119 m away
La Balme South Side

Spring snow perfection. Suitable for less experienced off piste skiers.
Moderate Freeride Skiing
- Distance
- 1.4 km
- Ascent
- 0 m
- Descent
- 409 m
Serre Chevalier’s most well known couloir and for good reason. Steep, long and a joy to ski.
Freeride Skiing Severe
If you ski one couloir in Serre Chevalier, this should probably be it. Previously accessible by chairlift, skiing La Balme now involves a 15-20 minute hike but it’s well worth the effort. Visible for the first third of the ride up the Vallons chairlift, it’s at least as good as it looks. Start at the top of the Vallons or Cucumelle chairlifts, walking south along the ridge for a few minutes at which point you’ll be able to put your skis back on and take as much speed as possible along the same ridge. Once you can’t get any further on your skis, hike the rest on foot as far as the small cabin at the top. Helpfully the ridge nearly always has a nicely groomed cat track in it as it is used by the ski patrol to get from one valley to the next quickly and for avalanche control. This makes the going easier. Once at the top, to get to the couloir, continue on the pisted track to the east until it turns sharply to the right. Keep going straight on. The entrance to the couloir is about 300 metres further on at an altitude of 2480 metres. The line down is obvious from the top. It’s important to follow the fall line through the narrow section of the couloir about 50 metres below. Any foray to the left will leave you stuck above some fairly substantial cliffs. Once through the narrow section, it really opens up until the tree line starts. From here you can go more or less where you like until rejoining the Cucumelle piste below.
Severe
Steep skiing at 38-45 degrees. This requires very good technique and the risk of falling has serious consequences.
119 m away
Spring snow perfection. Suitable for less experienced off piste skiers.
Moderate Freeride Skiing
145 m away
A wide open north face where the snow stays cold. The most forgiving of the sector’s north face lines.
Difficult Freeride Skiing
255 m away
For experts only. A narrow couloir with a sometimes serious cliff jump half way down.
Severe Freeride Skiing
359 m away
Short and sometimes technical lines splitting the rocks on La Balme’s north face.
Difficult Freeride Skiing
389 m away
A fun open face with a couple of short chute options. The climb to ski ratio is not that favourable though.
Moderate Freeride Skiing
638 m away
A perfect spot for less experienced off piste skiers with a sense of adventure.
Moderate Freeride Skiing
1.1 km away
The other La Balme couloir – less well known, less skied and shorter than its illustrious neighbour but epic all the same.
Difficult Freeride Skiing
1.2 km away
A largely open, undulating descent in a huge southeast facing bowl – ideal for entry level off piste.
Moderate Freeride Skiing
1.2 km away
Steep but short north facing couloir and face – a good introduction to steep skiing.
Difficult Freeride Skiing
1.2 km away
A beautiful north facing open bowl followed by perfectly spaced larch trees.
Difficult Freeride Skiing
10 routes · Freeride Skiing