Snowshoe circuit The Bois des Crétets
Distance: 0.85 km
Duration: 0:30
Level: Easy
snowshoeing
Directions
Snowshoe circuit The Bois des Crétets
Distance: 0.85 km
Duration: 0:30
Level: Easy
snowshoeing
GOOD WATERS GOURETTE
Loop
Accessible on foot from the tourist office, In the forest, In the mountains
panels with snowshoes drawn on trees
HomeThe resort in winterExcept skiingAll winter activitiesSnowshoe circuit The Bois des Crétets
Detailed itinerary
GOOD WATERS GOURETTE
Departure from the high-altitude restaurant Le SnowKfé, accessible by the Bézou cable car (pedestrian package)
1
Gentians
From the top of the Cotch gondola, walk past the SnowKfé. Just at the corner of the terrace, take the fairly wide track to the right that runs alongside the Rhododendrons ski slope. Its start is clearly marked between a stand of mountain pines and the SnowKfé building. Continue downhill on the snowshoe trail. After 200 meters, you will pass a large building; this is the IEA (Automatic Snowmaking System), also known as the snowmaking plant. Here you will find the control center, the workshop, and some of the pumps. Continue straight ahead until you reach the viewpoint directly above the Sarrière chairlift. Do not use the ski slopes and respect the signs; pedestrians and snowshoers are prohibited on the slopes.
2
The Crétets Wood
From this vantage point, continue downhill by taking the straight gap that goes straight down towards the resort. Before the slope really gets steeper, turn right to enter the forest. The route continues winding through the beech and fir trees. Shortly afterwards, you come out onto a wide track that goes up towards the snow factory building. Do not go down towards the La Forêt ski slope but go back up on the right towards the factory then take the track on the left that goes around the factory. Follow a low stone wall on the track and before it joins the La Forêt ski slope, take the path on the right that enters the forest again.
3
The lake, a reserve for snow cannons
The rest of the route goes back up to the SnowKfé mountain restaurant through a growing forest. On the right, you can see the reserve lake intended for the snow factory. The water, for its part, is captured further upstream, in the Anglas valley, before being used. Contrary to some preconceived ideas, there are no additives in the water of the snow cannons. Artificial snow is formed simply by spraying micro-droplets of water and the surrounding cold. Then, the route continues through the undergrowth, with a slight climb, to finally reach the back of the restaurant. Do not use the ski slopes and respect the signs, pedestrians and snowshoes are prohibited on the slopes.
