An official groomed (!) piste since last winter (98), this 800 m vertical trail is ideal for lovers of wide open spaces. The very wide south facing gully is more for good intermediate skiers who will be delighted by the grand skiing and maginificient views. The whole of the Mont-Blanc range, the Aiguilles of Chamonix, the Drus and the Verte seem a mere stone throw away. Half way down at the edge of the tree line stop for a break or a snack before carrying on down to the chair-lift (especially if you want to be swept away by an avalanche!). Because of its souterly exposure, the trail is at its best until late morning. Louis Lachenal was a member of the victorious 1950 expedition to Annapurna alongside Maurice Herzog, Lionel Terray (and Gaston Rebuffat). A few years later he published Les Carnets du Vertige, which is still considered to be a fundamental part of alpine literature. Lachenal died while doing the Vallee Blanche in bad weather.

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Pictures and text in italics from the Chamonix Magazine.