Off-piste Ski Area in Chamonix
Where to Ski Off-piste

Before Heading Off Piste...

Share this page

Related Content

Mountain Restaurants in Chamonix »

• Take a course in avalanche awareness and practice the techniques learned. Henry's Avalanche Talk is one such way to find out more with regards avalanche safety and Mountain Tracks run several such courses in alpine resorts throughout the winter
• Look at the weather and avalanche forecasts for France, reviewing the degree of local avalanche risk also. Henry's Avalanche Talk produces a translation of current avalanche conditions in English and PisteHors.com is an excellent reference also
• Don’t ignore advice given by local mountain guides or others if advised to ski a certain path, or to keep a specific distance between fellow members in a group
• Plan the route carefully, evaluating all different options and assessing all elements of danger. Look at the timings for each route. Inform others of your route, and when you expect to arrive back
• Attach your transceiver properly to you and DON'T FORGET to turn it on, test the signal is working, and make sure you have all the necessary equipment. (A transceiver is of no use if the user has not been trained in its use, it is turned off, or it is in a rucksack - unless you want just your bag to be recovered.)

Les Grands Montets Off Piste

Les Grands Montets is always the first ski area in the valley to open and the last to close. Early in the season (December to early January) it’s often quite rocky off piste as it can take several metres of snow before there is a sufficient base. By mid to late January conditions are normally good as the base starts to build. Because the top of this skiing area is on glacial terrain, it can also take a while for the very top cable car to operate because the glacier has many open crevasses which take a while to become covered by the falling snow.

As well as the really obvious stuff between the pistes, there’s plenty more off piste in Chamonix within easy reach for just a little bit of effort. The lifts in the Grands Montets give access to endless exceptional steep and deep off piste powder and glacial terrain, but because it is so easy to get to from the lifts it can tend to get tracked out very quickly on a powder day. When venturing off-piste always take the proper equipment with you (for the benefit of others as well as yourself) and, unless you specifically know where you are going, you should seriously consider opting for the services of a mountain guide (who, when you go with a group, will cost you less than a night out – small price to pay for the advantage of an expert) or a ski school.

A few of our favourite off piste routes in Les Grand Montets include:

Route 1 : Combe de la Pendant
The open nature of the terrain off the main ski area at Grands Montets makes off piste easy. The two main lifts that we use most are the Bochard and the Herse. The Bochard gives access to a huge amount of off piste either into the Combe de la Pendant or onto the slopes above Lognan. The Combe de la Pendant is a huge bowl above the village of Le Lavancher. The top area of the bowl only has one pisted black run – the rest of the area is a freerider’s paradise. The pitch is steep without being scarily so and you can usually be guaranteed to find great snow here after a fresh snowfall. The only drawback is that everybody seems to know this so you find that by mid morning, it's already fairly well tracked out! The lower section of the bowl has some good pitches through small bushes and trees but don’t forget to traverse skier’s right back to the Retour Pendant chairlift or you’ll find yourself heading through the woods all the way down to Le Lavancher.

Route 2 : Runs from the Bochard Chairlift
From the top of the Bochard traversing skier’s right onto the lower edge of the glacier enables you to either head straight down and rejoin the Bochard piste or to get into the Herse triangle by climbing up a small moraine into the bowl below. The small climb and traverse are usually enough to keep the snow relatively untracked for a little while here. The options are endless from Bochard: one of my favourites is following the ridge between the main bowl and the Combe de la Pendant. There are usually plenty of drifts and little cornices to have fun in before you reach the little U-shaped gully we call the cigar. There’s nearly always a cornice on its right side, almost like a natural halfpipe, which is fun for slashing or dropping off.

Route 3 : Runs from the Herse Chairlift
The Herse chairlift has some great off piste below it too. Head left or right – it’s all open. If you traverse far right it gets a little rockier but pick your way through and you’ll find yourself above a large bowl called the Combe des Amethystes. There’s a CATEX avalanche tube above the bowl so you know that it should have been blasted and will be safe. As you enter the bowl there’s normally a large cornice above it with a steep landing, great fun for dropping if the slope below isn’t too mogulled. From the bottom of the bowl head left to get back to Lognan on the cat track or carry on down left of the Hotel Refuge to rejoin the Pierre a Ric piste that leads back to Argentiere.

Route 4 : Blanchots and Plyones
If you don’t like the idea of going completely off piste, Grands Montets has several runs that are unbashed but still marked and patrolled. Two of which start at the top of the Herse chair: they are Blanchots and Pylones. While in fresh snow they can be great, it doesn’t take long before they turn into mogul runs, so beware of them if you don’t like bumps and it’s been a few days since the last snowfall!!

Route 5 : Top of Grand Montets cable car
From the top cable car at Grands Montets the marked runs are the same – unbashed but patrolled so they can become mogulled within a few days after a snowfall. From the top of the Grands Montets all of the runs are on glacier. While the marked runs are patrolled, if you head off piste you should be wearing a harness and be equipped and trained for performing a crevasse rescue!

Route 5a : Face of the Grand Montets
A definite favourite! From the top of the Grand Monetes cable car, walk down the steps from the top station and take a right turn, cutting below the cable car. The pitch here is steep but with good snow it’s fantastic. If it looks icy, it’s best avoided as you don’t want to slide here since there are sometimes there are open crevasses below. If you cut skier’s right you can normally find some fresh powder before opening the throttle for a flat-out descent all the way to the top of the Herse chair. There’s a whole plethora of routes from the top of Grands Montets, and the best thing to do if you’re not familiar with skiing or riding on glaciers is to hire a guide or go with someone that knows the area well so you can enjoy the high mountains in relative safety.

Route 5b : Point du Vue.  
The Point de Vue route is one to try on your own as it’s marked all the way and leads to the edge of the Argentiere glacier with its stunning seracs and crevasses, which are always worth a few photos.

Route 6 : Dream Forest  
It’s not all high-mountain glaciers and powder fields at Grands Montets. There are also some great tree runs for when the weather turns bad. The Dream Forest often lives up to its name with its bouncy pillow lines and tranquil glades. The Dream Forest is situated in the triangle between the Plan Roujon and Retour Pendant chairs. The lower edge is marked by a footpath that leads to the bottom of each of these chairs. Depending on how far left or right you go, you have a good walk to whichever chair you think is closest (it’s never more than a ten-minute walk either way). The good thing about the walk is that it deters most people, so you can normally find untracked powder here for days after the last snowfall. When it’s snowing thick and fast these lower chairs often keep running and the trees help with visibility when it’s a whiteout, which is a winning combination that’ll keep you doing lap after lap of waist-deep powder while everyone else has stayed indoors. Make sure you don’t go past the footpath. If you do, you’ll be heading into the nature reserve below and taking a couloir to the bottom of the valley. These can be fun, but are avalanche prone and not for the faint-hearted!!

Brevent & Flegere Off Piste

The ski area of Le Brevent and La Flegere is one of the quieter areas on powder days and makes it a favourite of ours for that very reason. Often we can find fresh tracks all day, long after the snow has been tracked out at Grand Montets!

One area, which requires a little bit of hiking, is the ridge at Brevent, which gives us the option of dropping into various steep chutes above the Charles Bozon piste. The steepness of these chutes makes them avalanche prone so we take care as slipping here could result in falls over cliffs and avalanches that could take out skiers below. We get to this area by talking the top Brevent cable car up and then follow the Bozon run down until it turns sharply to the right. Here we take a left under the avalanche warning rope, passing this means you need to be responsible for yourself and others, be equipped, and know what you’re doing. Following the ridge, there are a few sections where we have to go uphill and so have to walk a little bit. Depending how far we go there are various narrow couloirs that drop down to the right. After a 10-15 minute hike along the back of the ridge we reach the Col de Brevent, an open col with views on the right down to the Bozon piste and Chamonix Village immediately below. Another one of our favourite runs with plenty of steep and deep stuff to amuse us. The snow is usually good here for a few days after a fresh dump but will get unstable if the sun gets to work on it and the temperature rises, so we don’t do this run late in the afternoon on warm days. In the spring you’ll see the pisteurs setting controlled avalanches off on these slopes.

The terrain of Flegere is also superb for off piste skiing. There are so many route variations here there just isn’t space to explain them all! It can be said that the main Flegere bowl offers some of the best free ride terrain that Chamonix has on offer. The natural ‘lumpy’ terrain at Flegere makes it great for natural table tops, quarter pipes and half pipes and in fact, the whole bowl is pretty much rideable with only a few exceptions. The snow often remains very good at this altitude however it is good to remain alert as this section has hidden rollovers, some of which lead onto very large cliff drops so we recommend that you don’t go skiing over things before you’ve checked where they go!! Only enter this off piste area in good visibility and once you already have a good idea of where you are going.

On a fresh powder day, we try and catch the first cable car up from Les Praz to get those all important first tracks!! The Index chairlift that was opened during the 2005/06 winter season has made getting into the Combe Lachenal even easier now as it drops you right at the top of the bowl. Take a left (skier’s right) from the chairlift into the bowl, pay attention to any warning barriers as this bowl is avalanche prone. Make sure you are fully equipped, trained and avalanche aware.

The bowl is vast with only one piste running down the middle. You can select to traverse out either left or right to get fresh tracks, and generally it takes a long time before this bowl is truly tracked out. If you traverse out skiers’ right be sure not to go so far that you can’t get back to the piste at the bottom that will take you back to the Evettes chairlift. (You may find yourself heading down to Les Praz via the main avalanche chute if you stray too far off the beaten track!!).

If you traverse left about halfway down you’ll find a small hidden bowl that keeps the ‘freshies’ longer than the main bowl. The terrain is great for free-riding with open sections at the top. Lower down there are small chutes and drops to the right, rollers and trees to the left for you to get further adrenaline rushes from!

The area to the right (skier’s left) of the Index chairlift also has some superb off piste with longer runs possible. Head out below the old index lift building and work your way down the mountain. Along here you’ll find cornices where you can drop in, and wide open slopes where you can ‘let rip’ before heading down towards the Trappe chairlift that takes you back to the Index lift.

The area between the Floria piste and the Pylones piste is a massive unpisted area that has enough excitement to keep us coming back run after run, each time discovering another hidden stash of fresh snow. You can also access some of the great off piste conditions to the right of the index chair by using access from the bottom of the Floria lift. We would reiterate that we are extremely careful in this sector above the Chavanne chairlift as this area has many rollovers as we discussed above, some of which lead to large cliff drops. Make sure you can see your route down the mountain before you take of a top speed!

If you’re trying off piste for the first time, the area under the Trappe chair has some fun terrain. Trees and good snow will give you a good taste of the off piste without straying too far from the green runs.

Above the Trappe green run, there are a couple of steep, narrow couloirs visible to the right as you get to the top on the ride up the Trappe chairlift. They start out wide and flat but quickly become steep and narrow so probably best not attempted if the snow is hard and icy but in good snow they offer a real buzz and are a true technical test of your ability. We get to these from the Pylones piste, by heading skier's left just before you get to the flat section near the bottom of the run.

The section below the Evettes chair offers some steeper but still reasonably pitched tree skiing with plenty of drops and bumps ideal if the visibility isn’t great or if the higher lifts are closed. You can spot your lines as you ride up the chair, so route finding isn’t complicated. Traversing skiers left under the Chavanne chair leads you out to the slope above the Trappe green run. This area has a few gullies that form natural half pipes often with cornices and some great rocks to drop with small trees to slalom lower down.

If you are interested in hearing more about our off piste and skiing adventures we can offer you some indication of which months (historically, at least!) have enjoyed bumper snowfall as we have our entire archive of Snow reports available for you to read online. Why not spend 5-10 minutes before you come out browsing through the reports to see what conditions were like in seasons gone by. Although we can't guarantee the same weather or conditions, at least you'll be able get a feel for what to expect and if nothing else, it’ll give you plenty reading in the interim until our snow reports kick off when the season starts!!

Domaine de Balme (Le Tour & Vallorcine) Off Piste

In spite of being one of the lower and less steep areas in Chamonix, the area of Le Tour in the Domaine de Balme has some of the best off piste in the valley and excellent little stashes of powder when most the obvious places are tracked out.

It’s often cold and windy at the top and on the backside of the slope as the wind from the entire valley tends to get funnelled through. As a consequence there can be severely wind-loaded slopes which can create deadly slab avalanches, but don’t be put off by that as a guide and some local knowledge will help you make the most of the area.

The geology of Le Tour is very different from that of the rest of the valley. It is far less rocky, and in the summer there are meadows filled with grazing cows here. At the start of the winter season it doesn’t need masses of snow to make the off piste good. The front side (in between the pistes that fan out from the Autannes chair) is gentle and great for getting a feel for making your first turns off piste. You are never too far from the piste and the many gullies here are fun to play in, and it’s hard to get lost too as you always end up back at the Charamillon lift station.

Route 1 : Combes de la Vormain Another easily accessible area with no hiking needed is the much steeper part of Le Tour called the Combes De La Vormaine. Staying on the front side by traversing skier’s left around the bowl from the Autannes chair you arrive at the top of the Combes de la Vormaine. (It’s just out of sight of the lifts and pistes so chances are it’ll be fairly untracked too!) From the chairlift we follow the Chatelet track on the skiers left where you reach the top of the chutes from which we can take our pick to drop into. These steep chutes have several different aspects with gradients that vary between 35 and 45 degrees. These chutes funnel into a valley that leads to the beginner’s area of La Vormaine so don’t attempt them unless you're confident in your ability to ride slopes of this steepness! The bottom of the valley is an avalanche terrain trap so for this reason we don’t hang around at the bottom once we’ve all ridden the steep pitches. If you were to trigger a slide you would be stuck at the bottom and buried under a lot of snow. These chutes are often loaded with snow in the form of cornices and wind lips all the way down, which are great for riding up and pulling powdery turns but its important to remain vigilant. We’ve caught these chutes on the right day with some fresh snow and had some of our best lines ever, mainly because the steepness of the pitch and the cornices that build up in the chutes are so much fun to play on.

Route 2a : Aiguille des Posettes Another route we like to do is from the Aiguillette des Posettes. Take the Aiguillette draglift up and then head out skier’s right away from the pistes staying high below the ridge. This leads to the slopes above the car park at Le Tour. When you reach the avalanche barriers (yes these slopes are avalanche prone) start to descend towards Le Tour. The slopes are a good pitch here without being too steep, and scattered trees and bushes keep things interesting. You can either head into the trees below to pick up the trail that zigzags down, or head skier’s left into the more open section. When you are just above the river follow the riverbank down to the car park and bus stop. It’s a good run to do at the end of the day, unless it’s hot, which can cause these sunny slopes to become very unstable.

Route 2b : Aiguillette des Posettes From the Aiguillette des Posettes you can take a 3-minute climb over the top of the Aiguillette and descend down to Vallorcine. There are plenty of routes down but plenty of cliffs too, so have a look at the mountain from below first. The most-frequented route is the Posettes couloir, which is wide, open and reasonably steep. The snow here is often good but since the Vallorcine gondola was built it’s a little harder to find completely fresh tracks. Be wary of heading too far skier’s right, as this is where the worst of the cliffs are. By heading almost straight down you should get some good lines through the trees and shrubs and the slopes are shaded and the snow often excellent. At the bottom head right to either the train station if you want to head back to Chamonix, or take the gondola to get back into the lift system.

Route 2c : Aiguillette des Posettes From the top of the Aiguilette draglift we like to take a ride down the ridge skier’s left. Just dropping over the back of the ridge toward Vallorcine, being a little careful not to drop down too far as it means a walk back up. This opens up some superb terrain with rolling drops, scattered trees and little cornices (the zone below is an animal wintering zone). The area’s not particularly steep, so you don’t have to be of a very high standard but is great fun nonetheless. There are also some good spots here for building kickers away from prying eyes if you’re that way inclined. We head back, traversing towards the top of the Vallorcine gondola and try not to drop below the Esserts Variant piste as the hike back isn’t much fun.

Route 3 : Le Tour/Vallorcine A short hike to the top of the Tete de Balme from the chairlift of the same name opens up a lot of off-piste terrain at the back of Le Tour above Vallorcine. However, this really can be a dangerous area for avalanches so do take care. The back bowls here are often wind-loaded, with large cornices looming above the slopes: they may look great but can be deadly as there are several terrain traps here where you could potentially be buried under metres of snow. Every year there are avalanches in this area but then that is the nature of off-piste skiing, so if you want to explore these areas, please take a local mountain guide and go well prepared for all risks. The bowl below the Croix de Fer can be absolutely the best – superb steep pitches and wide, rolling, shady slopes where the snow stays fresh. The lower sections from here into the trees are also some of our favourites, but remember to traverse back to the bottom of the Tete de Balme chairlift, or it’s a long walk back up.

If you don’t want to do the hike to the top of the Tete de Balme, you can access some of the same terrain by heading down the Esserts black run and then traversing skier’s right. You miss out on the great stuff at the top but still get some superb riding through the trees. The woods here are worth exploring, as there are plenty of unexpected clearings and fun drops. The terrain undulates here and there’s always something fun around the corner. There’s even a little shepherd’s hut in the woods that you can ride over and then drop off its roof. As we mentioned above, don’t forget to traverse back to the bottom of the chairlift.

The routes mentioned here are just the tip of the Le Tour iceberg, there are many, many more possibilities to explore in this area. The mixture of trees, interesting terrain and wide, open areas make it such a fun place to ride off piste, and unsurprisingly another favourite!

If you are interested in hearing more about our off piste and skiing adventures we can offer you some indication of which months (historically, at least!) have enjoyed bumper snowfall as we have now made our entire archive of Snow reports available for you to read online. Why not spend 5-10 minutes before you come out browsing through the reports to see what conditions were like in seasons gone by. Although we can't guarantee the same weather or conditions, at least you'll be able get a feel for what to expect and if nothing else, it’ll give you plenty reading in the interim until our snow reports kick off when the season starts!!

Vallee Blanche Ski Area, Chamonix

The Vallée Blanche starts at the top of the Aiguille du Midi and finishes in Chamonix’s town centre (snow permitting). It’s an unmarked, unmaintained, unpatrolled and unchecked high mountain off-piste ski itinerary which offers some of the most spectacular scenery the Mont Blanc range has to offer.

The Aiguille du Midi cable car is generally the popular starting point for the route and as such it can be a bit like Oxford Street in the rush hour! (Sunny weekends are generally to be avoided as many tend to savour the Vallee Blanche until they have their ski legs back at the end of their weeks stay). Generally the lift company operates a number system where you can phone and pre-book your cable car in advance. This is highly recommended if you want to avoid an unpredictable and possibly long wait on a busy day. A Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass covers the Aiguille du Midi lift or single/day lift passes are available, prices here.

The Vallee Blanche routes start at the top of the Aiguille du Midi (3812m) where after exiting the ice tunnel you are straight on to the ‘arête’. This is potentially one of the most dangerous points of the route as it is essentially a ridge edge you descend which has a 40degree pitch on both sides. In high season, a safety rope is placed along the descending path but it is still pretty intimidating knowing a safety rope is all that there is between you and the pea-sized buildings of Chamonix Town centre!

There are four main Vallee Blanche routes which people can choose from. The classic route ‘voie normal’ is fairly straight-forward providing you are following the advice of your hired guide. The route can be fairly busy during high season and it is not uncommon to see other alpinists ice climbing around the surrounding peaks or on the Toula glacier, or even across to the Helbronner lift station on the Italian side. The other routes are known as Le Vrai Vallee Blanche, the Petit Envers du Plan and the Grand Envers du Plan. These are technically more challenging and involve couloir skiing so are not for your average ‘joe bloggs’.

If skiing the ‘voie normal’ after skiing the arête the route follows on to a large rock outcrop, known as Le Gros Rognon (‘the big rock’). Along the descending route you will see large séracs, crevasses and ice falls which are pretty impressive sparkling away in various shades of icy blue from the winter sunshine.

Most people make a day of the trip down the Valley Blanche.  For many it is the highlight of a skiing trip to Chamonix, and they want to enjoy it.  If you allow for regular breaks and a bit of sightseeing on the way down you will probably take between 4 and 6 hours for the round trip from Chamonix.  Don’t forget that queues can be long for the Aiguille du Midi Telepherique, the arête from the Midi to the glacier, and for the return train from Montenvers. 

A popular pit stop for lunch on the Valle Blanche is the Requin refuge but be wary in this area as avalanches can be prone here in the wet-snow/spring snow so take care when skiing here. A number of skiers also tend to stop at the ‘Salle a Manger’ beneath the séracs. These large ice structures can collapse at any time so it is best not to hang around in this area. If you don't want to carry food with you there is a cafe at the top, at the Aiguille du Midi and at the bottom, at Montenevers.

The route at the end of the Vallee Blanche really favours skiers as it has a long flat run out which can be tricky for snowboarders to keep moving. During the spring it gets pretty slushy too so it is recommended that snowboarders take a pair of poles to push themselves along else it’s a long push for your back foot! In good snow conditions you can ski all the way back to Chamonix’s town centre, if not then the best way down, unless you want a long long walk out to Les Planards, is via the gondola and the Montenvers train.

Skiing the Vallee Blanche - Experience, Guides & Equipment

Guides are not compulsory on the Valley Blanche, and experienced skiers often make the descent without them. However, if you are unsure of your knowledge or ability on glaciated terrain, you should hire one of the many mountain guides that work in the area. They know the VB routes, can lead you in bad conditions and will minimise the risks involved.

The conditions will define the level of skiing involved.  Sometimes there is a firm base and it can be compared to skiing on piste. In that case it can feel like a blue/red run.  However, there may be deep powder, crusty layers or icy moguls, in which case it’s full on black.  Most of the time a skier who is comfortable on any red runs should be able to cope with the easiest of the routes down.

You should wear a harness when skiing on a glacier.  This allows you to be rescued from a crevasse should you fall in and to assist a crevasse resuce.  You will need at least one rope per party and the associated hardwear required to perform a rescue (slings, karabiners, ice screws, pulleys etc).

Avalanche transceivers should be worn by all members of your party.  These not only allow rescuers to find you in the event of an avalanche, but allow you to find others.

Shovels and probes are also vital in case of avalanche.  Although many teams descend without them, what use is a transceiver if you are unable to dig a victim out of the snow once you have located them ?   Most guides will be able to provide this equipment for their clients.  Unguided teams can hire equipment from any of the major gear shops in the Chamonix Valley.

Before setting out, it is worth asking yourself : 

• Have I got all the required equipment?
• Can I navigate down safely?
• What is the weather forecast?
• Have I got a first aid kit?
• Do I know how to perform crevasse rescue?
• What is the avalanche risk on the slopes I will be skiing, and do I know how to use my avalanche transceiver?

There are always dangers when skiing on glaciers in the high mountains. The main dangers on the Vallee Blanche are crevasse falls and avalanches.  Either are potential killers and the descent should not be taken lightly.

If you are not sure exactly what you’re doing skiing on glaciers you should hire a mountain guide. Do not attempt to follow guided parties – they may be taking a much more serious route than the one you intend to descend.