Alagna: Giachetti Couloir

Picture 1

You'll need touring skis and skins for this...Picture 1 is from the Pianalunga mid station...the line is pretty obvious.

Take the Cimalegna cablecar up to the Passo Salati. On the piste map (http://www.ski-monterosa.com/alagna_piste_map.pdf) there is col marked "Passo Zube" - this is the first destination.

To get to the Passo Zube, you will need to ski partly down the red run from the Passo Salati, and leave the run to your left and traverse the side of the mountain; ideally someone will have left an traverse. This will take you about 250m under the Passo Zube, at which point you put on the skins (Picture 2).

Picture 2

Skin up for about 40 minutes until you reach the signpost at the top of the Passo Zube. Keep skiing past the sign and you should enter a 75m wide U-shaped valley, about 25 degrees steep.

After about 1km , you will reach the entrance to the Giachetti couloir (Picture 3). Ski down (Picture 4), and it exits (Picture 5) into the wide slopes of the lower Col D'Olen above the Pianalunga mid station.

Difficulty; in good weather it is difficult to get lost. The couloir is about low 40 degrees, quite wide depending on the snow level. Length is about 300m...it looks more spectacular than it is difficult...

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Disclaimer: This blog is not responsible for any problems you may encounter from using this guide...it is indicative only. If you are unsure hire a UIAGM guide...they will probably be able to show you far better stuff anyway!

Morzine: Pointe d'Angolon

Picture 1 (click to enlarge route line)

This peak is clearly visible from the Col Du Fornet (Picture 1 is taken from near the Col) and worth doing after it. Ski/bus down to the Nyon telepherique station and take it up. Then take the chairlift (Pointe?) to the top of Pointe De Nyon.

From here, you have to get to the bottom of the Chamossiere chairlift. To get here either use the pistes or climb/traverse round the Pointe De Nyon and ski off-piste down into the Chamossiere bowl.

Go up the Chamossiere chair; as you are going up there will probably be a series of ski traverses on your left that lead round the top of the bowl . If you follow them round, the ridge forms a very small col which is the entry point for the north face of Pointe D'Angolon - you may need to climb up if you lose too much altitude on the traverse.

At the top of the Chamossiere chair, ski as above. As you near the edge of the col, the wind will probably pick up and you will be looking down the face (Picture 1), which is split into a bowl at the top, which then splits into two chutes through the shrub trees before opening out (Picture 2). The route is quite clear, although if you miss either of the two chutes the shrubs may present a problem. As you ski down the bowl it will naturally funnel into those chutes. There may be a better route to the left (picture left, skier's right) of the two chutes marked on Picture 1, as the terrain could be more open, but having not skied it I can't comment for sure.

Once you have reached the open terrain in Picture 2, which is the bottom of the twin chutes, the slope will flatten out so keep your speed up and bear right (Picture 1, A) - there should be a reasonably obvious route throught the trees to a hamlet. Watch out for several deep streams as the slope flattens out.

At the hamlet, ski under the last building and cut diagonally across the slope (Picture 1, B), which will join a wide open slope through the trees (Picture 1, C) which brings you out onto the track that takes you back to Nyon.

Picture 2 (one person in the middle, a bit crowded at 2pm)

Difficulty; I would say it is a bit tougher than the Col Du Fornet, route finding is a bit more difficult and the risk is you get stuck in trees and deep powder on a flat bit, so touring skis or snow shoes would be good option. The technically difficult part is the narrow chutes which are about 35 degrees.

Disclaimer: This blog is not reponsible for any problems you may encounter from using this guide...it is indicative only. If you are unsure hire a UIAGM guide...they will probably be able to show you far better stuff anyway!