Col Du Fruit WSW Face

Access

Total trip time as described below is around 3 hours, however the line tends to ski better later in the day, so there is a trade off between perfect snow conditions and making back for the last lift out of Mottaret (if you need it).

From the summit of 'Saulire', you can easily access this line by heading up the 'FreeRide Lab' / 'La Petite Saulire' (see Courchevel piste map). This is the most physically demanding part of the skin or bootpack. Once at the summit (///delimit.dabbing.dwell), follow the ridgeline SSE towards the 'Aiguille du Fruit', an unmistakable jagged mountain at the end of the ridge line (see photos). The majority of the ridge is an easy skin with occasional undulations.

An ideal transition spot can be found at (///intolerance.disables.merit) – from here you can take a good look at the line as well as take in the views and maybe pause to fuel up. From this vantage point, it's worth noting the small bridge over the ‘Doron des Allues’ stream running parallel to the bottom of the line, as you will need to find and cross this in order to exit.

There are multiple signs along this ridge noting that this is the boundary of the ‘Reserve Naturelle Du Plan De Tueda’ in which skiing is not permitted. There is however a high mountain pass which runs along your intended line, so as long as you stick to this route you aren’t breaking any rules. This means that it is important that you select the right spot to drop in, which is about 100m along the ridge from the transition spot - this is marked on maps as the Col Du Fruit (///dogfish.wetsuits.baskets). The left hand side of the ridge drops you back into Courchevel, the right side takes you to the WSW face and down into the Mottaret valley. Looking down to the right, you will see a massive rock feature called the 'Pointe Émilienne' (see photos), directly below this rock is your first island of safety. The initial descent to the Pointe is made up of a handful of short steepish turns and then a traverse to the rock wall. From here it is a good idea to adopt safe travel techniques, traversing at least 30-40 metres apart before selecting your drop in points to find fresh lines. The times we’ve skied this line we’ve taken fresh lines skiers left – due to the state of the snowpack we’ve chosen to cross the main part of the face one by one and regroup at our second island of safety under the rocks at the far side, from here you can send it. In our case this was also one by one but this may not be necessary depending on the conditions on the day you ride.

NB: There is often avalanche debris covering parts of this line, which you may need to cross. This tends to come from the 'Central Park Couloir' located above the main face. If you're scoping this line from 'Meribel' / 'Mottaret', and you see evidence of a recent purge, then this could be a positive indicator to add to your risk assessment.

Make sure to use the highish ground amid the trees at the bottom of the line to regroup. The presence of trees here indicates that avalanches seldom reach this point, making it an appropriate island of safety, however, with that in mind, the relative immaturity of the trees does suggest this zone is not entirely risk free. Once you have regrouped, you will need to head to the small wooden bridge (///slalom.welcome.tribally) to cross the ‘Doron des Allues’, once across there is a small bootpack or sidestep up a short incline towards the north west followed by 300m push or skate before starting the descent via a walkers path down towards 'Lac Tueda' and eventually 'Mottaret' centre. Warning - this path can feel like unexpectedly hard work, it often has rough snow conditions, it also has a few tight switchbacks. If you feel like you’ve temporarily forgotten how to ride, don’t worry this is quite normal. Follow the path, which splits prior to the ‘Chalet Du Fruit’ you can take either path although the right hand one is marginally preferable. 300m after the chalet you will come to a t-junction onto a wide cat-track. Turning left looks like the obvious choice as it leads down hill whilst the right quickly begins to rise - despite the need to climb, the right turn is your route. The next landmark is the ‘Refuge Du Plan’ after which the track narrows back down to a walkers path with few more tight turns before joining the ski de fond track. A few minutes of skating before you arrive at the ‘Plan Du Tueda’ carpark, take the track to the left which requires a final uphill bootpack before joining the end of the Ours piste (see photos) a few metres before the centre of 'Mottaret'.

Tech

Touring equipment is certainly helpful and may speed your pace but not entirely necessary as the whole ascent and push out can be done without skins.

Given that we are dealing with an open face that has a tendency to suffer from avalanche activity from the 'Central Park Couloir' above, we would recommend transceiver, shovel, and probe as a minimum. An AVI pack is wise if you have one and of course a helmet as well as filing a plan with someone who can raise the alarm if you’re not back by an agreed time. The FreeRide Republic safety checklist is a good one to check you’ve done all your prep (see article - Save Time Slay More).

Stoke

Although not the most technically difficult skin / bootpack to reach the line, cooling off the sweat we built up was definitely a rewarding feeling once the breeze on the open face circulated through our vents. Once you begin riding, it is safe to say that you just don’t want to stop. It’s just you and the wide open face, so make sure to enjoy every turn you earned because it won’t last forever.

Gnar

I’d say the only thing that is likely to get your heart racing and adrenaline pumping is the long traverse between the two islands of safety. It is crucial to do this one-by-one so as to minimise risk and remember to take this opportunity to look around you and take in the incredible view of the valley below you because it is not everyday that you can scope out the 'Mottaret' valley from this vantage point.

Once you set off to send your line, remember it is just you and the open face. Take as few rests as possible and make sure no one is dropping in from above you, as there are no anchors on this face to stabilise the snowpack. Once you have committed to the descent, it is important NOT to regroup if you have to stop because the extra weight of multiple riders on the snowpack might just be enough to trigger a slide. Once you have reached the tree-line just above the stream at the base of the valley, take a moment to catch your breath while admiring the tracks you’ve just etched into the 'Col du Fruit'. Remember, just because you have now completed the ride does not mean that you are entirely safe from avalanche risk. Until you have made your way back to the 'Mottaret' valley and are safely within resort boundaries, you are still at risk. Make sure you remain vigilant and practice avalanche safety throughout the push-out.

Awe

As mentioned countless times, the views surrounding you are absolutely breathtaking. After all, It is not very often that we get the opportunity to ski a wide open face on a bluebird day when the avi rating is relatively low. Before setting off on the ridge and dropping into our line just above the 'Pointe Émilienne', we took the time to soak in the sun and the impressive peaks surrounding us while eating some well-deserved lunch. Having accomplished the exhausting push-out after completing the line, I would definitely recommend fueling up before you set off.