Ski touring piste
Fairly difficult
Descent trail color:
Green/Blue/Red
Corresponding ascent rating:
Moderately Difficult Alpinism
Description
FFME labeled ans secured route :
3.5 km and 600m ascent from the bottom of Pelvoux ski resort to the top of the Préron chairlift.
Ascend to the edge of the resort and treat yourself to a beautiful panorama of the Vallouise valley.
Marking: Yellow arrows and orange marks on trees in the forest
Description :
The trail starts to the right of the Préron chairlift, at the bottom of Pelvoux ski resort.
You will gradually ascend on a piste first then through larch forests until you reach the to of the Préron chairlift, at an altitude of 1850 meters.
The descent can be done via the green, blue or red pistes.
- Towns crossed : Vallouise-Pelvoux
Recommandations
→ You must bring your own safety equipment and know how to use it: avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, first aid kit.
→ Night-time activities on Nordic areas are prohibited. It must be supervised by a professional and must be authorized by the slopes service.
→ Several itineraries are shared with cross-country skiers, snowshoe hikers/pedestrians, sled dogs and traileurs. Please be careful.
→ It is forbidden to ascend along the ski runs unless the markings tell you to do so. In this case, you do not have priority when crossing them.
→ Respect signage: dangers, prohibitions, direction of slopes, among other things.
→ Don't overestimate your abilities!
→ Take your garbage with you!
→ When ascending and descending off-piste, you may come across triangle-shaped fenced areas: these are areas set aside for the wintering areas of the black grouse (Tétra lyre). Respect these zones and go around them.
→ Don't hesitate to take along a topo-guide so that you have all the information you need on ski touring routes at hand.
Mountain Rescue : dial 112
9 points of interest
Know-howThe "bua"
Before the year's work began in the fields, the women would spend a special day washing the winter's linen. This was called the "bua". A second was organised in the autumn. The bed linen brought outside to be washed with soap, in cold water. A brief rinse and second wash in soap completed this pre-wash step, called «essangeage». The laundry was then «poured» nto a wooden vat, lined with a coarse canvas.
- Know-how
The "coulage" laundry day
The dirtiest linen at the bottom and a large sheet last, which collected the wood ash. The «used» water was collected and reheated several times until the «washing powder» (potash from the ash) had achieved the required standard of cleanliness. Often, a few stems and roots of soapwort were added to give the water a soapy quality. The «coulage» sometimes took up the entire day and the house was filled with a pleasant smell! Finally, the laundry was wheeled on a barrow to the pond for rinsing. Small items were spread out on the blanched grass in the meadow.
HistoryPelvoux
Pelvoux is made up of a succession of small hamlets: Le Poët, Le Sarret, Le Fangéas, Saint-Antoine, Les Claux, Chambran and Ailefroide. Until 1893, Pelvoux was actually called La Pisse, after the name of the L'Eychauda waterfall. Since this name attracted wide mockery, it was changed to Pelvoux. “Peuvo” and “pelva” mean very high mountain, a nod to Mont Pelvoux, one of the highest peaks within the municipality’s territory.
Vernacular heritageThe minor heritage of Pelvoux
Every hamlet has its own chapel. In the territory of Pelvoux, Les Claux has the chapel of Sainte-Barbe with a restored sun dial dating from 1792. The seventeenth-century chapel of Saint-Pancrace is in Le Poët. In Le Sarret, you can admire the chapel of Saint-Joseph and the chapel of Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs stands in Le Fangeas. Every hamlet has its own communal oven and water fountains as well. Finally, the church of Saint-Antoine is located in the hamlet of Saint-Antoine. It has a sun dial dating from 1810.
- History
The ski resort of Pelvoux-Vallouise
In the winter, Pelvoux-Vallouise is a ski resort that is close to nature, with very good sun exposure and high quality snow. With 35 kilometres of marked pistes, off-piste skiing, cross-country skiing, a toboggan run, a children's snow club, snowshoe hiking, paragliding and more, Pelvoux is a family-oriented resort suitable for all levels of ability.
In the summer, a number of trails start from the various hamlets. You can also take part in mountain biking, enjoy a very fine via ferrata, go swimming... - Vernacular heritage
The ski resort of Pelvoux-Vallouise
The route first leads through the small ski resort of Pelvoux-Vallouise, built in 1982. Very family-focused, in winter it's the ideal place for young children to learn to ski, with small lifts lower down, while their big brothers and sisters can ski higher up. 
FloraSilver spike grass
A grass grows in large clumps on the embankment: silver spike grass. It is adapted to stony, dry and sunny ground. Its inflorescences reflecting silvery-gold glints create a beautiful effect, but they are particularly noticeable in the late summer, when it forms large shimmering bouquets in the evening sunlight.
WaterThe Gyr
Humans are decidedly bizarre animals: they build, knock down and start again. To protect the new infrastructures of Pelvoux, the Gyr was dammed. But, not able to flow as it did before, it deepened its bed, thus placing the foundations in danger of damage. And so works were carried out to widen its bed, allowing it to flow more naturally. This is also more favourable for biodiversity, as well as protecting the developed urban areas.- Flora
The grey alder
In the valleys of the Alps and the Jura, the grey alder often grows in place of the black alder, present in many parts of France. Like its cousin, it grows on riversides and plays an important role in stabilising the banks. If it is cut down, its wood is bright orange in colour. But why cut it down?