Chamrousse Snowtubing experience - Snow buoy

Presentation

Presentation

I tested for you: the Tube Park

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February 2020, Chamrousse 1750, snowtubing, in family.
Alexis, adept of second degree humour and rugby player of Sunday evening

Straight off the boat the day before from Saint-Brieuc in Brittany with my girlfriend Bérengère, to attend the FCG-USAP rugby match (let’s go USAP!) at the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, it is a three-days weekend in Isère that starts.
We obviously want to take advantage of this mountain that is offered to us. So, direction Chamrousse with my cousin and her boyfriend, Eric.
The idea is to find an occupation that is easy to access, fun and entertaining. Sit on the terrace of a cafe and enjoy a beer? It's not like us (or is it? ...), and you have to deserve it anyway.
Just 50 meters from the car park, you can see Chamrousse Tube Park: it was for us!

We equip ourselves and we go for it!

A short tour through the cabin, we choose the “1 hour all tracks” formula (tracks + bag jump), we are provided with the necessary equipment, and GO!
With the helmet on, the camera attached to the coat, and the snow buoy that follows on the ground, we take the direction of the ski lift.

It's super practical, like a buttock puller, except that this is a rubber ring puller with a wire; we are seated in our buoy at ground level, we let ourselves be carried and we watch the others descend. We arrive at the top, we pass the small bump that makes us drift slightly to the side and at the same time disconnects us from the wire, we get up with flexibility, elegance, and we walk to the different departures.
Several options are available to us: two “traditional” tracks with carpets at the very bottom to brake us, and one track with a “jump” with landing on a giant airbag.

The first descent

We put the “jump” aside for now, and get ready for our first descent. We approach the main track, an instructor is waiting for us "you will see, it's fun! You sit in the rubber ring, you can get off on your own, or you can also do a little train by all holding you together! ". We tell ourselves that anyway, it should not be very complicated, there is no steering wheel, no brake, no reversing radar, you just have to let yourself slip.

For this first draft, we decide to go down two by two. I start with my cousin: we sit down, we hold each other by our snow buoys, we turn on the camera and let's go!!! We accelerate quickly, and the speed positions us askew, which adds a little spice to the descent; it goes quickly ! Arrived at the bottom, we are braked by the mats, and we finish our race after the turn which ends up stopping us. We laughed a lot. The afternoon was on.

And we do it again!

Right away, we grab our buoys and start over. The same track. We change partners. Here we go again. We laugh so much. Several descents later, we decide to spice it up: we will do the train version!! And get off all four at the same time. We are warned: with the additional weight, it will go quickly... I position myself first, I must already be placed in the descent so that everyone can sit in their snow rubber ring. The slope is already there, and barely installed in my buoy, I begin to slide with the weight of my friends who settle in their turn; the instructor detains me at the last moment, everything is back to normal. I turn around "is it ok, is everyone ready?"

Let's go! The same sensations as for the first descents, but even faster and even funnier... Arrived quickly at the bottom, we braked more difficult but enough to avoid any disappointment. On our momentum, we go up a notch and we go to "jump".

Direction the airbag!!

Here, the track is narrow: hardly wider than the snow buoy. The idea is to take the most speed and the straightest possible, to make the most beautiful takeoff...
Eric positions himself first. He seats in his buoy, he rushes forward. We take some pictures. From above, we say to ourselves that it looks very funny. It picks up speed, arrives at the springboard and takes off! The landing is rough, we laugh, we let him free himself from the airbag and we take our turn. Me last. I sit down, put the camera back on and go for it. I pick up speed, and my buoy is rubbing a little on the snowy edges, which makes me do a 180° just before takeoff… I then stand on the springboard in reverse! This is not what I wanted, but the sensations are good! This first "jump" was obviously successful for everyone...

After about ten jumps, some stay as close as possible to the airbag to immortalize the figures performed. Others were able to take advantage of the relaxation area available next to the tubing tracks, to debrief and wait for the less satisfied like me who wanted to make the most of this snowy getaway!!
That's it, the game hour is over, it's time to return the material. We put down the helmet, the rubber ring, we always have a smile on our lips; It is now time to go and sit on the terrace of a cafe to continue to share our good times around this well-deserved beer...

We will have to go back with the girls, left to the grandparents for this time, because there is even a small track so that they can slide in the snow buoy in complete safety.

Alexis - Vacationer adept of mountain adventure.

Tube Park for the snowtubing activity easily accessible on foot from the bend near the residence la Bérangère in Chamrousse 1750 - Roche Béranger (be careful when crossing the track).

More information on this new slide: Tube Park / snowtubing

Photo credits: Alexis B. & Elise M.