Vallée Blanche: Freeride on glacier terrain
- Activity: Skitour/Freeride
- Country: France
- Level: PD (Not difficult)
- Season: January, February, March
- Max guests: 4
Where?
Vallee Blanche is the name of a famous freeride route in the Alps, more specifically in the Mont Blanc mountain range. The starting point is at an altitude of 3800 meters, which you can quickly reach by cable car. The cable car ascent to Aiguille du Midi is already unforgettable in itself.
The route itself is 15 km long, but usually it is said to be 20 km long. Unfortunately, in recent years, it has not been possible to descend straight to Chamonix due to the lack of snow, which reduces the length of the route by 5 kilometers.
The elevation difference is 3800-1800 meters, which is 2 km! This is a very large difference in altitude when skiing. The snow changes its quality and can be soft as powder, blown into drifts, rolled into bumps, or softened like spring snow, etc.
The slope steepness on the classic route does not exceed 30 degrees. However, on steeper variations, the slope steepness can reach up to 45 degrees.
The route passes through the glaciers of Glacier du Geant, Glacier du Tacul, and Mer de Glace. There are many crevasses and several steps of icefalls on the glaciers. It is strongly not recommended to ski alone on such slopes.
Including in price
- Guide's fee
- Group equipment
- Guide's cable car tickets
Not including in price
- Avalanche equipment, skies, alpine equipment rentals
- Cable car tickets
Details
- Group maximum of 4 guests
- Before taking the cable car, the guide will conduct a briefing, check the equipment, and if necessary, you will need to rent any missing gear.
- Descending Valeey Blanche involves skiing on a glacier at a high altitude. There is a risk of falling into a crevasse. It is especially important to listen to and follow the guide's commands.
- On some parts of the route, it may be necessary to move while being attached to a safety rope and use mountaineering gear such as crampons and ice axes.
- Descending Vallee Blanche will take 3-4 hours.
- It is advisable to bring a snack with you - a thermos and a sandwich.
- The final part of the day is the ascent to the train, which can be physically challenging.
- In case of unsuitable weather conditions, the descent may be postponed or replaced with skiing off the slopes within the resort. Other changes are possible by agreement with the guest.
Route
Chamonix - Aiguille du Midi - Valley Blanche - Montenvers train - Chamonix.
Itinarary
Meeting point
Meeting point with the group is at the ticket office of the Aiguille du Midi cable car.
Valley Blanche
Upon meeting with the group, the guide will conduct a short briefing and equipment check, and rental equipment will be available if needed. The ascent on the cable car will take 20-30 minutes. Then, following the guide's instructions, you will need to put on crampons and prepare your skis and poles for transportation on your backpack. The guide will attach you to a safety rope, and you will need to walk 200 meters with the rope along the southern ridge until we reach the spot where we put on our skis.
During the descent, we follow the guide at a set distance. The guide will make stops and talk about the surrounding peaks.
Before finishing the descent, after all the difficulties, we will make a stop in a safe place for a small picnic.
After that, in about 15 minutes, we can take off our skis and climb up 500 steps to the cable car and the train down to Chamonix.
Freeride 3-4 hours, walking uphill, 30 min.
Possible changes
The guide may make changes to the program if weather conditions or the physical and psychological condition of the guests require it, up to and including cancellation.
Information
Route map
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