Haute Route: Arpette Couloir, 3/14/2007

A problem with off-piste skiing in Chamonix Valley is that so many of the routes end up in the Vallee Blanche, which is a nice ski but really a cash cow for the Chamonix guide services, who push thousands of people down that route on any given day. Guided or not, they stuff you like sardines into the trams and trains, and the local guides have decidedly unfriendly attitudes towards a couple of Americans skiing "their" lines without paying for their services. To escape, Brian and I turned our attentions to the Alpine huts and more remote routes, and found that like so many other remote locales, the more inaccessible Alpine backcountry is a great equalizer where travelers reclaim their comaraderie and goodwill.

So after reaching Trient hut we were not so ready to leave. Instead, we planned to tour out and back on our second day. Following the suggestion of some fellow travelers, as well as our own impressions of the topo map, we focused on the nearby Arpette couloir. This turned out to be perhaps the finest ski tour I've ever done, combining a superior descent with a beautiful climb where every aspect of our mountaineering skills was tested.

The Arpette couloir is accessed by a short climb to the top of what appears to be an insignificant bump behind Trient hut. The skin track is visible in a photo from our ski the previous day. In spite of appearances, the opposite face cradles a spectacular ski that drops 2700 vertical feet, then rejoins the classic Haute Route into Champex. After summiting, you work your way around to the northeast side to access the descent. Here Brian stands at the top precipice.

Looking down from the precipice. The rollover in the foreground became a bit too steep, so we skied out and to the right of it on a pitch of about 45 degrees. This line is actually a side couloir; you can see the main Arpette glacier far below, the top of which is unskiable due to seracs.

Yours truly dropping into the top, as Brian shoots from below in a protected position. The falling slough gives an idea of steepness and snow quality, which was really good in this section: soft and flaky and edgeable. This was definitely some of the best quality skiing we had on our trip.

Brian rips it fast Utah style in a lower section. Below this point the shadows created more variable snow conditions as we joined the main Arpette glacier. In true Alpine style the variations went to flaky snow, to nasty crust, to soft powder. Brian had a bit of a tangle with a pow-to-crust transition below this section, but pulled it off.

Relishing the moment at the bottom. The fresh tracks behind me on the looker's left are ours- in a bit of a style switcheroo following Brian's close call and me feeling my groove, the wider Utah-style tracks are mine and the tighter Vermont-style tracks are Brian's. On the looker's right are the far more numerous tracks along the classic Haute Route, that rejoined our route at this location.

Since bottled water at the huts is so expensive, having to be flown in by helicopter and all, a better option is to drink tea made from boiled glacier water. In the mornings the wardens make "marching tea", a tasty concoction that's well sweetened. Unfortunately, at some point during the downski my hydration system malfunctioned, and I now had marching tea over everything in my pack. But no matter: the dry mountain air and bright sun dried it out as we relaxed before the climb.

And what a climb it was. Following an ascent through the Col des Escandies, and then a short but steep descent where we opted for an anchored belay, the route passed through the Trient glacier. Here it got mind blowing. An extremely steep boot pack, followed by a steep switchback skin, worked its way right beside the seracs and crevasses of the glacier. Roped up in a Kiwi coil for safety, we marveled at the amazing interplay of light and snow and ice.

Brian strikes a classic alpine pose. He insisted that I take this picture, judging from his experience as a pro ski photography subject. I balked, insisting that the intense backlighting from the sun would screw up the photo. I was wrong.

Here I am just before reaching the end of the climb at the Trient plateau. Champex is in the valley below; note also the huge dam in the upper right quadrant of the picture. This is actually a climbing route, but for guides only- the story is that a ladder is required to make the final move and it's hidden, only guides know where.