Explore the wilderness of the Avals valley

L'Ariondaz farm & restaurant
This typical mountain pasture chalet, at an altitude of 2,000m, is set back from the track and managed by two mountain pasture farmers, Emilie and Bernard Chardon. As an ideal stopover, they'll look forward to unveiling the region's best specialities to you as well as their own traditional recipes made from the farmhouse produce. Settled comfortably on the south-facing terrace, enjoy a sweeping view over Mont Blanc and La Grande Casse (the highest peak in Vanoise and Savoie, at 3,855m). If you'd like to find out more about the milking process and how cheese is made from the milk of their Tarine herd, the couple also organise tours with commentary.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
English, French, Italian
Contact details:
+33 (0) 611 45 26 63
Rue de l'Ariondaz
73120 Saint-Bon-Tarentaise
Open:
From 27/06/2020 to 30/08/2020, daily from 10:00 to 19:00.
Lunch and afternoon snacks served, as well as occasional evening events.

Biol cellar
Nearby is the cellar and the chalet de la Grande Val, still used nowadays to make the beaufort "chalet d'alpage"; with a tool renovated in the years 2010

Alternative round trip towards Col des Saulces

Mountain pasture - Les Avals
Along this wilder stretch of your route is a mountain pasture where Beaufort, "the prince of the gruyères", is made!
Arguably the best-known cheese of the Savoie region, Beaufort is a hard, pressed cheese. Its heel is concave-shaped, its texture smooth and its colour ivory (pale yellow). One round weighs about 40kg. There are 3 types of Beaufort: winter Beaufort, summer Beaufort and “Chalet d’Alpage” Beaufort.
The pasture was once referred to as "the big mountain", a place where the shepherds would live for 100 days over the summer (generally from mid-June to mid-September). Back then, the locals talked of going up to or down from the mountain pasture: emmontagner (in Saint-Jean) and démontagner (in Saint-Michel).
These days, the farmers keep this livestock-rearing tradition alive according to a precise calendar. Courchevel's pastures are still home to several herds which help look after the mountain and you can buy delicious cheese from there too.

E-bike rental Izibike Courchevel Morion
17 rue de l'Aiguille du Fruit
73120 Saint-Bon-Tarentaise
+33 (0)6 35 10 75 09
Description
Follow the red waymarks: Les Avals.
E-bike rental shops :
Izibike Courchevel Moriond
17 rue de l'Aiguille du Fruit
73120 Saint-Bon-Tarentaise
+33 (0)6 35 10 75 09
Espace VTT
Croisette Courchevel 1850
73120 Courchevel
+33 (0)6 18 08 18 41
- Departure : Courchevel Moriond Tourist Office, 73120 Courchevel
- Arrival : Courchevel Moriond Tourist Office, 73120 Courchevel
- Towns crossed : SAINT-BON-TARENTAISE
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
If in doubt, you can take an introductory lesson in how to ride an electric bike with an instructor.
If you see a herd ahead, slow down and go round it. If there is a patou, a guard dog, climb down from your bike and walk, pushing it alongside you. Avoid making any sudden or aggressive gestures towards the dog and move away from the herd slowly and calmly. The dog will only be checking that you do not pose a threat to its herd. Respect the parkland and close gates behind you after you've gone through them.
The mountain is living, please respect it by staying on the paths and tracks.
Information desks
Le Coeur de Courchevel<br>B.P. 37<br>73122 Courchevel,
http://www.courchevel.com
info@courchevel.com
04 79 08 00 29
Transport
Find out more at: www.oui.sncf.com
You can then get a coach to Courchevel 1650.
Find out more at: www.transavoie.com
Have you also thought about car-sharing?
Access and parking
Parking :
Report a problem or an error
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