Valpelline is a top-notch touring playground for advanced ski enthusiasts. Despite its location in the heart of the Italian Alps and its proximity to Chamonix, the valley will provide you with remoteness and solitude during your adventure on steep ascents, exhilarating couloirs, and everything in between. Some of the terrain here was only discovered in 2020, making the Valpelline spine-tinglingly steep slopes some of the least discovered in the Alps. High-mountain glaciers (3,650 m/12,000 ft) offer an abundance of powder even in April, while spring skiing also means great weather conditions devoid of snowstorms—and a perfect opportunity to improve your glacier skiing techniques together with your IFMGA-certified mountain guide.
Experience the Alps like never before and join your guide for 6 fuss-free days of ski touring in the remote Valpelline Valley—perfect for keen backcountry enthusiasts who wish to discover more the area has to offer. Over the course of your adventure, you will discover the pristine slopes close to Chamonix, but skied by few. After days filled with challenging technical ascents and rewarding rip-roaring descents, head to cozy mountain huts and enjoy the Alpine après-ski culture.
Your adventure begins in Chamonix, where you will stay for the night. Meet your guide in town and discuss the itinerary and do the final gear check. Apart from being an Alpine adventure capital, Chamonix is also effortlessly charming and sophisticated. You can take the opportunity to explore its picturesque streets before getting some rest for the adventure ahead of you.
On Day 1 you will leave Chamonix, cross the border with Italy and reach the Aosta Valley, your last stop being the village of Bionaz. Prepare your skis as this marks the beginning of your off-piste ski adventure. You will first go to Prarayer hut whose mountainous surroundings will provide you with a place for ski touring and the skill assessment in the afternoon. The following day, you will do a longer ski touring session above the hut, most often on the slopes of Château des Dames (3,490 m/11,450 ft). Afterwards, you get to enjoy another evening in the cozy Prarayer Hut
Today’s objective is ski touring from Prarayer hut to the Aosta hut. Once you arrive there, take a chance to relax before hitting the slopes above the hut later in the afternoon. What awaits you on Day 4 is traversing the Grandes Murailles glacier to reach the highest point of the tour on your skis—Dent d’Hérens (4,175 m/13,700 ft). Just a few miles west from Matterhorn, Dent d’Hérens will provide you with arguably the best descent of the entire trip. After returning back to the hut, reward yourself with après-ski and get some rest for the next day.
Skiing continues on Day 5 in the areas above the Aosta hut, this time it’s climbing up to Col de la Division (3,335 m/10,940 ft), ski touring to Tête de Valpelline (3,800 m/12,470 ft), and doing a section of the Haute Route in reverse direction reaching Col Collon (3,075 m/10,090 ft) and the rifugio Nacamuli—the last mountain hut of your adventure. Your adventure finishes the next day, so take this chance to enjoy the last after-ski in your rifugio with other members of the group.
The last day of the trip showcases the terrain above the Nacamuli hut. What follows after reaching Becca Vanetta (3,360 m/11,025 ft) is descent all the way to Place de Moulin in Bionaz, where your guided off-piste adventure began on Day 1. After almost one week of ski touring, it’s time to return to civilization.
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for 6 full days, covering miles of glaciated terrain every day. You will need to manage controlled ascents and descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs, and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain. You also need to be adept at using glacier gear, such as crampons and an ice axe.
For the enjoyment and safety of everyone involved, participants must be approved to participate in advanced backcountry skiing tours either through a previous trip with the guiding service or through recommendations.
To participate in this tour, you need to have ski touring experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on challenging terrain for 6 full days. Your guide will take care of the planning, oversee your technique, and teach you how to better manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training necessary to keep you safe.
If you’ve never backcountry skied before, we suggest joining a guide for a day of beginner-friendly ski touring or a 5-day avalanche education and ski touring course in Chamonix.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Gear rental locations are in Chamonix and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and pricing:
Ski touring in the Valpelline Valley can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
To get to Chamonix, most people fly into Geneva International Airport (GVA), one hour away. Once you arrive, there are several ways to reach your destination, including public transport. Looking to make airport transfers hassle-free? Check out Mountain Drop Offs—they provide door-to-door service in their comfy and spacious shuttles. Use the code 57HCHX to get a 5% discount!
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, which will usually be at a hotel in Chamonix on Day 1 of the tour, so make sure to arrive in Chamonix before 6 pm. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
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