Le Moucherotte (1901 metres) is the easternmost peak of the

Vercors Massif The Vercors Massif is a range in France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from which it is separated by the rivers Drac ...

, and also the northern culmination of the long ridge that runs along the eastern edge of the Vercors high

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

, and overlooks the city of

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

. The mountain is divided between the

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte is a commune in the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,083. Demographics 1968 Winter Olympics The commune hosted the ski jumping indivi ...

Lans-en-Vercors Lans-en-Vercors is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population Twin towns Lans-en-Vercors is twinned with: * Saint-Donat, Lanaudière, Quebec, Canada, since 1990 See also *Communes of the Isère department *Par ...

, Seyssins and Claix.

Geology

Similar to the rest of the Vercors range, the Moucherotte is largely composed of limestone. At the foot of Moucherotte, ''(bottom right in photo)'' there are three rocks, known as the Three Maidens, which were used in the resistance during the second world war by the maquis of Saint-Nizier-of-Moucherotte. The southern slopes and ridges of the Moucherotte extend to the Col de l'Arc, with three consecutive secondary peaks, called "la Croix des Ramées" (the Cross of Ramées), "du Grand Cheval" (the Great Horse, 1827 metres) and "du Pic Saint-Michel" (the peak of

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, 1966 metres). The Moucherotte is home to a variety of fauna, including chamois, mountain sheep, and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

. The summit is covered in grass, and loosely wooded.

Commercial use

There was once a cable car, built by the company Applevage, which connected the village of Saint-Nizier Moucherotte to the summit, where there was also a hotel, l'Ermitage (the Hermitage). (PDF) (french) Following first financial difficulties and then vandalism, the hotel closed permanently in the mid-1970s. The uniqueness and outstanding natural beauty of the location attracted the stars of the era, and it served as the setting for the filming of some scenes from the movie " La Bride sur le cou" (The Bride of the neck), with

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...

; the lead actress stayed at the hotel longer than expected, as access was cut off due to a snowstorm. The stately hotel, abandoned and left in ruins, was finally demolished at the start of the twenty-first century to return the site to its original beauty. At the same time, the derelict gondola station was also demolished. Today, there is almost no trace of its glorious past.

Sporting history

During the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

, the ski jumping competition was held on a 90-metre springboard, which is still in place on the northern foothills of the Moucherotte. However, it has seen no use since the late 1980s.

Ascent

There are several conventional methods of ascent: * From the village of

, either by the Grande Randonnee, or up past the old ski slope.Le Moucherotte
pistehors.com, retrieved 29 April 2012 * From the bottom of the commune of Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte, possible routes are either through the vallon des Forges, or by the east face (the most direct and steepest ascent). * From the

winter-sports stadium, the easiest route utilises a wide track and has a relatively gentle gradient.

References

{{Authority control Mountains of Isère Mountains of the Alps