User:Flowieveren

Vallée Blanche

The Vallée Blanche (White Valley) is a 20km route that starts at 3812 meters on the Aiguille du Midi and finishes either at the Montenvers mountain rail terminus or in Chamonix itself depending on the conditions. This can give you around 2,800 meters vertical in the amazing scenery of the Mont Blanc range. The views are stunning and the high mountain environment provides a real sensation of wilderness along the largest glaciated domain in the Alps, the Mont Blanc massif.

The route starts at the top of the Aiguille du Midi (3812m) where after exiting the ice tunnel you are straight on to the ‘arête’. This is potentially one of the most dangerous points of the route as it is essentially a ridge edge you descend which has a 40degree pitch on both sides. In high season, a safety rope is placed along the descending path.

There are a number of variants to the Vallee Blanche, requiring a little more skill and knowledge of the area. Involving steeper skiing over a more difficult terrain. These routes are only recommended for advanced skiers under the guidance of a qualified mountain guide.

Routes

There are four main routes. The classical route ‘voie normal’ is fairly straight-forward. The route can be fairly busy during high season and it is not uncommon to see other alpinists ice climbing around the surrounding peaks or on the Toula glacier, or even across to the Helbronner lift station on the Italian side. The other routes are known as Le Vrai Valley Blanche, the Petit Envers du Plan and the Grand Envers du Plan. These are technically more challenging and involve couloir skiing.

If skiing the ‘voie normal’ after skiing the arête the route follows on to a large rock outcrop, known as Le Gros Rognon (‘the big rock’). Along the descending route large séracs will be seen, crevasses and ice falls which are pretty impressive sparkling away in various shades of icy blue from the winter sunshine.

A general rule is that if you have doubts about your ability and what equipment you need to ski the VB you should seriously consider skiing with a guide. Despite its reputation as 'something between a blue and red piste' it should not be forgotten that the Vallée Blanche is a high mountain off piste route with all that entails.