Côte Brune Lift Line

Access

This line can be accessed from Les Menuires via the Mont De La Chambre or Bruyères 2 chairlifts, however the ideal way to access this is from the Côte Brune chair lift out of Mottaret. From this chair you can see the whole of the line and start to scope the myriad of options you have on this super wide face. Whatever route you choose, you’ll be in full view from the chair so you better be on your game ;)

Access is ridiculously easy - roll off the Côte Brune chair and peel right onto the red Venturon piste, descend a few meters and leave the piste riders right. You’re in the right place if the side of ‘Restaurant le Mont de la Chambre’ (see photo) is behind you. It’s usually a little rocky at the entry point so, rather than ‘having at it’ off the top, it’s wise to be cautious as you drop in (see photo). Once clear of the rocks you’ll be looking to find the entry point to the option you scoped from the chair.

The only word of caution here is not to stray too far riders right, the ridge is super obvious. Over the top are various drop in points down to the Lac de la Chambre but these need to be carefully scoped before venturing in this direction in order to avoid a series of rock bands that flank the valley.

Tech

You’ll need your FreeRide set up – Transceiver, shovel, probe, helmet and goggles for this one.

Stoke

We think the combination of terrain, slope angle, the number of route options and a built in audience on the chair above means the stoke is usually pretty high. This face can feel so different depending on conditions, it’s often bumped and fairly hard underfoot which is super fun but on a powder day it’s dreamy. It’s also over 1km in length from entry to exit as you cross under the chair to rejoin the Venturion piste and head back to the Côte Brune chair or on down to Mont Vallon.

Gnar

Whilst this face does have Gasex mitigation and isn’t far from the pisteurs hut (situated above on the Col De La Chambre), it’s still off-piste, so you’ll need to make your own risk assessment as to whether it’s on or not. However, it’s a popular off piste line, so the snow is normally well compacted and, to our knowledge, rarely slides but we’d be leaving it for another day on Avi 4 or 5. Avalanche is not the only hazard here as there are a series of rocky outcrops but this feels like a pretty low exposure face – there are certainly no big drops, narrow sections or ‘must make turns’.

Awe

The scenery in this little corner of the Trois Vallees is on a grand scale with so many spectacular lines to scope on both Mont Vallon and the Col de la Chambre. Take a moment to look up from the moguls under your feet and savour the views.