Skip to content

Cookies 🍪

This site uses cookies that need consent.

Learn more

Zur Powderguide-Startseite Zur Powderguide-Startseite

Language selection

Search PowderGuide

TouringTips

TouringTip | Pierriers d'Arpette

Many options for steep north-facing descents

by Sebastian Siep • 03/29/2021
The Val d'Arpette in the Lower Valais is well known for small and large freeride tours in the northern sector. Nevertheless, even weeks after the last snowfall, you can still find powder on the predominantly north-facing slopes and gullies, which is probably rarely fully skied out.

The best-known and most popular descent is certainly the north gully, which is reached directly from the south-facing Cabanne d'Orny via the Col d'Arpette at 2942 metres. However, the Aigulles Tourelles, Aiguelles d'Arpettes, Aiguille du Glacier Rond and the Pointe d'Orny are in the immediate vicinity and offer many other moderately steep, easily accessible north-facing runs.

Ascent & descent

From the Col de Champex car park at 1597 m, you can reach the Perriers d`Arpette basin, which lies at the foot of the aforementioned lines, in a leisurely ascent first via the piste and then through the Val d`Arpette in just over an hour or 4 km and 500 metres in altitude. The descent from the ski resort meets the ascent from the car park and you could save a few metres in altitude using a lift. Apart from the great view from the ski resort of other interesting north faces, however, this is hardly worthwhile in terms of the metres in altitude gained, as you end up putting on your skins at around 1700 m. A single ascent costs 17Chf.

TouringTips
presented by

There is a south-facing access route from the ski resort to the hut via the hiking trail. However, due to the exposure and the exposed part at the beginning, this route was no longer accessible due to avalanches or considerable risk in recent years.

Once you've arrived in the basin, you want to do one descent after the other. We first took a cosy break in the February sun and had a look at the north faces. The potential can hardly be fully realised even in a whole week, so we chose very carefully. What's more, with this delicious buffet it was already clear that there would have to be a repeat the next day.

One weekend on Saturday, after a few laps in the resort, we enjoyed a variation of the Aiguilles d'Arpette from a point 2820 m north of it and on Sunday, after a direct ascent, we enjoyed the north-east variation of the Aiguille du Glacier Rond. In comparison to the classics, the descents are somewhat shorter, but steeper and less travelled. It's hard to describe the impressions you get here with such little effort. In any case, it feels great to be able to play in this paradise.

Heading up to the descents, we walked our chosen lines, including a break, for a little under three hours, about 45 minutes of which were spent bootpacking up the couloir. The descents are all between 35 and 45° steep, depending on which one you choose. The highly motivated will certainly do one or two extra couloirs here.

Crossing the Col des Escandies on the approach via the Combe des Escandies is another classic. The view of the glacier to the west is certainly worthwhile and as soon as the conditions are right, I will have a look at it.

Information on

Difficulty (5-level scale): ***

Exposure: N-NE

Best time of year: January - March

How to get there: From Martigny in the Rhone Valley into the Val de Bagnes, turn off in Vallettes towards Champex-Lac.

The PowderGuide tour tips are general descriptions of tours that we subjectively like. They do NOT refer to the current conditions. Read the weather and avalanche report and plan your tour accordingly.

Swisstopo
Swisstopo

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

Related articles

Comments

TouringTips
presented by