Tour description
We set off early from Chamonix to take the first gondola up the Aiguille du Midi. The weather forecast has announced Grand Beau and so we join the queue of alpinists, guides and clients who also want to get to the top that day.
From the Plan de l'Aiguille middle station, the rope pulls us vertically up to the exposed mountain station 2700 metres above Chamonix. It is always a fantastic experience and a breathtaking view from a dizzying height.
We hurry to leave the crowds behind us and avoid the traffic jam on the ridge of the Aiguille du Midi. To our left, a couloir drops abruptly into the valley. This is the start of the Couloir Mallory. But that is not our goal today. We keep to the right and descend the slope to the south. We take the momentum with us and glide over the wide expanse of the Glacier GĂ©ant. To our right rises Mont-Blanc du Tacul with its spectacular Couloir Gervasutti.
The descent through the Vallée Blanche is a classic and impressive every time. But we want to get to Brèche Puiseux. We want to gain metres in altitude. Almost 4000 metres of descent with just under 1000 metres of physical ascent. Perfect!
At the Séracs du Géant icefall, we stay on the left side of the valley and then traverse to the right at its end to the Glacier de Périades at around 2450 metres. Here we are in the shade, which is pleasant for the climb ahead. We ascend in various kickturns along the left edge of the glacier with a breathtaking panorama up to approx. 3100 metres. Here the terrain becomes increasingly steep. Below the entrance to the Couloir Puiseux, we load our skis onto our backpacks and put on crampons. With ice axe in one hand and ski poles in the other, we climb the last 300 metres through the approx. 45-degree couloir up to the brèche.
