Chamonix region route suggestions

Myself and some fellow TAY'rs are heading to the land of little snow to do some touring. On previous trips in the area I have mainly done lift assisted touring. On this trip we are looking to do Car/Bus/Train access to help secure more funds for cheese and wine.  Any suggestions for some mind blowin tours?  Looking for objectives with easy to moderate technical terrain, glacier travel and some ropework is expected.  If any other TAY peoples will be in Cham. in the next couple of weeks please contact us so we can meet up.  We also have a apartment spot available.

Thanks, 
Zack

Do you want day tours or overnighters?

The classic day tour is the Vallée Blanche. Take the Aiguille du Midi teleferique then ski 2000 m over glacier terrain down to Montenvers where you take the train back to the town. Most people start skiing down as soon as possible but if you traverse over to Aig ou Dent du Géant you might get fresh tracks.

I have also done Col du Belvedere daytrip. Lift access + 600 m skinning for a long descent. Col du Belvedere is roughly on the other side of the valley, across from Grands Montets. The col has a steep NW side (ski, sideslip or rappel about 30m) and ends in Le Buet where you take bus or train back to Chamonix.

Here is a slideshow from skiing Vallée Blanche and Col du Belvedere in April 2008
www.flickr.com/photos/runningclouds/sets/72157605051801535/

A visit to Argentière Hut is also recommended. The trip to Col du Tour Noir behind the hut is a gem.

IGN Top 25 map sheet 3630OT covers the whole area and has all the major ski tours marked.

Have fun!

A great, classic tour is "Les Trois Cols". As far as opening your eyes to possibilities and experiencing what makes Chamonix so special, you really can't beat this one. The three cols are (1) Col du Chardonney (2) Fenetre de Saleina and (3) Col du Tour. You begin in Argentiere and end up in Le Tour (head of the Chamonix Valley) Plenty of variations of course (including ending up in the swiss town of Trient). Usually a day trip, but you could combine it with a stay in the Refuge d'Argentiere and hit that Col du Tour Noir that Runningclouds recommends (well worth it by itself)

If you want more specific details, or other suggestions, pm me. Don't want to overload you with info. Have fun.

Thank you for the replies. There is a mini goldmine of info in your replies. Vallee Blanche variations and the three cols are high on my to do list. I have a few questions that I will p.m.

Zack

If you're in the vicinity of the Cabane du Trient, and especially if there's a lot of Haute Route traffic, you might check out the Glacier des Grands. Just a short flat skin across the Plateau du Trient, it's got a huge 1,000+ meter descent @ 30-35 degrees with no impediments (at least the year we skied it) and hardly anyone goes there. Might entail a few K's of walking in ski boots to get back to the town of Trient this year, tho.

There is an excellent guidebook in English with 82 tours including all those mentioned above.

www.amazon.com/Mont-Blanc-Ski-Tours-Eric...id=1300246273&sr=1-1


I think it can be bought in Cham for 30 euros.