Telepherique De Droite

Access

Take the Saulire Téléphérique out of Courchevel 1850 to the summit at 2740m. (It’s also possible to take the Saulire Express out of Meribel but this route will not give you the opportunity to scope the line so it’s not recommended). On arrival from the Saulire Téléphérique turn immediately right to find the entry to the Saulire Couloirs – a small gap in the fence between the Saulire Téléphérique & Saulire Express lifts.

The hardest part of accessing this couloir is the narrow ridge that runs around 100-150m from the Saulire Téléphérique towards the Grand Couloir. Before setting off, locate the single wooden pole at the highest point at the end of the ridge, your drop-in entry is gonna be somewhere in the last 30 metres (skiers right), before the ridge rises to the pole. There are several choices here, some narrower and tricker than others depending on snow conditions. You can see fairly clearly where you're heading, ultimately these all lead into the same couloir (although there is an option to turn left into the Couloir de L'Arête later down the line).

Unsurprisingly the steepest section is at the top, things slowly mellow until you exit the couloir and soon after find yourself connecting with the red Combe Saulire piste.

Tech

As this couloir runs directly onto the Combe Saulire piste, it would be easy to assume that it is fully avalanche mitigated and never slides. However, it is technically off-piste and I for one have come close to being wiped out by my own sluff in the top section on a powder day, so transceiver, shovel, and probe are recommended.

Stoke

This is a short but fun one, with the steepest section around 45 degrees, it can get the heart going. It does however receive a fair amount of traffic, due to the obvious entry point en route to the Grand Couloir. So for maximum stoke, you may want to wait for a day when you’re in there early enough to find a fresh line.

Gnar

There are a couple of different entry points, some more gnarly than others. The variability of gnar is due to tightness of your first turn, in any event a fall here is likely to be more embarrassing than consequential — as the name suggests you'll be riding right below the Saulire Téléphérique, so you may well have an overhead audience not to mention other riders on the Saulire ridge.

Awe

I always feel a frisson of excitement just passing through the Saulire entry gate, combine that with a potentially sketchy ridge traverse and an internal debate about where to drop — and you've got something pretty awesome.