These two first weeks of 2010 we have had so much great off-piste skiing in Chamonix. It is a lovely, quite time in Chamonix; not very busy in the mountains, cold snow and beautiful winter landscapes. Some of the runs we have done are Chamonix classics, others are more rarely skied. Below is a little selection of terrain that is in good conditions now in the early season 2010. Just to give you an idea of the variety of off-piste skiing we have in Chamonix.
Note! All runs listed below go through serious off-piste terrain and demands proper knowledge about avalanche and glacier safety, as well as route finding skills and being well informed about the local weather and snow conditions.
Back and Front side of Grands Montets
Backside of Grands Montets
The top lift of Grands Montets opened on the 8th of January, before that the glacier was too open to ski. We spent 2 days skiing from this lift, making a lot of fresh tracks in slightly wind packed, fast powder. The off-piste terrain still has a lot of open holes, but the front side can be skied close to the rock ridge skiers-left, and the backside is good most places skiers-left of the big freestanding rock. The backside offers a large area with open slopes, ridges and couloirs where we can make fresh tracks all day! Even more options will open up once the snow cover gets thicker.
Skiing Pas de Chevre
These runs are suitable for all levels of off-piste skiers. But you should not go off-piste here without a guide if you are not capable of judging glacier terrain and know about crevasse rescue techniques.
Pas de Chevre
Skiing Pas de Chevre
Taking the lift to the top of Grands Montets and skiing all the way down to Mer de Glace. We have several options where to ski on the first part, then we pass underneath Le Dru, one of Chamonix’s most beautiful peaks, and get some fun skiing on the moraines. Once down on the Mer de Glace glacier you can either take the train or ski down to Chamonix after a small hike. Right now the trail is well filled in and the skiing is enjoyable all the way to Chamonix village. We skied Pas de Chevre on the 10th of January, making first tracks.
Skiing Pas de Chevre, passing below Le Dru
This run is suitable for experienced off-piste skiers. There is no big crevasse danger, but the run demands avalanche awareness on slopes differently exposed to sun and wind. The good exit couloirs can also be tricky to find and the run cannot be skied in bad visibility.
Rectiligne Couloir
In the middle of Rectiligne Couloir
The Reciligne is a bit more advanced variation of Pas de Chevre, taking a narrow couloir on the left of the classic run.
Once into the couloir you have plenty of room to turn and it is very nice to ski in powder. When you have too many tracks ahead of you it is not so great any more and it is obviously a terrain trap, so the time and the snow conditions need to be right. We skied it on the 14th of january in 20cm of fresh and loose powder.
Petit Enverse off Aiguille du Midi
Petit Enverse off Aiguille du Midi
The 10th of January we also skied off Aiguille du Midi for the first time this winter. The normal Vallee Blanche run is not safe to ski yet due to crevasses danger. Also the steep pitches on the Grand Enverse (the most direct line from the Aig. du Midi to the Requin hut) had slid completely and only blank ice was left. So our choise this day was the middle way, called Petit Enverse. The run offers some short steeper pitches, a bit of zig-zagging between crevasses, and some large open slopes. We skied 2800m vertical back down to Chamonix in mainly soft snow, some places on hard wind pack.
To ski any variation of Vallee Blanche safely with a guide you need to be able ski all sorts of snow in perfect control. Most of the skiing from Aiguille du Midi will be safer later in the season.
Hiking up from Mer de Glace
The hike up from the end of the Mer de Glace glacier is a 15 min walk in a winter-wonder-land. After we ski the “James Bond” trail leading back to the Montervers train station in Chamonix, which is well filled in all the way .
From the Mid Station of Aiguille du Midi
Skiing from Mid Station of Aiguille du Midi
When we get a lot of snow all the way down to Chamonix town we can ski in the trees from the Plan des Aiguilles (middle station of Aiguille du Midi). Here is especially good to ski when it is snowing hard, since you are skiing among trees and bushes. We spent the whole day the 6th of January doing laps left and right of the cable car. The upper parts are open slopes, the middle part contains a lot of fun pillows to jump on, and the bottom parts is skiing through dense trees and bushes. It is quite easy to get lost here if you do not know the terrain, so good local knowledge and route finding skills are needed. The skiable area is large and offers a great adventure away from the glaciers.
Col d’Entreve
Skinning up to Col d'Entreve
From the Italian side of the Mt Blanc tunnel we take the clable car to Punta Helbronner. From here we ski down to the Cirque Maudit and walk on skins up to the col between Aiguille d’Entreve and Tour Ronde. From here we ski a 300m, 45 degree steep mountain side. Then we continue in a less steep bowl before either joining Glacier de Toule and ski back to the mid station or continue straight down all the way to the Mt Blanc tunnel.
The ski is seriously steep and exposed, only for off-piste experts.
Skiing from Col d'Entreve
Marbree
Also from Punta Helbronner, a small hike takes us to Aiguille de Marbree (between Helbronner and Dent du Geant). We have several options where to ski this face. On the 7th of January we skied from the skiers-right ridge of Aiguille de Marbree. The powder was deep and soft on the steep upper mountain side, a bit sun effected snow on the lower slopes. The run gives us 2500m vertical os skiing back down to the Helbronner cable car. The top part is a no-fall zone, so it is suitable for experts only.
Skiing the Marbree
