Going to Chamonix for the first time with a friend (both snowboarders).
I'm experienced with freeride/off piste/steep terrain as I spend a lot of time each year snowboarding in Canada. My friend is less experienced with off piste stuff and a low to middle intermediate rider.
I want to do the Vallee Blanche one day we're in Chamonix and wanted some guidance from people who have done it before:
1. Must it be done with a guide? Or can you just follow all the other dozens/hundreds of people's tracks that have been created that day?
2. The standard way down VB I hear is not particularly challenging or super steep - are transceivers/avy gear required? I know poles are a must for snowboarders as there is a long flat run out.
3. If so, does anyone have any recommendations for guides? I can see it seems to be about 500EUR for two people to get a guide on many websites. Would it be reasonable to wait until a week before to see which days might have had the best snow before booking?
Also, I'd like to do some more off piste stuff with my friend in Chamonix before we do VB just to get him more comfortable with it. Could I get any recommendations for areas that people recommend for good off piste stuff relatively near to runs/lifts? I'm very confident just going everywhere/exploring the terrain I'm not familiar with in Fernie in Canada where I go often. But never been to Chamonix and the alps are so much bigger than most North American resorts that probably can't just do the same thing there.
Many thanks in advance.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Mountain Surfer,
1. Are you experienced with glacial travel and rescue? Yes, there are loads of tracks but every year someone has to be rescued, sometimes breathing, sometimes not, from following the tracks...
2. If you're skiing off piste in Cham, like anywhere else really, avvy kit recommended. This is not Canada - i.e. off the actual piste is not controlled.
Apparently the guides office do guided days for like €100 each per day, maybe worth investigating.
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?
Thanks for the info! I suspected as much about the guide/avy gear but just wanted to make sure.
Looking at the guides office, they say that the traditional VB route is not recommended for snowboarders (too flat), although I've seen a bunch of YT videos of snowboarders doing it. They recommend the other routes, which they liken to off-piste black slope terrain. I wonder if this might be too much for my friend. Do other people who've done this feel the same way, or do you think the traditional route would be fine?
How do you know the person whose tracks your following actually made it safely back to town and didn't end up down a crevasse?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Mountain Surfer, It was a good while ago but I've done an alternate VB route aswell as the normal. IIRC it was longer initial traverse but then generally a bi steeper but not overly gnarly - so, if your friend is not too nervous should be fine. But I think there is always some flat run out. Talking to a guide will obviously be best.
1. Must it be done with a guide? Or can you just follow all the other dozens/hundreds of people's tracks that have been created that day?
2. The standard way down VB I hear is not particularly challenging or super steep - are transceivers/avy gear required? I know poles are a must for snowboarders as there is a long flat run out.
3. If so, does anyone have any recommendations for guides? I can see it seems to be about 500EUR for two people to get a guide on many websites. Would it be reasonable to wait until a week before to see which days might have had the best snow before booking?
1) it’s Europe, you can do it however you like. The main routes see lots of traffic so in good weather (which can change quickly), navigation is easy but there are crevasses and people (including guides) fall in every year. So you definitely want someone looking out for you and should have some glacier travel experience ie know the signs for snow bridges / don’t stop in risky areas etc
2) The 4 main routes are vrai VB, grand envers, petit envers and the classic route. The Grand Envers has a few steeper sections but it’s not really difficult. Check the avalanche report but unless it’s snowed recently it’s unlikely to be high risk given the amount of traffic. It’s a very long runout that would be very painful on a board, even with poles. Be prepared for that. Don’t ride below the stairs up to the lift to the train - it will add even more pain.
3) Popular guides are often booked up long in advance. You can call the Chamonix guides office to see if they have a suitable group running you can join.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
NBH wrote:
How do you know the person whose tracks your following actually made it safely back to town and didn't end up down a crevasse?
If there is a hole with tracks going in then that is a good sign! The courteous thing to do is shout down in case the person inside is still alive. But best not to get too close!
I once did the vrai vallée blanche, followed some tracks and got stuck at a 3m ice cliff. Fortunately we had a rope and were able to get down it. My rope skills were so poor that the rope was left as an offering to Ullr
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Poster: A snowHead
