Mountain Layout — Skiing

Here is a larger, more detailed trail map in pdf format.

From the slopes of Chamonix and on to Argentière and Le Tour, a string of lifts takes skiers up both sides of the valley. On the Mont Blanc side you ascend above outcroppings and slopes of this magnificent peak, while on the opposite side you enjoy the Mont Blanc panorama as the lifts take you to outstanding runs.

In Chamonix, most skiers choose the challenges of Le Brévent at 8,288 feet. The cable car rises from the town to Planpraz, where the skiing really begins. The second section of the cable car takes experts and hardy intermediates to the top of Le Brévent, and a chair lift carries the less advanced intermediates to the Les Vioz area. Try the black run from the back of Le Brévent with a buddy. If after the first few hundred feet you’re not confident, you can cut to the left and take an advanced interme-diate trail.

Intermediates may prefer the midstation slopes at Plan Praz, especially the chair lifts that reach 6,560 feet. In addition, work your way to the right and take the chair up to the Col Cornu’s 7,488-foot level for a good intermediate run and off-trail skiing.

Ten minutes away by car is Les Praz, ground station for the cable car to La Flé-gère midstation. From here, a chair lift takes you to L’Index at 7,822 feet, where the skiing is outstanding for intermediates. There are off-trail challenges to the right and the left of the upper gondola.

The intermediate run from L’Index to Les Praz base is a challenging, advanced intermediate 30-minute romp. However, in high season you can wait as long as 45 minutes at the bottom to get back on the cable car. You’ll want to stay on the upper mountain unless you’re moving to another slope or making the last run of the day.

For our money, the best skiing in the valley is reached by driving 10 minutes up the valley to Argentière. The wait at the cable car base station at Argentière should not be more than a half hour, even in high season. From the midstation there are only three main lifts. But these lifts open up excellent skiing. As one instructor observes, “Why ride lifts when you can ski?” Here, you can really ski. A gondola and a chair lift offer excellent intermediate terrain and plenty of off-trail skiing for experts.

Advanced and expert skiers should head up the second stage of the cable car. You’ll have to pay an additional €10 to take the second car. (Trips are included on a six-day Mont Blanc pass.) For experts, the skiing is definitely worth the extra cost. At the top of Les Grands Montets take time to ascend the observation deck for one of the most spectacular views in the Alps. When you are ready to ski you have two basic choices—both offer 4,200 feet of vertical skiing. This part of the mountain has never seen a grooming machine. You can drop down a black trail across the Argen-tière glacier to Croix de Lognan, or go around the other side of Les Grands Montets and ski under the cable car. There are wide-open, off-trail opportunities for any skier willing to go for it. In fact, the “trails” offer only a general direction to the midstation. The red-rated (intermediate) trail branches off from the glacier route and then drops beneath the cable car to the midstation. It is often almost as much of a challenge as the expert-rated runs.

At Le Tour there is a system comprised of two gondolas and five other lifts at the end of the valley. The second eight-seat gondola links Le Tour to the village of Vallorcine. This area is perfect for beginners and intermediates and families who are looking for comfortable cruising in the sun.

The most talked-about adventure in Chamonix—not necessarily the most chal-lenging —is the 14-mile-long glacier run from the Aiguille du Midi (12,601 feet) back into Chamonix (3,363 feet). The scenery is magnificent, and the memory of the Vallée Blanche and the Mer de Glace will remain forever.

The Vallée Blanche expedition could be more appropriately called ski mountain-eering than simple skiing. Go prepared for changing weather and changing terrain: the weather in town may be balmy, with a howling wind at the top of the Aiguille du Midi and zero visibility. Be ready for freezing, windy weather. Pack goggles or mountain-eering glasses, good gloves, a warm jacket with a hood if possible, and your ski hat.

You start by climbing—roped to your guide and holding your skis tied together—down a narrow windy ridge. At the end of the ridge, you break the tether with the guide and, sheltered from the wind, step into your skis. Groups are separated from one another by several hundred meters. You may be skiing on trails for a time, then turn off for powder if your guide finds it. Sometimes the trail simply ends, which means climbing over rocks or ice chunks with your skis on your shoulder or balancing over a snowbridge spanning a deep crevasse.

The mountains surrounding you are all famous in the annals of climbing. The Vallée Blanche starts on the upper, smooth portion of the glacier. As it begins to break up and crevasses block the route, skiers sideslip down narrow chutes in a region called the Seracs. At the end of the Seracs and after almost two hours descending on skis, there is often a stop at the Refuge du Requin for a warm drink. From the refuge the run enters a wide-open area called the Salle à Manger (dining room).

The needlelike Aiguille des Drus, with Europe’s longest climbing vertical, towers above the glacier. From this point the Mer de Glace begins its drop into the valley. As the glacier ends, another refuge, Les Mottets, offers snacks and drinks. Then it’s back into the town, the entire trip having taken all day.

Although guides are not required, they are strongly recommended. In fact, unless you are an expert mountaineer, you’d be crazy to attempt this adventure without one. If the clouds close in, the guides bring you down by compass and you’re assured of having someone to belay you when crossing over crevasses and during the initial windy climb down the ridge. As an extra precaution, each participant receives a beeper. Guides cost about €260 (without a skipass) for one to four skiers. Add about €16 for each additional person. If traveling alone, check with the guide office in town to register for a group. With a group the cost is about €70.

What level of skier can handle the Vallée Blanche? A solid intermediate, comfortable on skis, who can sideslip easily and make quick turns can make the trip. You need to be in good enough condition to tour more than four hours at high altitudes.

An additional feature of Chamonix is the chance to travel through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Courmayeur, Italy, on the opposite side of the massif, where skiing is very good. There’s often good weather here when Chamonix is clouded over.

Mountain rating
Beginners should stick to Le Tour and Le Brevent. Though experts rave about the resort, thousands learn to ski here every year. But realize that this is not a walk-to-your-lesson resort.

Intermediates choose Chamonix year after year as an ideal area to increase their skills on challenging terrain.

Experts need never worry that there may not be a bigger challenge over the mountain: here, there always is.

Chamonix can best be enjoyed by all skiers with a guide to take them to their most suitable level. Chamonix Ski Fun Tours, part of the French Ski School, and Compagnie des Guides, have weekly packages that include a guide for small groups.