Off-piste skiing, freeride and free rando in Serre Chevalier

Free ride" means to ride freely. Whether you're skiing, snowboarding or mountain biking, it's all about riding in unmarked areas, in more natural and untouched spaces, with a certain amount of risk-taking. Freeride or off-piste skiing is considered to be an extreme sport, but there is a growing trend for it to become a mainstream sport. It remains a dangerous sport and there are personal injury and fatal accidents every year, even involving professionals. The amount of snow is sometimes difficult to assess, and the rocks and cliffs are sometimes buried and impossible for off-piste skiers to grasp. Freeride skiing is undoubtedly the best-known sport, and one of the only ones with a world-famous competition: the Freeride World Tour (FWT). This competition takes place in several stages on some of the world's most legendary alpine faces, including Hakuba in Japan, Chamonix and Tignes in France, Kicking Horse in Canada and many other places, culminating in a final on the north face of the Bec des Rosses in the Hauts de Verbier in Switzerland.

Freeride skiing requires slightly different equipment to piste skiing.

Which skis are right for freeriding?

Skis need to be adapted to powder snow, so they need to be wider and longer (up to 15cm longer than piste skis). The bindings are also a little different and are less easy to release, as the skis will have to withstand greater stress than on the slopes.

Freeride ski boots

They have more cushioning and are more flexible, making them ideal for freeride skiing.

Accessories to bring

• Poles (you can use the same as for downhill skiing)
• A helmet is compulsory
• A back protector is strongly recommended
• Ski goggles or mask (most recommended)
• Gloves
• Avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. It's best to use your own equipment, so you can get to know it better.

Who is this activity for?

Freeride skiing is aimed at skiers with a good or even very good level. You need to be able to manage on a black piste, or red for some of the more discovery freeride outings. Children as young as 10 can start accompanied by a parent. The école de ski buissonnière in Serre Chevalier even offers courses for 8 to 12 year-olds at diamond level, with an introduction to freeride and freestyle skiing.

ESF Serre Chevalier

At the resort's three schools, you'll pay €85 for a day from 9am to 4pm, including safety equipment and transport.

ESI Monêtier

Private lessons and group sessions from €80 per day.

Oxygène Ski

Steep & Deep group lessons for level 4 skiers to enjoy powder snow.

ESI Buissonnière

Freeride courses for adults and children aged 8 and over from €60 per day.

ESI Génération

The school also offers half-day and full-day courses, as well as a 5-day road trip in the Grand Briançonnais and the Pays des Ecrins.

Serre Chevalier Guide Bureau

Monday to Sunday at various locations in the valley, from age 10 with a parent for some outings and 14 for others.

The best spots for off-piste skiing

• La Grave - La Meije, starting at the summit of the Dôme de la Lauze at 3567 metres
• Serre Chevalier with a bit of walking to get to the most beautiful itineraries.
• Sestrière Voie Lactée with a lot of off-piste in Italy.
• Montgenèvre, a must with the best snow in the region.

For an even wilder landscape, free ski touring is ideal. Virtually the same as freeride, but with a lot more walking to get to spots that are further from the ski lifts, but with far fewer tracks. Unlike ski touring, free rando skiing requires a lot less walking and more descending. In ski touring, only a small proportion of the day's skiing is downhill, so you'll clearly spend much more time going up than down. * With free ski touring, the aim is not to walk for hours on end, but to get away from the ski lifts on skins and knives or on foot, and then find a much wilder itinerary away from the slopes. The equipment for free rando skiing is still heavy and not suitable for walking around all day, even though wide skis (ski fat) are becoming lighter all the time. With free rando, you can ski in powder snow and enjoy all those sensations of sliding.