 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi folks
I may have an opportunity to get another short ski trip in , maybe in next 2/3 weeks.
I will probably be travelling solo and thought about joining a group to ski the Vallee Blanche for a bit of adventure.
Not done this but reading some reports and talking to people who have done it I suspect it may be a bit of a let down ?? Or maybe try a variation to the classic route, I believe some involve skinning to descend from the Italian side or climb to Col Freshfield away from the crowds.
The Grand Envers route sounds much more challenging,
This info is coming straight off High Mountain Guides website but would love to hear from anyone who has personal experience of any of the routes, especially any involving some climbing or variation to the main routes.
OR anyone fancy a 2/3 day trip ?
Dave
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I did the classic route last week. It's not a steep n deep adrenaline fest but a spectacular day scenery wise. I believe some of the variations are more challenging and there were plenty of extreme looking couloirs either side that looked reachable with a bit of effort. If you want a tougher route it would be best to contact prior to booking and ensure you are attached to an appropriate group.
The highlight for me was skiing down next to and then having lunch at the base of the ice-fall(but far enough away if anything detached which apparently happens about once a week) and while eating seeing a guy skinning up the VB on his own, accompanied by 3 huskies who's "lead" was a 10m rope attached to his harness.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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As above. Spectacular, but don't expect much from the skiing unless you do one of the variations / skin a bit.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Contact Rob Jarvis at High mountain guides - Explain to him what you are looking I'm sure he will take you on a day out to remember!
He's a great guy to spend time in the mountains with.
cheers,Bob
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Another vote for Rob Jarvis
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for feedback folks, sounds good,
I'll report back.. if I get there !
Apologies btw @JamesN, I just reread my origional post and it maybe seems to discredited peoples achievements on skiing the VB. not intended .
Was it busy up there ?
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@scarbski, It didn't come across that way at all, there's no point skiing something if you won't enjoy it. 
It wasn't overly busy, there was a bottleneck walking along the ridge but it cleared after that. There was a fair amount of people skiing the classic and tourers going off in various directions but nobody got in anyone else's way.
Our guide was telling us about the Vallee Noire, which involves skiing down some of the classic route and then skinning for a couple of hours followed by skiing down another glacier in the next valley. It sounds like it might be your cup of tea if you want an extra challenge. He pointed out the mountain you have to skin and it looked about an 800m climb.
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