Skiing down the biggest glacier in the French Alps is a challenging run in breathtaking surroundings along with some moments of anxiety.
Imagine yourself standing in the centre of Chamonix. Turn your face towards the sun and bend your neck backwards. High up above you, you see a tower. You don’t really understand how it got there, but you know it is the start of one of the most well-known off-piste itineraries in the Chamonix area. Actually in the whole Alps.
2800 meters down
Vallée Blanche is its name, the glacier that widens out as much as it can among the majestic mountains in the Mont Blanc massif. The biggest glacier area in the French Alps is also a very popular off-piste run. From the start at the mountain with the tower – Aiguille du Midi – and down to Chamonix the route holds a vertical drop of 2800 m. If the snow conditions allows, you can ski down them all. The descent gives 17 km of challenging skiing. On a glacier.
Crevass cruelty
Glaciers equal crevasses, and Vallée Blanche has several. If you’ve seen the glacier during summer, you wonder whether it’s possible at all to ski down there. And some parts of the glacier are so torn by crevasses even in winter it’s impossible to pass through. For the rest, it’s about hoping the snow bridges don’t burst.
Steep start
The skies rest heavily on my shoulders when entering Aiguille du Midi, and the breath reminds me I’m at 3800 meters above sea level. Stumbling down the narrow arête to the glacier I get a thought: Is this such a good idea after all? I resist the temptation to look over the ridge I know is the only thing separating me from the abyss, I slip down the packed snow, cling to the rope beside me and greet the ones bothering placing it here.
Le Grand Envers
I put the skies on and check the harness is properly fastened. Among the many routes down the glacier, we have made the most clever pick and chosen the steepest, Le Grand Envers. We gain a couple of meters until the first slope arrives. Angle at 40° spiced up by some ice in the middle. Somehow I get down, and looking up from the bottom I can conclude, yes, the glacier has crevasses.
Little helpers
The snow seems compact and solid, and we can keep the speed while descending. It’s been quite a long time since last snowfall, which means the tracks of earlier skiers are visible and very helpful when choosing the route. Tracks are not a guarantee though, as the bridges can burst even when you least expect. Rope, prussik loops and ice-screws are kept close, we’re just hoping we’re not going to need it.
Enjoyable
We’re enclosed by steep mountains on all sides. They rise high above our heads, irresistible, but apparently impregnable. We take our time admiring the surroundings, taking some pictures and then heading for the last part of Le Grand Envers. Vallé Blanche becomes Mer de Glace, and at the train back to Chamonix I can finally relax. Tremendous run.