Verbier-itinerary routes

A snowHead

I have now skied in Verbier for the last three years, working up from a beginner to now been able to ski the bumps down from Mount Fort and Tortin with reasonable competence.

I have been unable to find out what the route down from Lac Vaux down the Col de mines itinerary is like, from the piste maps I see you can either end up at Carrefour or La Tzoumaz.

Because you can't see them from a lift perhaps someone could give me a brief description_ how difficult ? , are they easy to follow ?etc, I am back at Easter so would like to continue exploring.

Thanks in advance

A snowHead

thunderer, Haven't been back there for such a long time but these shouldn't just be ticked off because they are there.

For Val d'Arbi or Col de Mines, take someone who knows.....

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Col de Mines, you can see all the skiing from the funispace or walking up the Route de Medran. The col is the dip to the north of the Attelas ridge. As you leave Lac des Vaux there's a very pleasant pitch and then you enter a long traverse that is created by a JCB that lives there all year round and creates a chute a bit like a bobsleigh run. You carry on once the chute finishes continuing the traverse over a section that feels a little exposed and head for the col and then ski down to Carrefour.

To do Vallon D'arbi, once the chute ends ski down the wonderful powder face below you and follow the path down through the trees, a couple of pitches over pasture and then there's a longish skate,/pole to La Tzoumaz. Therte are loads of variations, but that's the vanilla route.

I agree with JT, take someone who knows it first time. Neither is as challenging as Tortin, but you need to know where you're going.

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And just to add Vallon d'Arbi in particular is quite prone to avalanche (obviously subject to snow conditions) so if there has been recent snow you really need to be kitted up with transcevier, shovel etc and be comfortable in how to use them.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I think Verbier itineraries (all itineraries?) are avalanche patrolled. I did enquire once and was told they were. Otherwise they would just be off piste routes (such as the much skied Tour du Charvet in Val d'Isere). If this were not the case you wouldn't sometimes see them with a rope accross and a closed sign. (However this obviously only applies if you stick to the route - not if you find your own variant.)

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snowball, they may be controlled to the extent that they are closed when the avalanche risk is deemed to be high (although that doesn't stop most people) but they are not controlled like pisted routes. They aren't blasted, and although the 'main' route down may be considered relatively safe the problem in a place like Verbier is that there will always be someone taking an alternative route who may then avalanche you (something that has happened to me!). The Vallon d'Arbi in particular has had a number of incidents in recent years. I wouldn't ski any of the itineraries in Verbier (maybe Tortin at a push if the risk was 1 or 2) without transcevier etc

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BGA, ah, that's interesting. I too used to think that all itineraries ie runs shown with a dotted black line on a ski map, were controlled, but in Davos/Klosters this year, I discovered that not to be the case. I'm going to Verbier soon, this info is really useful, thanks.

After all it is free

Hurtle, I know that the itinerary route question has been oft discussed but I think that they are in general a bad idea. They seem to mean different things in different places and people can end up making understandable but ultimately dangerous assumptions. In Verbier the itinerary routes all vary in difficulty from day to day, depending on snow conditions and also the route you take down. If you follow the yellow and orange poles, which is the marked way down, then quite often you are stepping over rocks, skiing huge bumps and usually missing the best snow. I always treat them as off piste, uncontrolled routes and take appropriate precautions, but see hundreds of people every year who haven't a clue and assume because it's marked on the map and lift served, it must be safe and skiable.

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Hurtle, I think the best thing to do is to consider each resort individually as to the status of itinerary routes, St Anton I believe (for example) is controlled (against avalanche) but not patrolled, and always remeber that all itinerary routes are off piste for the purposes of insurance cover.

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snowball,

snow reports

snowball, actually no. I know a couple of people who have been involved in avalanches in the the Vallon d'Arbi when it's been open, one of which was self triggered and the other where people where hit by one that someone else set off. I've also heard third hand about a few others. There was also a more famous incident about two years ago when an ESS instructor took a client down there and was hit by a slide which injured him (the instructor) quite badly. I think however on that occasion it may have been officially shut so he shouldn't have been in there, although I'm not 100%. I've also seen small slides occur in the Col des Gentianes when it's been open. I think in general these routes are safe when open but my point is that they are not really avalanche controlled in the same way that in bounds off piste is in the US and that people need to be aware of what they are getting into.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks Steve for the information.

The chute like a 'bobsleigh run' concerns me slightly, I assume as it is a traverse it is not to steep, how much room is in this chute ?, how long is it, is there enough room for turns or do you just go for it Shocked

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Its a long time since I've been there, thunderer, but I remember it as relatively gentle but narrow.

BGA, interesting. But many (most?) ESS instructors are qualified to lead off piste - though not on glaciers, of course.

A snowHead

thunderer, I think "walled path" may give you a better idea. As snowball says, it is gentle.

A snowHead

snowball, true. In this case, I'm fairly sure the route was closed, and as such the ESS policy in Verbier is that their instructors are not allowed to ski it with clients, or indeed in uniform on their own. I remember skiing Tortin and Gentianes with a mate of mine who worked for ESS on a day when it was closed, and he ended up taking his jacket off so that if anyone saw him he wouldn't get bollocked.

thunderer, it is generally gentle but can be a bit up and down if there hasn't been snow recently. I skiied it a couple of years ago when they hadn't bulldozed it and put the wall in, so narrow path with precipitous drop off to the right hand side. Great fun. But worth it as you get to ski this afterwards

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

When i skiied the vallon d'arbi there were some icy parts. Also it is quite narrow and a lot of people were snowploughing down, but when you get down this part its a good run with some more traveses further on and a walk at the end.

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thunderer, we just got back from Verbier on Saturday.

Having done Tortin & Mont Fort earlier in the week, we (me, wife & kids 14, 12) didn't bother with Col des Mines (looked like just another steep mogul run), but Vallon d'Arby was so much fun we did it twice in a day - In fact my wife (20+ skiing weeks) rates it as her best ever run. Just stay near the orange poles. Ther "chute" is not a problem at all, unless there are loads of other people around I guess (which wasn't the case for us).

We were there with some friends with 8 and 10 year old kids who coped with it fine (the day after we did it).

The "High Mountain" run off Greppon Blanc (above Combatzeline) is worth doing too, if you have the time - got to catch a bus at the end though.

Could do with some new snow fairly urgently, though.

Ed

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I did it for the first time in January, there was no walk out - you could ski back with no problem.

The path down to the flat bit at the bottom was a PITA though.

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If you do the Vallon D'Arbi with boarders then warn them that they may have a bit of a walk out in the run out to Tzoumaz. If you're going back in Easter, just be wary that the Col De Mines can be icy in the morning and then slushy late afternoon. To get it at it's best reckon on getting there around lunchtime ish if it's sunny, if you catch it just right then you'll have a great time. First time I did it I saw a load of people picnic'ing at the top, didn't know why they were just chilling out - 10 mins later of icy crap later I knew.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Ed, Thanks for that info, going out at Easter for 2 weeks so hopefully find some good conditions, Bucking Bronco, thanks for the ice/slush warning lunch time it is then. Three weeks til we go so hopefully get some snow by then.

After all it is free

Col des Mines and Vallon d'Arbi both closed yesterday (although didn't stop people going down there). Presume due to lack of snow, as the avalanche risk was 1. Touch more snow would be handy

We were there a month ago staying in La Tzoumaz, and so used this to get back from the Verbier area many times - it's a great run and most certainly more fun than getting a bus across Verbier!! If you're happy with Tortin/Mt Fort then I'd say you'd be fine with these, they're no more difficult.

Depending on the route you take it can get interesting crossing the stream just before the flat part!! As said above, the Vallon d'Arbi gets very flat at the end and lasts a fair distance, so that part is not much fun for boarders (my mate had to steal my poles each time we did this), but what comes before this makes it worthwhile. The bulldozed part at the top is not much of a problem (quite narrow, but room enough to squeeze in some quick turns or just snowplough it - again, not the best for boarders) but I guess it could be if crowded. That said we never saw many people around, which is in fact part of it's charm - it really feels like you are away in the wilds, far from lifts/people, very peaceful and beautiful. And relative to the other itineraries it is not so heavily skied, so we got some decent untracked snow for a few days after a snowfall.

One day in particular it was open and closed several times during the day - there's a ski patrol hut at the top of Attelas which is handy for finding out what the deal is in these sort of situations (they told us it was fine, so off we went!).

It does feel exposed in terms of avalanches though, so anybody skiing it when closed would have to be mad, in my view.

Enjoy...

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Verbier-itinerary routes

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