Toule Glacier - South Face

The south face of the Toule Glacier off the Helbronner lift in Italy may be easily accessible from Chamonix, but it's far removed from the crowds of the Grands Montets on a powder day. In fact, after spending ten minutes too long with Andy in the queue for the GM top station, we decided we'd had enough, and drove through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Italy instead.

We'd heard reports of 60cm of new snow in Italy (twice as much as the Chamonix side), and we weren't to be disappointed. Although the powder was fairly heavy, it was massively deep. When it's good, the descent from Helbronner is about as good as it gets for lift-accessed skiing - 2000m of vertical through big powder-fields, couloirs, and finally through the trees down to the valley.

Skiing round from the Helbronner station to the drop-in at the Col Orientale du Toule (3400m)

Cold and windy as usual at the lip above the metal staircase. This is exposed to the westerly winds coming across the Geant Glacier, and is often obscured in a cloud of blown spindrift

Getting set to drop in

Skiing the couloir on the left edge of the glacier

The super-deep powder called for an unorthodox approach...

Carving out the turns

Helicopter searching for a mystery injured skier, with the

spectacularly plastered Aiguille Noire de Peuterey behind


Andy taking a drop-off at speed


Dropping in for the third lap



Blasting into the couloir




The unique and patent-pending Thow-tips-up-technique being deployed to full effect

Plan de l'Aiguille

A little known descent from the mid-station of the Aiguille du Midi, offering numerous lines and 1300m of vertical through open powder fields and down through the forest to Chamonix. A great option when it's snowing or on a bad-vis day, the Plan is often quiet when the rest of the valley is getting hammered.

Dave Searle dropping it and landing it

Dropping off into the forest with the slopes of Mont Blanc in the background

Perfect powder down through the trees. Five Plan laps gave 6.5km of vertical descent. Walking proved difficult afterwards

Flegere Powder

Powder Sunday in Chamonix. Some of best snow of the winter so far, enjoyed at Flegere..

Andy ripping the perfect untracked pow

Dropping in..

Dropping off..

Vallee Blanche

A day on the Vallee Blanche, a classic 20km ski descent down high-altitude glaciers, and finally through forests all the way down to Chamonix from the summit of the Aiguille du Midi at 3,840m.

Dave getting set on the initial section off the Midi arete above the Col du Midi

Looking across to the Dent du Geant on the upper section

Dave shredding one of the few steep sections

Descending into the Requin icefall

Beneath the dangers of the icefall, and into the long slide down to the Mer de Glace

Dave emerging from the hike up from the snout of the Mer de Glace. Only the ski down through the trees of the 'James Bond' track to Chamonix remaining

The Petit Dru resplendent in midwinter sun

Crochues-Berard ski tour

After several days with no snowfall, a perfect bluebird day was all the motivation needed to get on the Berard Valley tour, where the north-facing aspect of the descent often prolongs good powder conditions.

The Aiguille Verte, Dru and Grandes Jorasses from the top of Floria drag-lift at Flegere - the start of the tour.

On the long traverse of the slightly dodgy slopes underneath the Aiguille du Belvedere. Not a place to hang around in the sun.

The initial plan of the Glacier Mort was quickly aborted when we checked out the sun-baked approach couloir

The approach to the Crochues-Berard traverse was far less dangerous, and a good Plan B.

Time to get rid of the skins at the Col du Berard

Fun-time on the long descent from the Col du Berard

Dave Searle carving out the steeps

The final flat section of the Berard Valley before hitting Le Buet, the end of the tour. Very beautiful, but not much fun to ski