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

Vercors Massif The Vercors massif (; ) is a mountain range in eastern France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''département in France, départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, ...

, 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 (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), 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. ...

, and overlooks the city of

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

. The mountain is divided between the

communes A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte () is a commune in the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. Demographics 1968 Winter Olympics The commune hosted the ski jumping individual large hill event for the 1968 W ...

Lans-en-Vercors Lans-en-Vercors (, literally ''Lans in 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 *Com ...

Seyssins Seyssins () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).

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, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

, 1966 metres). The Moucherotte is home to a variety of fauna, including

chamois The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...

mountain sheep The argali (''Ovis ammon''), also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild sheep native to the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains. Description The name 'argali' is the Mongolian word for wild sheep. It i ...

, and

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

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

Commercial use

There was once a

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** ...

, 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 French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with Hedonism, hedonistic life ...

; 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 past.

Sporting history

During the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...

, 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