Giulia Monego is an Italian professional skier. The first time she drove through La Grave she didn't realize there was a lift. It’s only when she competed at the Derby de La Meije in Spring 2006 that she realized that the skiing was absolutely spectacular. About la Grave she says "All the good skiers that come here know what they want: steep gnarly terrain and few people."
This year, thanks to her sponsors Plum and Kaestle, she hooked up with Joe Vallone who has lived in La Grave for a decade and knows the mountain like the back of his hand. He has skied pretty much every inch of it, opening a bunch of new lines and couloirs.
She described the trip as "beautiful long runs starting on the glacier leading down incredible couloirs between high walls and mandatory rappels ending in woods and the last big turns before the road. 2200m run each time… not for weak skier! Last day we went for a tour which took us first on the backside of La Meije, to explore new scenery and incredible views over The Massif des Ecrins, then, climbing over a col, we dropped down back to La Grave side and skied the top north facing glacier visible from town. From up there we could fully appreciate the wild environment, the vastness of La Meije and the precious silence."