Description

The climb up to the summit of the Saint Jacques follows its eastern ridge from the pass separating it from the Tête de l'Arpette.

A little chapel, often buried under the snow, shares the Summit with several VHF relays.

Skiing and snowboarding are forbidden by municipal decree on the western and southwestern faces of the Saint Jacques (zones covered with avalanche protections), but you can ride down the northwestern triangle and the northern slopes when the snow-pack is stable.

They are often laden with unstable snow.

The least dangerous route follows the right side of the northwest slope and then dodges between the trees and, at the bottom of the slope, crosses through a wide gap.

Be prudent in the upper section of the forest where a wide, treeless couloir is not the work of lumberjacks... On the north side of the Saint-Jacques, several couloirs and slopes open onto a clearing that is also the work of previous avalanches! This area is great to ride in but should be avoided when the snow-pack is not perfectly stabilized.

These two routes meet up at the cross-country trail just above the Frasses clearing where a forest road starts near a small group of chalets on the right and traverses the mountainside to the hamlet of Plangagnant.

From there you must cross the main road to get the chairlift La Roche that will take you back above Plagne center.