Couloir des BelgesRide Date:
29 Dec 23Snow conditions:
HardAvalanche level:
2 - ModerateTerrain:
Front countryWeather conditions:
Partly CloudyPrecipitation:
ClearElevation entry point:
2600mElevation exit point:
2500mAspect:
NorthMax slope angle:
Over 45 degreesDrop in:
SteepExit:
Ski outThis could be the easiest access FreeRide line in the Courchevel valley, up until the late 1990s this was a marked piste. It’s pretty short but worth a look, not least as the northerly aspect means good snow conditions last for days if not weeks after a dump. Roughly halfway down you have the option of riders left, which is the widest / easier line, to riders right is a narrower more technical section, the obvious rock feature separating the two might be worth dropping on a powder day.
Access couldn’t be easier - from the top of the Vizelle Gondola, Suisse or Marmottes chairlifts - follow the red piste along the ridge sign posted to pistes ‘M’ and ‘Pylones’. You will see a red path joining on riders left (piste ‘American’), at this point the gradient steepens slightly, keep as far to riders left as you can, almost as the Vizelle gondola passes overhead you will see the Belges drop away to your left. This is your entry point. You know you’ve gone too far if you find yourself at the top of ‘Pylones’.
What 3 Words entry point
///complaining.loading.pricierWhat 3 Words exit point
///stepfather.searcher.dosageNo specialist tech is required for this short detour from the piste but it's still technically off-piste so having Transceiver Shovel & Probe makes sense.
It was rather short however it was super fun and definitely worth the slight detour.
Given the short length of this line and the run out to a cat track, a fall will likely result in a bruised body as well as a bruised ego. That said it’s for the most part between 40 & 50 degrees, so in the sweet-spot where avalanches are most likely to occur. Whilst it’s not technically avalanche patrolled, the run out is onto a piste so it’s unlikely to be accessible unless it has been patrolled and mitigated.
Not incredible vistas of endless mountains but a good spot to take a breath away from the crowds and maybe even scope some lines on the opposite side of the valley.
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Riding with Sam from snoworks.co.uk today who showed me the Belges Zinger: Keep skiers left as you enter Belges and traverse left to a small bowl above a short couloir that drops into a lovely descent onto the Combe de Saulire. Well worth the detour. Thanks Sam!