Mountaineering and Skiing

In the second half of the 19th century, while the valley was affected by a strong rural exodus, a new phenomenon transformed the image of La Grave: mountaineering. Oisans became one of the first French centers of this new practice, just after Chamonix. The summits attracted pioneers, and in 1875 the Compagnie des Guides de l'Oisans was founded. La Meije long remained a challenge. It was only on August 16, 1877, that the Grand Pic was finally conquered, one of the last great Alpine summits to yield. The event deeply marked the region and placed La Grave on the map of international mountaineering. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new discipline arrived: skiing, which spread rapidly through the French Alps. As early as 1907, during the very first international competition organized in Montgenèvre, guides from La Grave were present. For a valley long isolated, these mountain practices opened a new era, made of visitors, challenges, and a strengthening Alpine identity.