Ski Vallee Blanche – Aiguille du Midi (3842m)

We meet at the Aiguille du Midi lift station in the morning. Get geared up and take the lift to the top. Some sightseeing and a last toilet stop before we descent the ridge to where we change the crampons to skis.
Form here its all skiing along one of the biggest glaciers in the Alps. On the we way we stop somewhere on the glacier for a lunch or if you prefer, we ski straight to Chamonix. In the early afternoon we are back in town.

It's an exposed walk on an icy path. To ensure your safety you will be roped up to your guide. You will wear crampons on your feet and there is a fixed rope you can hold onto. The skis we carry on our back pack.
If this ridge walk is not for you, we can also ski the Vallee Blanche from the Italian side (Sky Way Monte Bianco).

You need to be comfortable skiing on black runs and have experience skiing in the off-piste. As a high-mountain off-piste run, snow conditions vary daily but also along the descent. You need to be in control of your skis in various snow conditions and be able to ski exactly where the guide points you.

It needs to be a clear sky day with good visibility. On snowy days or days with poor visibility we cannot ski the Vallee Blanche. Skiing on glaciers in poor visibility is very dangerous as one cannot see the crevasses. Should we not be able to ski the Vallee Blanche with you on the agreed day we try to move to a different day or you get a full refund.

Shovel, transceiver, probe, and back pack with ski fixation (can be rented from us) for 20€ per person.
Harness, we provide.
Boot crampons can be rented for 10€ per person.
Appropriate clothing for skiing in the high mountains including a warm hat as well as sunglasses and goggles. Some snacks and water to drink.

If you are not renting the backpack from us, make sure that you can attach your skis and poles securely on the pack. If you are competent in crevasse rescue rope-work you may add your crevasse rescue kit to your harness, and you might be asked to carry a rope.

The classic Vallee Blanche allows intermediate skiers to travel through spectacular alpine terrain, between crevasses and seracs. The run follows the valley floor, first towards Italy, around the big rock outcrop called le Gros Rognon, and towards Chamonix. It passes the Requin Hut and down to Salle de Manger on Mer de Glace. Once on the fairly flat Mer de Glace it cruises on, zig-zagging between the crevasses, and we can enjoy the views of the famous Drus summit and les Aiguilles d’Enverse. This is the world’s most famous off-piste run, 20km of glacier skiing, not very steep but to be handled with respect.

The Vallee Blanche can also be descended from the Helbronner cable car station, called the Italian Vallee Blanche. We then cross the Mont Blanc tunnel to the Aosta Valley by car and ski all the way back to Chamonix.

Gros Rognon and the Vrai Vallee Blanche variants are possible for more advanced off-piste skiers. These runs wind down a maze of glacier crevasses and sustained pitches, those are great to ski in fresh snow. They join the classic Vallee Blanche just before reaching the Requin Hut.

Petit Envers du Plan and Grand Envers du Plan are very interesting ski wise but involve some steep pitches and couloir skiing. They are also even more heavily crevassed and demands high avalanche and serac awareness. Coming down from the Aiguille du Midi snow ridge we continue straight ahead and ski in a direct line down to the Requin Hut. From there we have the option to ski some steep and technical couloirs down to Salle de Manger.

If we decide to ski tour, we may for example ski the first part of Vallee Blanche and then skin up towards the Italien border. Either to Col d'Entreves from where we ski back to Vallee Blnache again, or skin up below Dent du Geant from where we can descend the Vallee Noir on the other side of Glacier du Geant.

More reading about Chamonix off-piste skiing and other useful information in the off-piste skiing blog category.