Val Torance: Above only the sun

Whether returning from the mountains to the gloomy and dirty winter Moscow, I think: is it really the same sun. No, definitely some other! In Val Torane, it is so much that any shadow seems to be misunderstanding.

You already understood: we continue our tour of French three valleys (Les 3 Vallees) – the world’s largest skiing province, where 600 kilometers of the tracks are combined with a single network of 200 ropes and you can travel without removing skis. In the past letters, I wrote to you about Meribel and Courchevel (CC. 10, 11). Today I will tell about the third, the biggest valley – Belville. Climbed at 2,300 meters above sea level Val Torans, the highest ski resort of Europe, is located here.

Of the 600 km of Trus-Valle’s tracks on Belville, it is rover half. From the town of San Martin (1400) to Val Torans on the highway of kilometers 30, and in height almost kilometer. But already from San Martin you can move up the valley on skis. Two papers of the same wheelchair pull on TougneTe (2403), from where there is a descent to Meribel. In total, passages through which you get to the neighboring valley, six – see. Scheme. Rope St. Martin-2 a couple of years ago built almost anew. She used to resemble a double "Chewka", Now it’s a quadruple and very smart road.

Amazing how fast everything changes in three valleys! Last year, a new lift connected Meribel-Village with altiport. Two- and three-cerebral cables are somehow imperceptibly transformed into four- and six-grayscale, close quadruple "eggs" – in spacious eight-beds. Like mushrooms after rain, in all villages Troy Valla grow new chalets and hotels. New routes are laid – although it would seem wherever more! Let’s say, even in the season-98 with Roc De Fer (2294 m) in the direction of San Martin there was no descent – now, please have. Considerable money is pumping into the development of the region, but also "Fight" they need to think quickly. Soon (I almost do not doubt it) the cable-chair, already today pumping 234,000 people per hour, will stretch his tentacles to neighboring, not yet developed areas, and in the coming century we will ride the ride no longer at three, and five or even eight valleys.

Apparently, due to some natural circumstances of the forest in Belville, unlike the Meribel and Courchevel, almost no. The longest in the three valleys of the traverter Le Gros Tougne go and go through endless fields, admiring the patriarchal scenery with scattered here and there with old shepherd huts from coarse stone. But for the next turn, the picture suddenly changes: high-rise buildings of the urban menu (1850) take up the slope (1850). On the central square CROISETTE holy and noise, like at the station. In essence, this is the station, there arrives here and from here there are several powerful lifts: you look up – in the eyes it will be charged from moving cabins and seats.

Above the menu, on the Western slopes between 3 marches (2700 m) and Mont de la Chambre (2850 m), a lot of wide and bright "Red" Trails with a decent height drop; "Black" Leo Lacroix and Pylones are also worthy of attention. But much brighter, on my taste, the ski impressions are waiting for you if you are moving on the contrary, on the eastern slopes of La Masse (2805 m), where there is always excellent snow and, except for high-speed plots, just created for gourmets, there are several reserved endrass routes – to Lake Du Lou, for example, or on the ridge over the DES Encombres Valley.

Val-Torans has its own zone of skiing. Web trails and ropes of three sides flies "Roof" Three valleys. For strong skiers – CIME CARON (3200), Top Point Troy Valla, especially its northern "black" Route: After a small traverse around the vertices, you turn out to be hard "shelf", going down under a very impressive angle. For lovers Mogul – Cascades, where bugs in human growth specially retain. For snowboarders – Snowparc. But in general, despite his "High rise", In Val Torans, many slopes that are suitable and novice katalkers. Long descent with COL, for example: only the output to it at the very edge of the glacier presents some difficulty, and then a wide and smooth road, see not sigh.

Actually, it is so quite often: the higher the resort is located – the topics of the route. Cup effect or even saucer – compare in a glass. Choosing where to go ride, advise you to pay attention not so much on the height of one or another place, how much "depth", that is, on the height difference. Although the height is certainly important – as a long season guarantee. Let’s say, at the end of April, when in the Meribel, Courchevel or Menu, already problems with snow, in Val-Torane there is more than enough. And so the sun. Well, yes, we started.

By the way, about the seasons – you, I remember, asked when and how much better to go to three valleys. Personally, I prefer January, and here you are my arguments. Honestly, I can not understand why this month still did not conquer "High" Season. Be that as it may, in January:

a / people less (in February-March on some "principled" branches there are queues, and on the trails of the Tolkuchka);

B / Weather more stable (in February-March in the morning it is clear, and the clouds are often inflated to dinner. In January, if the sun was established – I sculpt two weeks from the morning to night);

C / respectively, the snow January is better, more homogeneous throughout the catal day (in March for breakfast – ice, to dinner – "porridge". This, however, not only in three valleys, everywhere so);

And finally, Last But Not Least: G / Prices in January is an order of magnitude lower than February.

So he himself deches when it is better to go. But how much. Week of your holidays for Troy Valla will be clearly not enough, you need to come here for two weeks, and even longer. Four seasons I ride in three valleys, excised them along and across, and still constantly detect for myself unfamiliar or completely unfamiliar routes.