To resume the dayWe have a 3pm appointment at the Aiguille du Midi cable car to take the last lift up the mountain. One hour later we are at the top of the Glacier Rond. Going that late we now the descent will be tracked out but we also know there will be less avalanche danger and we can all charge down this west face of the Aiguille. On the menu: big high speed turns on a steep face of 50 degrees with a lot of tracks but excellent snow… We do still find some good powder and are pretty happy about it!
The scenery is fantastic, the sensations are exceptional but we still stay concentrated. Just after passing the bergschrund, we have to take a left turn on a ridge before we dive into another couloir of 600 metres and 45 degrees, taking you down to the Bossons glacier. At this point we have two options, either we continue our descent on the right side of the Bosson glacier, all the way down to the entry of the Mont-Blanc tunnel or we ski to the mid-station, the Plan de l’Aiguille, and take the lift down. There was some wind slab under the Aiguille, so we decide to go for our first option. And the idea to ski the glacier in the sunset is for sure very tempting. We’re off on yet another beautiful descent, this time between the seracson the mighty glacier. There is a lot of snow on the glacier and the light is amazing. We finish our run with a pretty complicated passage in the forest, slaloming between trees and rocks, a must to be able to join the entrance of the Mont-Blanc tunnel. The Glacier Rond, is a true high mountain itinerary, even if it is quite heavily frequented. The vertical drop is impressive, the scenery is magic and towards the end of the day the light is amazing. This is for sure the ideal run to end a perfect ski day. See you for the next CHAM’LINES: in the autumn 2014! |