Mrs. Holle had barely laid a hand there, so we quickly changed our plans to the French Alps. With the two campers from our partner Sunlight, we had the flexibility we needed. We, that's Benni, Dan, Roman, Jörg, Steffen, Totti and Jan.

For many freeriders, Grenoble is still a blank spot on the map. Despite its high alpine backdrop, the capital of the Isère region with its 160,000 inhabitants is usually simply ignored and left by the highway. As part of Erasmus, I was able to put the freeride and ski touring opportunities through their paces alongside student life.

PowderGuide is organizing a freeride camp in La Grave for the first time this year - together with mountain guide Stefan Neuhauser. An interview about the uniqueness of the area, an unforgettable experience and a passion for skiing that knows no bounds.

While the Col du Lautaret pass is mainly frequented by snow kiters, the surrounding terrain offers a variety of interesting ski tours, which are favored by their relatively high starting point.

For skitourers who want steep terrain with not much of an approach, it can?t be much better than the Combeynot Pic Ouest. This high mountain looms up just above the col du Lautaret, is latterly full of nice faces and couloirs for experienced ski tourers. Even the ?normal? route boosta a nice 100 meters couloir which is just a little steeper then 45°. The ultimate playground for great riding and that from November to June.

Location: The river Durance, which rises near Mont Genevrè in the Hautes-Alpes department, close to the Italian border, separates the Dauphiné from the Cottian Alps with its picturesque valley, the Val Durance. On its way to the Rhône, it crosses the towns of Briançon, Embrun and Sisteron before flowing into the Rhône in the Vaucluse department south of Avignon.

Warning about La Grave from Stefan Neuhauser. On 29.1.09, a German group of six climbed to the area below the Girose Glacier. As the group had no rope with them, they got stuck above a wall bar. For reasons unknown to me, one person fell about 200 meters over this ledge and died.