It was morning and the sun was rising, one eye creaked open as thoughts of the pant sniffing yeti popped into my mind, I haven't heard from him in a few days... I wonder if he's okay. In any case it was no Yeti, it was Jase reminding me of the promise, that today was Aiguille du Midi day.
Our mate Ryan from Vancouver with whom I'd previously done a sweet route over in Le Tour had said he wanted to ski down the back of the Aguille du Midi (3842m) and so we had agreed on the next clear day, that we would go.
So the team assembled: outside the Hostel. FYI hostels are a great way to meet loads of folks, some totally weird, odd and weird again, but many are nice, and often you will have things in common. Sweet!
Getting up the Aguille du Midi is a bit of thrill, even if you're not going to ski, you get an adrenaline rush, and one hell of a view. It is expensive though, around 40Euros for a trip up... but it is an experience. On the upside if you have the Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass you get up for free.
If you are going to ski, beware! Make sure you have all the right kit, there are crevasses and it can get pretty hairy....
In my book the essential Kit List:
Transceiver,
Probe,
Shovel,
Harness,
Rope,
Spare pair of pants
The walk to get down the back is pretty sketchy and steep. I didn't manage to get any shots from the walking ridge decent, mainly due to the fact that I was on my arse for the majority of the way down... My advice would be to definitely strap your skis to your bag, and hope for the best, it's about 3ft wide, and steep... with crevasses off either side. It's a true Buzz, and definately worth it!
After a roughly 75m walk across the ridge, you are finally able to gear up. Make sure you have good gloves, by the time my fingers started to warm up, they were stinging like a bee on crack.
Once you catch your breath, the view is amazing! We carried on down, and were lucky enough to have some tracked routes to show us the way, still with some sweet powder left to play in. Be warned there are massive crevasses here, so you need to be really wary of where you are going! Fortunately Ryan had done the route before and planned it out on his techie GPS watch the previous night...
The powder was thigh high, and after Jase and I took a wrong turn we left the rest of the group to meet up in the Mer de Glace, take a look at the at our rough routes down.
After meeting in the bowl where the 2 routes join, we proceeded to traverse across La Vallée Blanche. Be warned get your board/ski's waxed, mine were not.. and it's a good way to push. (Boarders you may want to consider taking some poles.) After a little treck, you carry on down the route, and eventually come out on the slopes of Les Planards. If your like Jase you'll crash into some metal barriers on the way, but you should end up there eventually....
At the end of it all, the day was epic, the scenery magnificent, and the next routes spotted... what more can you ask for?
Photos courtesy of Ryan the Rydog rider... (located pic above.)
Our mate Ryan from Vancouver with whom I'd previously done a sweet route over in Le Tour had said he wanted to ski down the back of the Aguille du Midi (3842m) and so we had agreed on the next clear day, that we would go.
So the team assembled: outside the Hostel. FYI hostels are a great way to meet loads of folks, some totally weird, odd and weird again, but many are nice, and often you will have things in common. Sweet!
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| Riders of the day. |
Getting up the Aguille du Midi is a bit of thrill, even if you're not going to ski, you get an adrenaline rush, and one hell of a view. It is expensive though, around 40Euros for a trip up... but it is an experience. On the upside if you have the Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass you get up for free.
 |
| Aiguille du Midi |
In my book the essential Kit List:
Transceiver,
Probe,
Shovel,
Harness,
Rope,
Spare pair of pants
The walk to get down the back is pretty sketchy and steep. I didn't manage to get any shots from the walking ridge decent, mainly due to the fact that I was on my arse for the majority of the way down... My advice would be to definitely strap your skis to your bag, and hope for the best, it's about 3ft wide, and steep... with crevasses off either side. It's a true Buzz, and definately worth it!
 |
| The Ridge Descent |
Once you catch your breath, the view is amazing! We carried on down, and were lucky enough to have some tracked routes to show us the way, still with some sweet powder left to play in. Be warned there are massive crevasses here, so you need to be really wary of where you are going! Fortunately Ryan had done the route before and planned it out on his techie GPS watch the previous night...
 |
| Ridge Trekkers |
The powder was thigh high, and after Jase and I took a wrong turn we left the rest of the group to meet up in the Mer de Glace, take a look at the at our rough routes down.
 |
| La Vallee Blanche |
At the end of it all, the day was epic, the scenery magnificent, and the next routes spotted... what more can you ask for?
 |
| The Crew Rides Midi |
Excellent review! Even if you're not a skier or boarder, it's extremely humorous .... and the photos are fabulous.... really enjoyed reading it!
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