Today Emilie and I went with her mom, sister and sister’s husband to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc to ski the Vallée Blanche. To describe it as a unique experience would be a drastic understatement – the off-piste route spans over 16km with a vertical descent of 2,800 meters (9,000+ feet) through the largest glaciated domain in the Alps (the Mont Blanc massif).
The day began with a cable car ascent to the top of the 3,800+ meter Aiguille du Midi peak (pictured below). The cable car, which holds the record for highest vertical ascent in the world, takes you up 2,800 vertical meters in the span of 20 minutes. In fact, the last 1,400 meters are without a support pillar and towards the end you’re effectively going vertical as if in an elevator.
Though I generally have no problem with heights, I have to admit that the final stretch of the cable car ride is a bit unnerving. I guess a vertical drop of roughly 4,500 feet will do that to you.
There’s a viewing platform at the top of the Aiguille du Midi that offers incredible 360 degree views of the Alps. We were fortunate to have a perfectly clear day, which allowed us to see the Matterhorn in the distance (the "tiny" pyramid-shaped peak visible in the extreme background just left of center in the photo below).
We also had an up-close view of the Mont Blanc itself, which at 4,810 meters (15,700+ feet) is the highest peak in the Alps. To the extent you ever want to rile Emilie up a bit, just tell her you prefer the Matterhorn…
After finishing up with the photos, it was time to prepare for the descent. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple a putting on your skis and being on your way. Instead, you have to put on a climbing harness and fix your skis to your backpack to prepare for the traverse down the Arête – a narrow ridge that must be negotiated between the exit of the cable car station (literally an ice tunnel!) and the start of the skiable area.
During peak season there is a safety rope, but given the steep descent on each side, coupled with the awkwardness of walking in ski boots with skis strapped to your back, it’s a bit hairy to say the least. As an additional safety precaution, we roped ourselves together, though this might be better described as the “if one goes down, we all go down” safety method.
Here’s a photo that I found online showing a part of the Arête. To truly appreciate the ambiance, picture howling alpine winds and steep drops off either side!
After navigating the Arête, we were all set for the fun to begin. For the most part, the main route down the Vallée Blanche is the equivalent of an “intermediate” run, so the day is mainly about taking in the beautiful views and incredible snow.
That said, you need to be extremely careful and not blaze your own trail – the biggest risk is falling down a crevasse. And the larger, visible ones (seen in the background of the picture below) aren’t the problem. In reality, the ones covered by “snowbridges” pose the biggest threat. You may think you're on solid ground, but a couple of meters (or feet) under you there could be a 50+ meter chasm.
While the majority of the main route is indeed intermediate (crevasses aside), there’s a stretch that narrows down and becomes much steeper shortly before the aptly named Refuge du Requin (“shark’s refuge”).
The descent in this area is further complicated by massive seracs (snow / ice blocks) and deep crevasses along the edge.
It was at this point that we had some unscheduled drama. While skiing down one of the steeper parts, Emilie’s mom twisted her knee and wasn’t able to ski any further (let alone walk). While this wouldn’t have been much of an issue at a regular ski resort, where the ski patrol could simply take her down on a sled, the Vallée Blanche is not patrolled and the only way out for those who are immobile entails…
Fortunately, there weren’t any real emergencies at the time and the helicopter was able to come rather quickly. And thanks to the wonders of the French health care system, Emilie's mom likely won’t have to cover much (if any) of the cost.
After Emilie’s mom headed off to the hospital via helicopter, the remaining four of us prepared to negotiate the balance of the route. Here’s a photo that I took of Yvain, Emilie and Cécile shortly before beginning the descent.
And here’s a look at a large wave of seracs after we finally got past the steeper portion. It definitely looks more intimidating than it really was -- the route down is actually outside of the photo to the left.
The final section of the Vallée Blanche is the Mer de Glace ("Sea of Ice"), a relatively flat expanse on the glacier that leads you through the valley back to Chamonix. Though it appears relatively harmless, you still need to be mindful of crevasses.
After reaching the end of the glacier, it was time to hike back up to a narrow piste through the trees that would lead us back to Chamonix. This ended up being the hardest part of the day – hiking up a steep hill in ski boots and with skis attached to your backpack definitely wasn’t fun.
But it sure felt good once we got to the top. Here’s a shot of me just before we put our skis back on for the final stretch. By this point I was too tired to detach the skis from my backpack, so it was nice to have an excuse to just stand in one place for a bit and do nothing.
After finally getting back to the car it was time to pick up Emilie’s mom from the hospital. Fortunately, she was free to go...albeit with a bum knee that will need to be checked out by a specialist. Hopefully it's something minor and not a torn ACL.
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For those interested, the following is a video that I found on youtube in which someone filmed a Cliff Notes version of his day on the Vallée Blanche. While the music isn't the best, the video does a pretty good job of capturing the experience from the first step on the cable car all the way to the bottom of the glacier.
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