When you take your skis to the slopes of the Domaine Skiable du Grand Massif, you love above all else to end your day with a long, beautiful descent, like the final touch to a perfect day. You want to make the most of every second, as if it were your last, and put your equipment away with the feeling that it’s had a good day too.
First you take the village gondola, then the Sairon chairlift, which was given a facelift in 2022, and at the top you head for the Coulouvrier chairlift via the Chars blue run or the Paccoty red run. You then arrive at the tête des Saix, at an altitude of 2,100 metres, with an uninterrupted view of the Mont Blanc range. This is where 3 villages meet: Morillon, Les Carroz and Samoëns, a crossroads opening the doors to the Grand Massif and its huge ski area, one of the largest in Europe.
But you want to get back to the warmth and you feel very small in the face of this immensity. Down below, the Giffre valley seems so small and you wonder how it’s possible to reach it so easily.
After a deep breath, you set off, aware that it’s the last one of the weekend, and it has to be perfect!
First, you take to the blue Septimontaine Perce Neige piste. It’s aptly named, it goes straight down and your spatulas easily pierce the white gold. You need to pick up speed at the end of the run, which climbs up a little before coming out onto the Carroz ski area via the Arête piste. Ahead of you, in the distance, Le Môle watches over the Arve valley, overlooked by Les Carroz, and the gateway to the Haut-Giffre, Châtillon-sur-Cluses.
And without really seeing it coming, you return to Morillon, your favourite village, already 400 metres down, with 1000 to go. So you treat yourself to a little treat, the Marvel piste.
You love this one. It’s where you made your first turns on skis, your first sensations of sliding. It makes you feel good, like a real champion. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced skier, having a little Marvel is still an incomparable pleasure.
Marvel, it’s a green, 5 kilometre run in the forest over 600 metres of vertical drop. There are no difficult sections, just a few that are a little steeper, but they’re just perfect for beginners to master their equipment and for you to get your momentum back. You pass children in single file, reminding you of your good old memories as a young skier. Marvel has that power. It can take you back in time to those heart-warming memories.
The famous green route ends at the Morillon Les Esserts resort at 1100 metres and it’s time to continue your journey by taking the Doïna piste back to the village, at 700 metres altitude.
It’s the last one, and in 10 minutes you’ll be taking off your boots. You live each bend to the full, you challenge yourself on the technical sections and, above all, you enjoy every second.
Eventually, you reach the bottom. Village life surrounds you and you think back to the 1400 metre descent that brought your sporting weekend to a close.
But a question quickly pops into your head when are you coming back ?