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Chamonix Off-Piste advice

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi Everyone,

I'm off to Chamonix on 21st March and looking (hopefully) for some Powder! This will be my 4th trip to Chamonix so I know the area fairly well, but I've not yet explored a huge amount of it's off piste, just some of the bits in between the pistes really.

We're definitely planning to do the Vallee Blanche. Can anyone recommend a good guide? But also an affordable (cheap) guide as the €270 lift pass will cripple me!

I've enjoed a bit of the off piste at Le Tour and was hoping someone could suggest the best spots up there for some Powder. The off piste at Grand Montets is essentially a given and probably best left to exploring more than anything else! Flegere was great in December, but I'm not sure I got the full use out of it. Is there a lot of off piste opportunities to skiers left at Flegere?

Hope you guys can help me out. I need to channel my excitement somehow and Snowheads seems the perfect place!!!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
jonnybroome, be careful at Le Tour. It's one of the most avalanche-prone areas of the valley.
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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?
Beware le Tour it kills more inexperienced people than anywhere else in the valley. Specifically in the gulley system on the front face which is much easier to get stuck in than most people realise. The other danger area is on the faces on the backside cause they are predominantly south facing & usually have a nasty sliding layer underneath any fresh snow. In saying that some of the skiing there can be quite fun but just make sure you know where you're going as it's very easy to get in trouble there as it looks quite benign.

Generally you'll find in all of the ski areas of Cham there is vast potential for off piste. The main problem however is that the shear volume of really good skiers there it tends to get tracked extremely quickly unless you know the secret stashes. Also always be wary of following tracks there as odds are the person who made the original track is probably a better skier than you & maybe on their way to do something way beyond you. There are lots of very heavy lines with innocuous looking entrances.

I'd suggest if you want to get into off piste & are a competent skier then ask your guide to take you down one of the more interesting variants of the vallee blanche rather than the original version. Or another line worth looking into getting a guide for is the pas du chevre.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Hi
There is wonderful off piste in all the areas you mention but I wouldn't be able to write a post that enables you to safely check it out. I fully agree with what has already been posted.

The compagnie des guides and EDF together run collective groups every day that you can join for around 70 euros that will enable you to experience the off piste with guiding. Not cheap on a daily basis I admit but you don't have to commit to a longer course - you can dip in and out as you please.

Lift pass price - Do you have to buy the Mont Blanc unlimited pass for the full week? - if your accommodation has internet access you may be able to get away with charging a pass on a daily basis online and so you could save a bit by buying Chamonix le Pass (unless you are going to Grands Montets of course). Have a look at the compagnie du mont blanc website so you can judge if the effort is worth the saving.
CP
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks for the comments everyone. Le Tour avalanches is something i've read quite a lot about so I am fairly wary of them. It's tough trying to get that balance right between fun and saftey.
cp1000, thanks for the info on compagnie du guides. That sounds like a pretty good idea. I looked a lot at the lift pass prices, but we're planning on a day in Courmayeur, plus a trip up Grand Montets cable car. So it didn't work out any cheaper to chop and change between the Le Pass and Mont Blanc pass. Expensive, but definitely worth it!
frank4short, good suggestion for the vallee blanche. I've read that the normal route, although stunning can be a little pedestrian. We'll try and get a little more out of it.
Many thanks for the advice!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
cp1000 wrote:

The compagnie des guides and EDF together run collective groups every day


I've been ski touring with an EDF UIAGM mountain guide, pretty boring to be honest, it involved touring around a reservoir checking the snow levels at various points then skiing down to the dam and checking all the automated gear was in working order. Ok for him as he was getting paid but I stood around shivering a lot of the time.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
if you're clear with the guides about what you want from the day, then they are good, i'd also recommend trying a british mountain guide first you can enquire here http://www.bmg.org.uk/
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
davidof, Nice! I'm guessing they meant Ecole du ski France guide as opposed to Electricte du France guide....
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Oops - I meant ESF!!
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