Ski touring Tête Blanche

A first experience with a night in a refuge!

ski touring in the Mont-Blanc region

Duration

Destination

Season

Difficulty

You will discover two mythical glacial basins: Argentière and the Glacier du Tour. Ski touring Tête Blanche is very suitable for a first experience in itinerant ski touring. It is accessible even for people who have never done ski touring. All you need is a good experience of skiing in all types of snow.

Program

Day-by-day program for Ski touring Tête Blanche

The day before

Meeting with the guide at 6:30 p.m. at the Saint Gervais Guide's office.

Day 1

Tour Glacier and Albert 1er refuge
As the Grands Montets cable car is still closed, you go up by the Plan Joran gondola, then to Bochard and you will cross the Lognan glacier to climb to the Col de la Rachasse where you will be on the route that we usually follow. On the Argentière glacier, we climb by sticking our skins under our skis in the direction of the Col du Passon (3028m), then we continue with the skis on the backpack and we climb a small corridor, quite steep, but often provided with steps therefore relatively easy. From the pass, we reach the the Tour basin to reach the Albert 1er refuge (3702m) where we will spend the night. Nice easy descent at the foot of the Chardonnet which will give you some ideas for summer ascents.

Day 2

Tête Blanche (3487m)
Departure in the morning with skis and skins. Beautiful easy climb on the magnificent Tour glacier with a moderate slope allowing to hike as well as admire the landscape ... From Tête Blanche, a splendid view on the Trient glacier with a view on the summits Switzerland: Matterhorn, Dent Blanche ... The beginning of the famous Chamonix-Zermatt hike. Then, great descent on the village of Tour by the left bank of the glacier of the same name: one of the most beautiful of the Mont Blanc massif: 1700 m of altitude difference.

The guides could be led to change the program depending on the weather conditions, the mountains and the level of the participants.

Download the information file

Registration

You can register from October 9th either directly online below, or by returning the completed 2024 registration form by e-mail, dated and signed.

For further information, please contact us by e-mail or telephone on +33 (0)4 50 47 76 55 (Saint-Gervais) or +33 (0)4 50 47 10 08 (Les Contamines). We’ll be happy to guide you in the realization of your project.

Details

Practical details for Ski touring Tête Blanche.

2023 dates

Weekends from early April to early May depending on snow conditions and the availability in the refuge.
In private every day subject to availability in the refuge.

2023 rates

If you are alone and want to benefit of a better price, you can choose the group formula.

Price of the group formula:
€420 / person

Rate of the private sessions :
1 participant: €1160€ / person
2 participants: €690 / person
3 participants: €500 / person
4 participants: €420 / person
5 participants: €580 / person
6 participants: €500 / person

The price includes

  • Supervision by a mountain guide
  • Half board in the hut
  • Pick-nicks
  • Lift passes

The price does not include

  • Beverages, cereal bars and other personal expenses
  • Your personal insurance
  • Your ski touring equipment
  • Transportation from Saint Gervais to Argentière
  • Everything not mentioned in "the price includes"

Guidance

4 people maximum per guide.
Departure from 4 people for group sessions.
You will be supervised by a mountain guide.

Requirements

For skiers in good physical condition with experience of skiing in "all snow and all terrain". A little experience in ski touring would be good but is not mandatory provided you are comfortable on the descent. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any doubt about the level required.
You will evolve on an unmarked high mountain route, you must be aware of the dangers associated with this activity (rock falls, avalanches, very low temperatures, crevasses).

Our assets

  • We carry the minimum of picnics on our backs, we have them prepared by the hut staff.
  • We prefer small groups.
  • Many possible itineraries depending on the snow conditions and your level.

Registration

You can register either in the "reservation" section on this page, or by sending us the completed, dated and signed registration form accompanied by a 30% deposit and the amount of optional insurance.

For any information, contact us by email or by phone at +33 (0)4 50 47 76 55 (Saint-Gervais) or at +33 (0)4 50 47 10 08 (Les Contamines). We will be able to help you in with the realization of your project.

Insurance

To be covered by an insurance «assistance-repatriation» is mandatory to participate in our stays. If you do not have «assistance-repatriation» insurance, we can offer you one at the price of €10 (5€/day). We also offer optional «cancellation» insurance at the price of €24 (€12/day). This insurance does not take into account the sporting character of our stays. More information in the cancellation and assistance repatriation insurance booklets.

Rendezvous

Appointment at 6.30 pm at the Saint-Gervais guides' office (in the tourist office of the village) where you will meet your guide. If you cannot be present, the briefing can be done by phone. More details about how to travel by public transportation can be found on our "contact" page.

Equipment list

Technical equipment

  • Backpack with ski carrying system and sufficient capacity (± 35/40 liters)
  • Lightweight touring skis with clean sole and crampons suitable for bindings
  • Self-adhesive skins cut 5 cm from the heel of the ski
  • Ski touring boots. Protect the friction areas (heels, ...) with Compeed from day one.
  • Ski poles with large washers
  • Harness and carabiner (screw)
  • A pair of crampons
  • Avalanche beacon, shovel and probe

 

You can rent the technical equipment at:
For Saint Gervais : blanc-sport-saintgervais.com or www.unlimited-saintgervais.com,
For Contamines : www.intersport-lescontamines.com

Clothing

  • Beanie and fleece scarf or buff and cap for the sun
  • Modern fiber underwear
  • Fleece jacket or light down jacket
  • Fleece jacket or thick down jacket
  • Gore-Tex jacket
  • Gore-Tex pants: windproof and waterproof
  • Modern fiber tights
  • Warm socks

 

Accessories

  • Category 4 sunglasses and ski goggles
  • Warm and waterproof ski gloves + waterproof over-mittens
  • Light headlamp + spare batteries
  • Sleeping bag liner
  • Plastic bags to protect your belongings
  • Insulated flask (1.5L)
  • Small personal first-aid kit (aspirin, second skins, bandages, sunscreen, lip protection, earbuds, personal medication
  • Identity and insurance papers, cash

Summary