Vallée Blanche
Vallée Blanche (literally White Valley ) is on the one hand the name of a glacier basin near Chamonix and on the other the name of a ski route that descends from the Aiguille du Midi over a length of approx. 20 km and a difference in altitude of 2800 m to Chamonix.
The ski route
The "Vallée Blanche" ski route is the most famous freeride descent in the Alps . The ski route, the starting point of which can be reached with the small cable car Vallée Blanche , but which is not marked and controlled, has numerous variants, including the variant that leads directly through the eponymous glacier basin and therefore La vraie Vallée Blanche (for example: The real Vallée Blanche ) is called.
The descent attracts thousands of skiers from all over the world every year, although the high alpine dangers should not be underestimated, as confirmed by the fatal accident of the famous French mountaineer Louis Lachenal in 1955 (fall into a crevasse ). The main dangers are the numerous crevasses, loss of orientation in bad weather and potential Serac falls . The start of the descent is also dangerous, as a sharp and exposed firn ridge ( l'Arête de l'Aiguille du Midi ) several hundred meters long has to be overcome from the mountain station of the cable car . The descent is therefore only recommended for skiers with no particular alpine experience in the company of a qualified mountain guide . In fact, guided tours through the Vallée Blanche are an important source of income for the numerous mountain guide offices in Chamonix.
The normal and easiest variant leads over the Col du Midi ( 3582 m ) and the upper Glacier du Géant to a spectacular glacier break (Séraczone), the most difficult and potentially dangerous part of the descent for skiers. Below the glacier break is the so-called Salle à Manger (literally dining room ), near which there is also an alpine refuge, the Refuge du Requin ( 2516 m ). The route then continues very flat over the Mer de Glace glacier in a high mountain landscape dominated by the Aiguille Verte to Montenvers , where a small gondola lift leads from the glacier basin (approx. 1800 m) to the mountain station of the rack railway . Depending on the snow conditions, you can go down to Chamonix by cog railway or on ski trails, a little below the cog railway through steep forest. Chamonix itself is then reached in the area of the ski slopes of Les Planards .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Spiegel.de: Ski legend "Vallée Blanche". Retrieved November 18, 2011 .
Coordinates: 45 ° 52 ′ 33.8 " N , 6 ° 54 ′ 12.5" E