La Grave

Don't expect to see small wooden chalets crammed into the alleys: here, stone dominates. The sturdy 17th-century houses are made of blocks of schist or tuff bound together with earth-based mortar, the roofs adorned with slate or flagstone. The "trabucs", these old-fashioned alleys that weave a narrow network between the houses, will take you to the top of the village, towards the charming church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption. In Romano-Lombard style, it adjoins the chapel of the White Penitents and the cemetery where the mountain's shipwrecked victims rest under humble wooden crosses.
From there, the view of the Ecrins massif, over the Romanche, is a real treat. La Grave is one of those simple and authentic mountain villages.

You will notice the particular shape of these wooden crosses. Different interpretations have been proposed without any of them being able to be verified with certainty. The most credible and probably the simplest hypothesis: the triangle represented the Holy Trinity and the circle the oneness of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The village of La Grave is nestled at the foot of the legendary summit of the Meije, jewels of the Ecrins National Park and the last of the great peaks of the French Alps to be climbed, in 1877. A mecca of mountaineering since this golden age of pioneers, La Grave Today, it attracts experienced skiers from all over the world. Its freeride and off-piste area is at the forefront of snow sports. But the town values ​​its status as a village-resort where nature reigns supreme and simplicity are the principles. There is no abundance of ski lifts, but there are a few ski lifts at the Chazelet village resort and a cable car leading to the glaciers of the MeijeThe latter offers everyone a gateway to the high mountains by allowing skiers, mountaineers, mountain bikers and pedestrians to approach the summits and glaciers.

La Grave It comprises several hamlets, each with its own soul, specificities, and traditions. It offers multiple hiking trails allowing you to discover the heritage they mountain hut while marveling at the magnificent landscapes.