This spot is not secret,… its just a

 

FORGOTTEN SPOT

 

How I opened my eyes

I was born in Lausanne, the well known Swiss Olympic city situated on the sunny side of Lake Geneva. Later, I went to school in Morges, a few kilometers away. The brand new college I was studying in had clear, wide classrooms with vast windows facing towards the Alps. I guess that’s the reason why I was such a bad student… I was constantly daydreaming of lonely hikes in the mountains; subconsciously disappearing into desolate valleys in order to escape the school-life that I didn’t like.

 

Having fulfilled my school and army obligations, I finally made my daydreams come true by moving to the Alps. Working as a part-time snowboard instructor, snow-park shaper, DJ and ski man, left me enough time to get better at riding. Three years later, I was invited to Verbier to take part in the famous Xtreme competition, which I won on my first try. Since then I have had the opportunity to live my dream…

 

I have travelled to Northern India in the Himalayas, ridden the exclusive Chugach mountain powder in Alaska, and the icy snow of Spitzberg islands. I have been driving a skidoo to access lonely peaks in Canada and Scandinavia. I have heli-skied in France, Italy, AK, and Switzerland. I’ve met more people and discovered more spots in the last five years, than in the first twenty-five years of my life!

But on the other hand, spending all this time away from “my” mountains made me realise how nice they were and how much I missed them.

 

This is how and why I opened my eyes to take a new look at the Swiss and French Alps. What I realised is basic and universal - there is no need to travel, think or search - happiness, love and pleasure are always only a step away from us!

 

Rediscovering the spot

In this state of mind, I unfolded my loads of precious maps of the Alps, in hope of  discovering unknown resorts hidden in lonely locations around my hometown.

 

This is how my eyes fell on the resort that I had been looking at from my school bench. A tiny mellow spot situated on the south side of Geneva Lake. It is named Thollon and I am going to tell you a secret, which is part of the logic of the true freerider: It is always in forgotten spots, that you can find the most fresh snow. The good point about this kind of resort is that there are only families who ski there, which means not many freeriders…

On the map I counted at least five nice off-piste lines. In fact, there are many more!

 

Most of the slopes are Blues and Reds but there are also Greens and even a Black. They are mostly located on a northern pitched plateau, not visible from Thollon village.

From the town, a gondola brings you to the panoramic restaurant (1598m) and to the ski area. There are three chair lifts and a handful of Pomas. When there is enough snow, a good skier has the opportunity to return to the village, by riding beneath the gondola.

 

Off-piste skiing: (at your own risks !!!)

If you are used to reading a map, (see info), if you feel comfortable riding off-piste if you like to hike, then you should reach the summit of the “Borée” chairlift. There, a 100m couloir, equipped with a rope, brings you to the summit of Pic de Borrée (1974m), where you’ll discover an great - no, a unique, an amazing view - on Lake Geneva, Montreux and the Swiss Alps. There from, you can either ride down the little pass located east from the Pic, and then reach the slope called “Les Vieilles Cases” or hike a bit further east to the next tiny summit named “Pte de Pétalouse” (1878m). From there, you’ll be able to freeride facing the Lake to reach the “Vieilles Cases” slope or even further east. At the end of this slope the “Corniens” Poma  and “La Frasse” chair lift will bring you back to the plateau.

Always remember that to go freeriding, you should:

- never be alone

- be equipped with an avalanche transceiver, a probe and a shovel

- keep in mind that if you don’t feel it; don’t go. It is wise and clever to say “No”! The mountains will still be there the next day or… in ten years…

There are many more freeriding options, but I’ll let you discover them for yourselves. If you can read the map and open your eyes, you will be sure to find them…

 

How could have I forgotten this spot ?

After having visited Thollon several times last winter, I’m certain that it’s one of the sweetest spots that I’ve visited. Nothing very extreme, just a mellow, delightful place to visit… or live!

Smooth slopes for everyone, easy and accessible freeride, and enough fresh snow to feed the powder-hunter inside of me! How could have I forgotten this spot? Because it was too visible… all the time there, right there, in front of my nose. We often search too far for things that are sitting right in front of us…

 

But beware, you stressed people used to resorts like Verbier or Chamonix: Thollon is just like the Smurfs’s village; only the gentle people or the noble warriors can find the way to this quiet place…

 

 

Info :

- Tourism board : +33 4 50 70 90 01 email: ot.thollon@wanadoo.fr

- Lift office : +33 4 50 70 95 13 website : www.thollonlesmemises.com

- Apartment rental : www.vivien.fr.fm or guy.vivien@wanadoo.fr

- There are 4 sport shops, a ski school and several pubs.

- The ski area offers all kinds of runs, and difficult to mellow freestyle structures

- Backcountry skiing, Nordic skiing and snowshoe tracks on the Plateau de Thollon

- Full day ticket (2005 rates) adult / child : 18 € / 16 € - Weekly ticket : 90 € / 80 €

- Map: Swiss brown map, scale 1:25’000, N° 1263 Named: Evian-Les-Bains

 

How to get there

From Geneva, follow Evian, then Thollon and Thollon les Memises

From Chamonix, follow Martigny, exit in Aigle and follow Le Bouveret/St-Gingolph, in Lugrin take a left and follow Thollon

 

All pix by: Peter Charaf - www.petercharaf.com