La Vallée Blanche
Ski
5 Feb 2022
After a five-day warm-up in Verbier getting my ski legs back and catching up with family, I was ready to explore some new ski areas and learn some new skills. Arriving in Chamonix there had recently been some light snow, but before that, despite a very promising start to the winter, it hadn’t snowed for nearly three weeks. Combined with some strong winds, the mountains were looking a little hard and dry, but we hoped to find some decent stashes of snow with the help of locals.
Shortly after getting off the train and arriving at the hotel, I met the team and guide, James (highly recommend). We checked our kit over and double-checked the forecast to make our plan for the following morning and set the overall trip objectives. I was here for three days of ski touring, which would be a warm-up weekend for a bigger project in the spring. We were set for three days of blue skies and sunshine so ideal for touring and learning from James.
The three days worked out to be a ski tour up to Lake Blanc in Flégere to the west of Chamonix, touring around Col de Cicle in Les Contamines which is south of Chamonix, and then touring the Vallée Blanche, off the back of the Aiguille du Midi lift. This was a highlight for me and something I’ve wanted to do for years. The Vallée Blanche is one of the longest lift-accessed and one of the most famous off-piste ski runs in the world. The run takes you 22km down the wide glacial bowl surrounded by famous peaks of the Mont Blanc Massif as you navigate a variety of glacial terrain and snow conditions. The name Aiguille du Midi roughly translates to ‘the needle of midday’, as the sun can be seen over the station’s needle at that time from the town centre.
Chamonix - Refugio Torino - Chamonix. 33 km | 2500 m+ | 3.5/7 hours
Early morning hustle and bustle at the Téléphérique de l’Aiguille du Midi lift station in Chamonix Sud. It was a Saturday morning and also the first day of the French half term, so we were keen to get one of the first lifts up to the top to avoid the crowds. We met James early and were quickly on the first of two cabins up to the Plan de l’Aiguille mid-station at 2310m, then we swapped for the second leg. The first cabin moved quickly and swung between the pylons, the second climbing steeply and more slowly, but in only a few minutes we were up to the top Aiguille du Midi lift station and at 3777m, I was surprised how quick and easy that was.
We let the eager alpinists disperse and then kitted up - fitting boot crampons and harness, strapped our skis to our bag and put all our layers on, then got roped up to head out onto the arête and down to a flatter snow platform where we could ski from. There was some high winds this morning so we had the additional safety of being roped together. We hunched over with our skis poking up from our bags and walked through the back tunnel to the end of the lift station’s metal platform and we were thrust into the sun and wind.
Following the arête from here is around 100 metres of snowy/icy steps along the ridge top, with fixed ropes on either side guiding you down to a plateau. Once down and on the plateau we de-kitted and got ready to ski. There are lots of options for where to head from here, some would ski straight down the glacier, others were traversing right or around the back of the station and take on various skiing or climbing lines.
We weren’t planning to ski down the straight forward classic route, we’d ski a short way down and then skin up and over to the Italian border to the south, and come down the backside of the Petit Flambeau. We’d then join the classic route down and ski to the base of the glacier.
The ski down to the glacier plateau was on windswept hardpack snow, and we skied around the lumps and bumps that broke up the descent which required concentration, I was still adjusting to super light touring skis. We paused on a mellow section and then got our skins out and on. The snow was hard and crusty in most places but we got a few nice turns. As we skied the big rock faces either side shone orange in the sun. The large groups coming out the lift dispersed across the mountain quickly and we went our separate ways as we pulled off and to pit-stop to change to uphill mode. We were now in the middle of the glacier so we kept our space and stayed on one ski on at all times.
We then had a 90 minute skin up to Refugio Torino at 3375m, just a few metres over the border to Italy, where we had a cappuccino, naturally. This climb was mostly mellow gradient skinning with a few kick turns in steeper terrain towards the top, whilst being surrounded by vertical dark walls of rock, it was a scenic skin! As we climbed up the views from the top back down the valley and across to where we’d come down from the lift across the valley grew wider. There were now only a few other small groups around, roped up to the guide making their way up the glacier.
After coffee, we walked to the Skyway Monte Bianco station and took a short escalator lift up about 60 metres ascent and exited on the other side, to give us a clearer run to ski back down the valley. We came out on a long walkway from the back of the station and skiing down we picked our way through more windswept snow and hard sections of ice, with one or two turns in softer snow. Nothing steep, but we crossed crevasses and some exposed sections so needed to concentrate and follow James’ line accurately. We were less exposed to the wind as we skied down into the bowl and it was after midday now, so it was warming up, we all delayered and needed water.
Descending further the snow softened up in places but there was a lot of exposed ice and hard ice balls to avoid. Then further down in the valley, with moraines on either side, rocks fell as the valley crumbles and the glacier retreats. This was fairly alarming to see happen in real-time, so we had to keep moving and picked our way through as we heard rocks tumbling above on our left and right.
We skied down to the Mer de Glace where the snow ran out and had good views of the ice caves and large exposed sections of blue ice. Here we had 500 metal stairs to climb to the station where we could take the short cable-car ride up to Montenvers, then transferred to take the funicular railway back down to Chamonix centre.
All in all this was an epic few days and we covered some cool terrain. With new skills and renewed confidence, I’m excited to come back for a bigger test and adventure soon!
When in Chamonix be sure to head to Moody Coffee Roasters for a brew!
James Clapham’s photos - Flégére
Olly Alkema’s photos - Col de Cicle
11 April 2022
I returned to Chamonix a few months later for the start of skiing the Haute Route, and in the lead up to the grand depart, there had been so much snow we were forced to stay in the Chamonix valley for a few days to ski safer and more predictable terrain. On the second day I headed up the VB for another run and this time conditions meant it would be a different experience to when I skied it back in February, surprisingly for being much later in the season, there was more snow!
We were up the lift at 8.40, and it was much quieter and calmer than last time. Also it turned out the day’s weather was more settled, so it was easier walking out and down the arête. We skied down the glacier’s classic line and got some nice turns in pockets of fresh powder round to the left side. Continuing down to a plateau we transitioned to uphill mode and roped up briefly to cross a big, exposed crevasse, which was a bit of a heart-in-mouth experience. We then skinned up for one hour or so around the back of the Petit Flambeau (3440m), pit-stopped for lunch and then rejoined the mainline down the valley to the cable car and train back to town. The sun was super hot on the second half and I could feel my skin sizzling despite layers of SPF 50 so resorted to putting my hood up to save my ears. I had another sweaty walk up the metal steps, this time I knew what was coming, though! We headed back to the hotel and got our final bags packed ready for joining the Haute Route in Verbier in the morning.
The second time skiing the VB was just as epic and I could relax more and enjoy the ski down as I was more familiar with the route and my surrounding. Being springtime the rock fall and degradation of the mountainsides was more dramatic and we moved through the lower areas quicker to avoid rock fall. It seems as though there so many line options and adventures to be had on the valley that you can keep coming back for years. I hope so!
Further Info
See more at: chamonix.com, chamonix.net.
Useful links: FATMAP’s 3D map of Vallee Blanche and Classic Ski Tours of the Chamonix Valley, A Chamonix Dalliance.
Short films: Skiing the Vallee Blanche, Frozen Mind.
Related reading:
- Ski Touring: A Practical Manual, Bruce Goodlad
- Ski Rando Europe: Best of Ski Touring, Ski Rando Magazine
- Free Skiing - How to Adapt to the Mountain, Jimmy Odén
- Powder: The Greatest Ski Runs on the Planet, Patrick Thorne
- 30 Years in a White Haze, Dan Egan & Eric Wilbur
- The Art of Shralpinism: Lessons from the Mountains, Jeremy Jones
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