Chamonix Chalet news

With sunny skies over Chamonix, we decided to treat ourselves to the Vallée Blanche on February 14th 2008! We went to the Association Internationale des Guides du Mont Blanc office on Rue des Moulins, as we’ve talked to them before and they’ve been very helpful. There, we met up with Neil Hitchings, who’s English but has lived here in Chamonix for over 25 years, and arranged to meet him at 8.30 a.m. at the Aiguille du Midi.

I was very happy to see that the arête (the steep ridge that leads down to the start of the Vallée Blanche) is fully equipped now with sturdy posts and two ropes. We roped up, and carefully descended the ridge. Two paths have now been equipped, which are both very well trodden in.

Once we’d gone a short way, Neil decided to take us down the steeper “Envers du Plan” route. Immediately, the scenery is spectacular, with the trail leading over snow bridges between aparrently bottomless crevasses.

The Petit Envers route had some nice patches where powder had accumulated

before rejoining the regular route below

It’s difficult to convey the majesty of the scenery - the scale is so vast that it defies photography. Probably the nearest to heli-skiing I’ll get this year!