Lift, Hike & Ride Chamonix
Earn your Turns! Freeride and Skitouring in the wild high-mountains of Chamonix, the cradle of Freetouring.
Trip Dates
Difficulty:
Accomodation:
comfy: Hotel (-bed)
Earn Your Turns — this is a version of freeriding for adventurous skiers willing to hike, as well as downhill-oriented ski mountaineers. With ascents of 1000 metres maximum, the world-class freeride destination Chamonix offers downhill runs of up to 3000 meters per day. Burning thighs and satisfaction guaranteed!
Chamonix is a great spot for deep powder freaks, but unfortunately it is absolutely NOT an insider tip anymore. This is especially true for all freeride routes that can be reached directly or by a short ascent from the lift.
If, on the other hand, you are prepared to skin for two hours, things look different: you can then enjoy the breathtaking landscape with its couloirs and steep glacial slopes in complete solitude — or share it with a few other enthusiasts, but that doesn't bother you. The only drawback is that in order to enjoy many metres of superb downhill skiing whilst keeping the uphill as low as possible, you have to endure the morning scuffle at the cable car... But you'll soon leave this behind you.
We (and also our clients) are convinced that the satisfaction is greater when you have (almost) honestly earned your turns in deep snow compared to just taking the lifts and therefore just "consuming"! Let us convince you too!
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Itinerary
Our freeride and freetouring routes are centered around four of Chamonix's five lift systems: Midi, Index, Grands Montets and Vallorcine/Le Tour. So if we want to, we can draw our lines in a different setting every day. Among the absolute "must-do's" are the following:
Vallorcine with the beautiful north-western gullies of the Aiguilette des Posettes and then a freeride variant to the Croix de Fer and down to Trient(CH). Vertical ↑ 100 ↓ 1800 m
The Freeride Traverse from France to Switzerland: from the Grands Montets summit station via Col du Passon and Col du Pissoir to Trient. Vertical ↑ 1000 ↓ 2800 m
Index/Aiguilles Rouges – Col du Belvedere – Col du Berard – Le Buet. Vertical ↑800 ↓ 2000 m
Grands Montets – Col d’Argentière (3550 m) Vertical ↑ 900 ↓ 3000 m
Aiguille du Midi – Vallée Noire oder Blanche – Col du Tacul – Mer de Glace. Vertical ↑ 800 ↓ 3000 m
And if it gets too crowded in Chamonix or if we are willing to walk even more, we can escape to nearby Champex in the neighboring Valais. We'll enjoy good tree skiing from La Breya lift, or we can work our way through one of the many couloirs in Val d'Arpette.
Depending on your comfort requirements we'll' stay overnight in the cozy Gite Le Moulin in Argentière or in the british-owned Le Vert Hotel...
Prerequisites
Stamina for ascents of 500 – 1000 metres uphill with skins per day. Experience with crampons is required for the alpine cols where you have to bootpack in 40+ dg terrain and will be lowered on the rope. Excellent off-piste skiing technique, solid skiing skills on slopes up to 45 dg.
Getting There
The nearest Airports are Geneva, Bern or Zürich. From Geneva, it is very easy to get to Chamonix as there are regular transfer services available. We discuss the details of transportation with you.
Accommodation & Food
We typically stay in a basic but well run local hostel, a so-called gîte. Dorms with 6 to 8 beds are standard. If you prefer a single room, let us know. The accommodation is with half board including a rich breakfast buffet and a 4-course dinner with local food. During the day we'll have lunch in a restaurant at the ski resort.
Let us know if you prefer to stay another night after the last skiing day.
Gear
Freeride skis with a touring binding and skins. Avalanche rescue kit including transceiver, shovel and probe. Optional Airbag or BD Avalung system. All gear described will be provided at no extra cost except for an airbag. Glacier travel kit since we are travelling on crevassed terrain.
Included
- Organization and guiding by a IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide
- Rental gear: freeride skis, skins, glacier travel and avalanche safety
- All guide's expenses
Excluded
- 5 x Night/Half board in a hostel approx. 50 €/Night.
- Lift tickets and transfers 200 €.
- Lunch and drinks during the day.
- Personal insurance covering mountain rescue.
Specials
for this trip
Flexibility: joint risk of bad (weather) conditions.
Flexibility is our working method - not a slick marketing slogan. We budget 1-2 extra days in the planning of many of our trips to factor in adverse weather conditions. The days can for example be used to move the trip a day or two as to use the best weather window for the summit bid.
Of course you only pay the actual guiding days. We'd rather achieve your goal than insist on doing a poor alternative.
Top - mountain kit included.
Quite frankly our cooperating partners want to sell the gear they are providing us with. It is therefore clearly in our interest if you test gear on our trips. So why should we charge you for this?
Lend out gear is generally free of charge on all our trips. If you have your own equipment, but want to save weight on a challenging ski traverse, we will bring lightweight crampons for you. You are keen to test a wide freeride ski or the latest ice tools? No problem! Of course, we do not have multiple sizes or models in stock, but we are trying to help you with gear as much as we can.
Personal communication rather than follower and likes.
Lets face it: social media is a mere marketing tool for many businesses. To us this way of connecting with the audience is somewhat superficial. That's not our style. We prefer the direct contact to our clients - even beyond 'business'.
What does that mean for you? If you are planning a trip to the mountains on your own, get in touch, we are happy to recommend on a summit, region or provide information on the conditions. You need advice on gear? Need a second opinion on the avalanche situation? We are fostering a long term exchange, often on a very personal level, with many of our clients. We are taking the time, because its fun to chat or talk shop with like-minded people!
Fairness first.
The job of mountain guides is demanding and highly responsible. Clearly, this work has to be appropriately remunerated. Yet we are climbers, not tough business men. That's why our emphasis is on dealing fairly with our clients.
We block dates for your trip. Sometimes the arranged climb still doesn't work out. We then appreciate your understanding that we cannot bear the cancellation risk alone. On the other hand we do understand that you don't want to pay the summit rate of a prestigious goal for an alternative destination. With open communication and consideration for each other's situation, we will find a good solution. The summit rate only applies if the conditions are right and we make a summit bid.
