Downhill skiing in the Vallée Blanche, Switzerland

Vallée Blanche (White Valley) — one of the world's most famous off-piste slopes.
It is part of the stunning wilderness and high altitude terrain of the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.

23 km of off-piste skiing among the glaciers of the Mont Blanc massif with a private guide

Starting at 3812m at the top station of the Aiguille du Midi elevator, passing through the Mer de Glace glacier and ending at 1035m in the center of Chamonix (snow permitting), the Vallée Blanche has a vertical drop of almost 2800m, over 23km.
Almost a third of the route is at an altitude of over 3000m.
This means that snow conditions are often excellent.

The Vallée Blanche is a truly, unrivaled glacial ski route through stunning high mountain scenery with awe-inspiring views of Mont Blanc, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Le Dru and Grand Jorasses.
This route is not only for skiers, but also for snowboarders descending the Vallée Blanche.

You should know that this is not a piste and well equipped and prepared for skiers.
You will have to pass through glaciers with crevasses and seracs. Therefore, you need to bring your avalanche kit, harness, crampons, ice axe and rope, as well as the usual ski equipment.

Therefore, taking a mountain guide is a wise choice.

The Vallée Blanche is one of the most accessible off-piste glacier descents in the world, and also one of the longest (over 20 km), starting from the top of the Aiguille du Midi cable car, or the Helbronner cable car in Italy.

Halfway down the glacier, you can even stop to enjoy a traditional meal in a Requin hut while admiring the spectacular icefall of the Du Géant Glacier.

The final descent takes you over the relatively easy terrain of the Mer de Glace glacier and past the Montenver train station, where you can climb up, take the train back to Chamonix.
As a second option, you can ski lower down and then, after a 20 minute hike, climb to the cofferdam of la Buvette des Mottets. From the cofferdam, ski up the forest trail, also returning to Chamonix.

The skiing season on the Vallée Blanche usually starts in mid-winter, most often in the second half of January.
This is because the crevasses on the glacier need to be covered by a thick layer of freshly fallen snow.
Because the safety of our clients is our top priority, we only start the Vallée Blanche ski season when the snow bridges are solid and the glacier is as safe as possible.

Depending on snow cover and glacier conditions, the Vallée Blanche can be skied through early May.
Weekends in March and April are traditionally the busiest periods.

Season after season, global warming is profoundly changing glacier morphology. The Vallée Blanche is no exception.

If you've ridden this route before, you'll probably be very surprised. There are more cracks than before and the wide slopes have given way to tight passages.
Thus, the level required for skiing in the Vallée Blanchehas generally increased significantly in recent years.

Under the guidance of a qualified UIAGM mountain guide, who will help you find a safe route around cracks and seracs, you will have one of the best off-piste skiing experiences in the Alps!