January 05, 2006, Chamonix

Greg, Michael, Corinne and i are in Chamonix.  Michael's brother, Christian, a guide here in the area, is showing us around. resort skiing in Chamonix (or should i say Europe) is not what i thought it would be.  no, it's pretty serious stuff.  for example, in Chaminox off the top of the gondolas there are no rules. you do what you want.  but it's recommended that newbies find a guide, and that's why we have Christian.<br><br>yesterday we drove through the Tunnel du Mont Blanc to the Italian side. at the base of the gondola station, we put on harnesses, and listened to Christian as he told us how to behave while skiing with him. afterwards we rode three gondolas to a small (and nice) station that overlooks the impressive Mont Blanc, Dent du Géant (the Tooth of the Giant) , and Glacier du Géant. the views were most impressive and none like i've seen before.  i was blown away, both by the enormity of the area, as well as the exposure -- it gives new meaningto the word vertical! wow, resort skiing here is serious stuff.<br><br> <br><br>from the top we dropped back down into the Italian side via the "easy" way down.  yeah, right. there's a lot of exposure here and you have to pay attention. part of this route involves down climbing stairs (but it's skiable when conditions permit) . in the photo, the stairs may look easy to walk down, but the exposure from above as you descent with skis and poles in one hand while white-knuckle gripping the handrail with the other is enough to make the average visitor nauseous.  it made my stomach feel a little funny walking down it. the last set of stairs requires a quick downclimb facing the stairs, then hanging on the fixed rope to gain traction while at the same time trying to hop onto a small icy ledge. oh, let's not forget about putting on skis without slipping off the face of the earth. oops, i forgot to mention the ski down to the top of those stairs.  nothing fancy by European standards, but you don't want to fall.  no style points there, of course.<br><br>we skied down to the top of the first gondola station on the Italian side, something between 3500-4000 ft. i didn't pay attention because i was too busy trying to work my way through variable terrain and listening to instructions: turn left here, turn right there, stop, breath, save your energy, stay left of my track.....  there were fun stuff everywhere, like crevasses, seracs, icy patches, snow snakes, etc. my poor Viriginia ski legs were working pretty hard to keep things under control, especially on tele gear.  now i know why fixed heel dominates this area.  hmmm, should i switch ???.<br><br>after the first run we go up for more, climbing down the same ladder system, but this time we skied it down to the base. the lower 3 grand or so was fantastic powder! we skied between 5-6 grand back to the first gondola.<br><br>then back up for more, but a little variation as we dropped into the French side, down into the city of Chaminox via the Glacier du Geant.  our route joined the classic "Vrai" Vallée Blanche, from the Aig. du Midi. the glacier was impressive and HUGE.  a well earned name. the lower section is well broken up and we had to stay in the "track" at all times . this last run gave us 8000 ft. of skiing.  wow!<br><br>we found bush whacking the last 100 yards in Chaminox, weaving through backyards to the root beer shop.  Greg and I waited for Michael and Christian to get the vehicles from the Italian side. <br><br>what a fantastic day.<br><br>edited to add another photo<br> Michael, stay in the track or else your bro is going to yell at us again... .<br>

Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing your adventure.<br><br>

my poor Viriginia ski legs were working pretty hard to keep things under control, especially on tele gear.  now i know why fixed heel dominates this area.  hmmm, should i switch ???.

<br>Kam, come on over, the "other" side isn't bad . Thanks for the smile ;D!

Thanks Cam. Excellent report. It brings back great memories. And I think you are right...the skiing around Chamonix, especially the Aig. du Midi, is mind-boggling. As Doug Combs says about Cham, "its ski mountaineering IN YOUR FACE!". The terrain you can access from the Midi cable car can't be compared to anything we have in North America. You are lucky to have had a guide/friend to show you around. Hopefully you can post some more reports and photos from the area.

Wowzie! Don't know if I'd end it at a root beer shop though .

Hmm, I have to say that I hate you just a little bit...

Wowzie! Don't know if I'd end it at a root beer shop though .

<br>I KNOW I would NOT be at a root beer shop at the end <br>I don't know how you do it, Kamster.<br>Awesome trip you guys.

Kam,<br><br>Your wonderful report and photos bring back great memories. It is hard to imagine that most of the slivers of snow and ice around Cham have been skied by someone and probably with long and straight skis. Keep the reports coming.<br><br>Zap

It sounds like you started the day in Courmayeur or Entreves. Is this correct? Nice trip, keep the pictures coming! Drool....

P.S.- Posted in non-backcountry/lift served!!! HA-HA. I think we need a Europe category...

Damn, you guys are beasts! Superb pictures, Kam- thanks!

It sounds like you started the day in Courmayeur or Entreves. Is this correct?

<br><br>Yes, we started in Courmayeur just through the Mont Blanc tunnel the last two days, as the weather was much better on the Italian side. People here watch the weather very carefully (avalanche danger also) and plan their day accordingly.