Many people come to live in Grenble because it provides an easy access to mountain ranges, and even more people pass through Grenoble to reach ski resorts. While this is rarely an primary motivation for THOTH members, it certainly is great to discover this aspect of the region.
This page gives some basic and practical info on how to go there and to get started with mountain activities.
The Moucherotte (Vercors, just above the city). Start from Saint-Nizier-de-Moucherotte.
The St Enynard (Chartreuse, also just above the city). Start from the col de Vence.
To Chamechaude (Chartreuse). Start from Col de Porte.
To Dent de Crolles, start from Col du Coq.
From Seglière to Chamrousse (Belledonne).
To evaluate whether there is fog or snow, it is helpfull to look at the webcams from ski resorts: search google for "webcam chamrousse"/"webcam st pierre de chartreuse"/"webcam autrans"/"webcam alpe d'huez"/"webcam 7 laux", etc. Also look out of your window :-)
Shops with good quality / price ratio: Decathlon, Intersport.
More fancy and technical products and advice: Vieux Campeur, Espace montagne.
They are also available on internet: go to Geoportail, click on the "Cartes (IGN)" image on the left, then on "Ma sélection de données", and remove the "photographies aériennes" layer. Then navigation is similar to Google maps, except that at higher zoom levels you get the hiking map.
THOTH resources: the relief map in the corridor and a few hiking maps donated by Jakob (ask him). INRIA resources: you can borrow snow shoes ("raquettes"), maps and hiking tents from AGOS.
At the junction of hiking paths (in red on the map) there are yellow singposts that specify distances and sometimes walking times. Between these, paths are indicated with colored stripes (often yellow or white + red) painted on stones or trees.
Take your mobile phone with you, switched off (the spotty network coverage in the mountains drains the battery). The emergency number is 112. Mountain rescue is free (they will send a helicopter), but use it only in case of a vital emergency.
The water from wells and fountains ("source" on the map) is usually safe for drinking, better avoid rivers and melted snow. Water is scarce in the Vercors and Chartreuse, abundant in Belledonne.
Continuously re-evaluate your plan. If during the hike, the weather becomes worse or the path disappeared under thick vegetation, don't stick to the plan just because it is the plan.
Do not shortcut paths in much visited areas (like the meadow below the Dent de Crolles), as this increases erosion. Vegetation is most fragile between 1400 and 2200 m altitude.
One day of skiing ("forfait") costs between 25 and 50 euro, depending on the resort. Ski rental is about 20 euros.
Small ski resorts (like Lans-en-Vercors, le Sappey) are cheaper and friendlier for beginners. Larger ones (Alpe d'Huez, les Deux Alpes) have more than hundred of km of slopes. A color code indicates their difficulty, from easy to hard: green, blue, red, black.
The first hours or days of skiing can be painful.
If you are more serious about skiing and want information on ski touring routes, then skitour is the place to go.
See for example: pic du lac blanc from Alpe d'Huez
A bit farter away: aiguille du midi from Chamonix.
Initial text by Matthijs Douze, with edits by Jakob Verbeek.