TouringTip | Col du Passon - Chamonix

From Argentière to the Col du Passon

February 2018, Grands Montets valley station, 8.30 am. Climbing equipment jingles to the rhythm of a throng of people pushing their way to the first gondola of the day. It's a misty morning, the sky is overcast. What the lift staff already know, but we are still hoping for, lies above the oppressive cloud cover. Our destination on this February day is the Col du Passon Traverse, a classic in the Chamonix valley.

We squeeze into the gondola, Noe, Falko and me. It's a special day for Noe, and a high alpine premiere to go on a tour with his dad. The gondola pulls us up into the sea of fog. The views are bleak when we arrive at the middle station. We push on to the gondola to the Aiguille du Grands Montets at 3,295m. Hardly any of the passengers look as if they are going up here to enjoy the slopes. Grands Montets is the starting point for adventurers, alpinists and those who dream of it - and the quickest access to one of the most spectacular valleys in the Chamonix region - Le Bassin d'Argentière.

The gondola pulls us up. The cloud cover is thick. Then the gray that envelops us turns white. We are dazzled and suddenly above it all, in the middle of the blue and brilliant white of the Mont Blanc massif. The dark granite rocks stand out sharply in contrast, above all the Aiguille du Dru, frighteningly beautiful, and in the west and in the morning backlight the chain of the majestic eastern boundary of the Argentière basin - Aiguille d'Argentière, Aiguille du Chardonnet, Aiguille du Passon.

We let the crowd pass us by - no need to rush - and enjoy the panorama on the platform. The great white one towers over the valley, surrounded by a palisade of sentinels, Aiguille du Grèpon, Aiguille du Plan, Aiguille du Midi and behind it an endless sea of clouds stretching to the horizon. One more photo for the album, then we set off. Pieps check and we leave the piste, drive through the glacier break-off below the Aiguille Verte (4122m) with its extremely steep ice faces down to the Glacier d'Argentière.

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At 2350m, we cross the glacier above the glacier break. We take the downhill turn with us, gliding to the middle of the glacier, where we take a short break with a spectacular panorama. We walk without a rope, at a moderate distance. The glacier is flat here and the snow conditions are above average this winter. (By the end of the winter, it will be 16m at its peak).

After crossing the glacier, we climb up the steep moraine with our skis off. The first challenge for Noe. We take him in the middle, I go at the end. Then the slope leans and we can continue on skis. The sun has now reached our slope. But it's cold and the snow remains dry. The conditions are almost perfect anyway. Four days ago there was 40 cm of fresh snow. There was largely no wind, it was cold and the snow was able to settle.

We're not the only ones heading to the Col du Passon that day. But we are in no hurry and let the others pass us by. The team is more important than the first tracks, which are no longer any on this 4th day after snowfall anyway. Then the key section comes into view. A chimney-like gully, 45° or a little more, which has to be climbed to reach the col (3028m) via a ledge. But first we rest below the rock and let the sun shine on our faces. It's 12 noon, the sun is warm and we enjoy the view.

The rest of the ascent follows in a direct fall line. We put on our crampons and climb up the gully. The view into the valley widens below us. Wisps of mist lick at the tongue of the Glacier d'Argentière. Will the cloud cover in the valley break up too?

Noe struggles up the gully. It's good that we're not the only ones. It's motivating, especially when the adults spur him on in admiration. He is by far the youngest this lunchtime.

Col du Passon (3028m), located below the Aigulle du Passon, is a viewing platform over the Chamonix valley and the gateway to the Glacier du Tour. From here, the glacier descends at a moderate gradient into the valley to Le Tour (1462m). We find fantastic snow conditions in barely tracked terrain. Inspired by the rewarding efforts of the ascent, we rush across the white surface in wide turns. The snow is poudreuse, airy and dry. We stop again and again, look around and are overwhelmed by the landscape and the conditions we find there. Open, wide slopes, crests, spines framed by rocky ribs surrounded by seracs. Alpine landscape at it's best.

In the meantime, the fog has lifted and the sun is now shining down into the valley. We leave the Le Tour glacier break-off to the east of us and ride through hilly end moraine terrain to the small and charming village of Le Tour, which is located at the end of the Chamonix valley. A look back and up leaves us with an almost painful grin.... indescribably good.

Le Tour (1462m) is the end point of the traverse. From here, you can take the bus down to Argentière to get back to the starting point.

Through the Nant Noir valley to Trient

But we're not done yet, physically perhaps, mentally certainly not, and so we board the gondola in Le Tour up to the Tête de Balme (2321m). The mountain is on the border between France and Switzerland and is home to a small ski resort with varied freeride terrain. From the mountain station, we climb the last 150 meters on foot with our skis on to the summit. It's a walk in the park compared to our previous undertakings, but considering the time of day and the altitude we've already covered, it's a noticeable final climb. Nant Noir is the name of the valley that leads down to our destination, Trient in Valais.

We let our gaze wander once more over the Chamonix valley, from which the mist is now rising again and is illuminated by the low sun from the west. The Nant Noir is still cloudless and we hurry down before visibility deteriorates. First to the south, to the Col du Balme, on which an old border hut stands, and then to the northeast, into the open slopes of the valley. Once again, wide turns in deep powder. Once we reach the tree line, we switch to the bottom of a narrow avalanche gully, the steep flank of which not only demands everything from Noe, who puts up a brave fight, but also from our thighs. We ski over the avalanche cone, which caused massive avalanches shortly after New Year's Eve following an extreme warm spell in January, out into the valley and down to the village road in Trento at 1300m.

Our thighs are burning. We are happy and exhausted. What a day - and what a crowning end to the year for Noe, because tomorrow we celebrate his 16th birthday. Chapeau!