Vallee
Blanche snowshoeing 2024
Two day glacier snowshoe
trek, with a night in a mountain hut  |
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| Course
overview |
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For
those looking for a great weekend adventure,
you can't get much more visual overload than
two days of glacier snow-shoeing down the
23km of the Vallee Blanche glacier, down from
the Aiguille du Midi to Montenvers, or even
all the way into Chamonix. |
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A
two day course that can either be done in
its own right as a weekend, or before a course
to enhance acclimatisation. On
Saturday and Sunday you have two exciting
days of action packed snowshoeing. A
guide is essential to look after your safety
and to pick a challenging route across crevasse
snow bridges. |
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Half
way down the route, you stay the night in
the Requin (Shark) mountain hut, so called
as it is situated on a fin shape of rock
on the edge of the glacier. It is a great way of experiencing the high
mountains as the route starts from the Aiguille
du Midi at 3842m, and you sleep at altitude
too. |
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There
are many variations on the Vallee Blanche,
so the Guide can always choose a suitable
route for your fitness, experience level
and the conditions. From February it is
often possible to snowshoe all the way back
to Chamonix, otherwise you catch the Montenvers
train. |
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The
course meeting is at 08:00am on the Saturday
morning, to get the first possible cable car
up to the Aiguille du Midi. On the Sunday
you aim to return to Chamonix by 16:00pm,
so there is time for getting am airport transfer
from 17:00 for a flight after 20:00, so you
can be back at work for Monday morning. |
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A
key feature of this course, is spending a
night in a high mountain hut for the night.
For those who haven't stayed in a hut before,
banish all thoughts of cold sheds, and get
thinking of duvets on beds and good three
course evening meals and a fully stocked bar
with a wine list. Not so bad eh? |
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You
are led by a very experienced and qualified
guide, who will instruct you in the use of
snowshoes, and is there to guide you and look
after your safety in terms of the weather
and avalanche awareness. |
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Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right, and
they show the live availability from our secure
online booking system. When you book online,
you receive immediate confirmation, your Alpine
Information Booklet, course specific kit list
and invoice. |
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photos on this page really give you an idea of how incredible
it is to snowshoe down the Vallee Blanche. The views are
unparallelled, and you can take your time to really enjoy
it, as the guide is there to keep you safe. All of the
time on the glacier, you snowshoe roped up, to protect
you when passing over snow bridges over crevasses. If
you are interested, the guide can show you the ropework
for crevasse rescue technique, when you arrive at the
Requin hut. Rest assured you are in safe hands, led by
a guide who will have guided the Vallee Blanche several
hundreds of times. Whilst most people you see in other
groups will be on skis, to descend on snowshoes is a really
unique experience, where you have the time to really appreciate
where you are. |
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Brief
Course Itinerary |
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| Sat |
Arrive
for a 8am check-in and course / itinerary briefings.
There is time for kit checks or fitting. You
meet with your IFMGA Mountain Guide, and after sorting
out your safety equipment and fitting your harnesses
and avalanche tranceivers (included in the price
if you don't have your own), you go to the Aiguille
du Midi cable car. This ascends from the valley
to over 3800m in about twenty minutes, so when you
arrive at the top, you will notice much thinner
the air is at this high altitude. The cable car
station provides stunning views of Mont Blanc and
the high mountains. The
start of the Vallee Blanche run is accessed by a
short snow ridge, fixed with rope handrails and
steps, to reach a flat area where you put on your
snowshoes. Often the Guide will decide it is safer
for the group to be equipped with crampons for this
descent, which we will provide if required. The
Guide will always clip you on to a rope to ensure
your safety. There are many
variations of routes down the Vallee Blanche, so
the Guide can pick the most exciting one that best
suits your group and the conditions. All of the
routes converge at the Requin mountain refuge, where
you are about half way down the route. Here you
will usually stay for the night, and once you've
checked in, you have time to get some amazing photos
of crevasses and the high mountains.
Before the evening meal some groups head outside
to take some more photos, and perhaps to learn how
to use the avalanche safety transceivers. Then it's
time for dinner, which is usually three courses
of superb food. Afterwards you can have a drink
from the bar, then it is time for bed in those comfy
duvets! |
| Sun |
In
the early morning you emerge for breakfast, and
coffee, to coax you out of bed. Then in the first
light of the crisp Alpine morning, you put on your
snowshoes, and crunch you way over the well frozen
snow. The normal route from
the Requin is to descend over the snow bridges through
the Salle a Manger icefall, and the Guide will navigate
you safely through the icy towers of seracs and
past the huge exposed holes of the crevasses. This
section of the route is impressive, and also the
most technically demanding. You need to have good
snowshoe control, with experience of some steeper
terrain and varying snow conditions from icy crusts
to soft powder. Soon you reach the easier, flatter
surface of the Mer de Glace glacier. From here it
is a fairly snowshoe trek run down towards the Montenvers
mountain railway station, from where you can catch
the mountain railway to Chamonix. It
is normal to finish the trek at the Montenvers train
station, but in exceptionally good snow conditions
you may be able to descend all the way through the
trees down to Chamonix. Normally you finish your
day in mid afternoon in time for a congratulatory
beer and some aprés! Great places to head
to for a cheeky post VB pint are Chambre9, Moo Bar,
Elevation, or MBC (Micro Brasserie de Chamonix).
Enjoy!!! We always
aim to be back by 16:00, so for those flying out
in the evening, airport transfers can be booked
for any time after 17:00. For those using this snowshoe
weekend as acclimatisation for a week long course,
you will be back in Chamonix in time for your check-in
and course briefings for the main course which are
scheduled for 17:00. |
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| ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain
adventures are weather and conditions dependant, so occasionaly
we are forced to alter the plans. If this is the case,
suitable alternatives are offered. Please use this outline
itinerary as a guide to the types of route / activity
that you will attempt. If
for whatever reason the Vallee Blanche is not possible
(eg too windy / closed cable car / avalanche risk too
high etc.) you have an alternative two day snowshoeing
trek (ideally still on glaciers) with a night in an alternative
hut. Locations for this could include Grands Montets and
the Argentiere glacier, or another area in the Mont Blanc
massif. By completing a booking form you accept this very
rare potential change to the itinerary, for safety reasons.. |
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| Course
Prices |
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Standard
course |
2 full days IFMGA guiding, 1:6 max ratio
2 days holiday in total, Sunday-Saturday |
£499 |
Live
availability |
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
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Secure
online booking system |
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Course Inclusions: 1) IFMGA Mountain Guide
for two days, 2) Chamonix course hosts for logistics &
briefings, 3) Pre course information booklet, 4) Equipment
discount voucher for UK shops, 5) Free 36 page technical
Course Instruction Booklet, 6) Logistics support and full
time in-resort hosts, 7) Loan of technical equipment*
(see notes below), 8) One night half board stay in a mountain
hut for you and your guide, 9) Free 36 page technical
Course Instruction Booklet, 9) Icicle discounts privilege
QR code list for reductions in local shops and restaurants
in Chamonix. |
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| Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Extra equipment hire
other than that which is included* in the course price as
required, 3) Cable cars & uplift (c. 60 euros), 4)
Personal laundry, telephone calls, lunches, evening meals
in valley, & any purchases in mountain huts / hotels
/ restaurants, 5) Activities insurance, & excess baggage
charges. |
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| Group
sizes: 3 - 6 people per IFMGA
mountain guide. For group sizes of over 6 people, there
are multiple guides, and the teams travel independently
of each other. |
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| Notes: The
loan of all technical equipment for each client is included*
in the course price as required: harness, crampons, snowshoes,
avalanche tranceiver, avalanche probe and shovel. In
rare exceptional circumstances, if avalanche risks or
highly adverse weather make the itinerary unsafe, the
guide will discuss suitable alternatives with you, for
example another choice of hut in a different region. If
you can't find a date that suits, or wish a private trip,
we can provide a bespoke date for just 2 people booking
together on any date you would like, for just £599pp.
For this option, get in touch, and we'll put a bespoke
date up for you. For private groups of 3 or more, the
scheduled price applies, and discounts are applied for
private groups of 6 or more. |
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| Upgrade
options |
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Avalanche
Skills Day
£75 (throughout the season) |
To
learn avalanche prediction, reutschblocks and use
of avalanche tranceivers. Course is available on
any day during the week (includes ARVA), details. |
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Current
course availability
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| Testimonials |
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| Press
& media |
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| Films
& videos |
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| Photo
gallery |
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| Location
data for this trip |
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| The
trips all start in Chamonix valley in the French Alps,
at the foot of Mont Blanc. It is easily accessed via a
90 minute transfer from Geneva airport. |
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Time
Difference
GMT +1hr |
Local
Currency
€ Euros |
Travel
from UK
1hr flight |
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| Free
resources |
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FREE
Podcast
Starting
snowshoeing
This podcast lifts the lid on the fastest
growing winter sport of snowshoeing,
what equipment is required, what to
wear, and what avalanche safety kit
to use... |
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| Equipment
advice |
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| Our
snowshoeing advice page (click
here) outlines the key equipment you should
bring. Snowshoes are loaned FREE of charge anyway, as
are avalanche safety beacons, so all you need to arrive
with are walking clothes, waterproofs, a small rucksack
and well worn in walking boots (not trekking shoes). |
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| Photography
upgrade |
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clients choose to book on this trip and upgrade for a
professional outdoor photographer to accompany them, in
addition to the IFMGA guide leading the group. The photographer
costs £200 per day, including their stay in the
mountain hut, so is £400 extra for these two days.
This upgrade is split by those booking the photgraphy
upgrade. Key topics that are covered include; |
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Packing
camera kit for use in the mountains, and winterising
it. |
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Planning
for mountain weather, and the photographic opportunities. |
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Evening
presentation in mountain hut about mountain photography. |
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Lighting
issues for mountain and outdoor photography. |
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Night
photography techniques in the dark outside the mountain
hut. |
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Daybreak
shoot to catch the first rays of sunlight in the
mountains. |
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Nature
/ humans photography in the mountains, and techniques. |
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Photo
editing, digital photo storage, and your shot analysis. |
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Selecting
equipment, and how to travel light in the mountains. |
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| Suggested
reading and kit |
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View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here |
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| So
why choose us? |
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We
are true specialists in snowshoeing. See our blog,
by clicking on the logo (on the right). |
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Itinerary
flexibility to allow you to take full advantage
of the weather and conditions each day, so that
you maximise the amount of time spent skiiing each
day. |
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Our
prices are fixed in £ pounds sterling, to
protect you from euro currency fluctuations, so
that you can budget accurately. |
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We
have a team of over 30 IFMGA guides, and a resort
support team, who all want you to have the best
snowshoeing possible! For more details on the guiding
team and qualifications, please click
here. |
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| Any further questions? |
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A key part
of choosing a company is being able to come and talk about
your plans with an experienced course advisor face to
face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know our clients
value speaking to real people, getting open and honest
advice. The vast majority of our clients are British,
and our office and outdoor store is based in Windermere
in the English Lake District.
 
Get in
contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee
to discuss your course in person with a trip advisor.
Many people opt for this service, and it is an integral
part of what we offer, as we are keen to ensure that you
are prepared as possible, and that you select a course
that is suitable for you. It makes it easier and more
enjoyable for you and us, if you are on the right trip. |
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