Argentière - Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles Rouges - a Guide for Sskiers

Book excerpt: Discover the skiing downhills of the Argentières Mountain in this very detailed and documented book, written by one of the most talented skiers of his generation. Located at the very heart of the highest mountains of Europe, the majestic Argentières massif stands as a reference among the most sacred skiing places in the world. When winter comes, this snow-addict heaven offers a unique range of dream slopes, from the easiest to the most breathtakingly high ones. Anselme Baud is an extreme skiing leading head and one of the best experts of this mountain. From classic skiing hikes to mountaineering competitions, this guide book presents a precise description of all the biggest slopes this mythic area could offer. In this volume you can find all the information about the Argentières. Thanks to his charming accounts and instructive advice, Anselme Baud shares with us his precious and wide experience as a high mountain guide and an exceptional skier. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in Morzine in 1948, Anselme Baud left his mark on the Alps skiing steep slopes history. As a high mountain guide in 1973, he was one the first to ski on extreme downhills in the Alps, the Andes, in Antarctica or in the Himalayas. As an ENSA professor, he supervised during several years the mountain guides trainings in Bolivia and Nepal. EXCERPT The Argentière Basin is quite unique in the French Alps. From piste skiing to off-piste descents and ski-mountaineering tours, there is a fantastic selection of routes for all levels of skier on offer in this area. Freeriders and ski-tourers can take their pick of superb off-piste routes (Pas de Chèvre, Argentière Glacier...), the great couloirs (Chapeau, Poubelles...) and classic tours (Col du Chardonnet, Col du Passon...) and the big ‘extreme’ slopes (Courtes, Verte...). The Grands Montets is the starting point for the classic Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route and it also allows access to Switzerland, via the Col du Chardonnet. This means that some of the tours can be done in a day or you can do them in two stages by staying at the Argentière Hut. Unfortunately, the popularity of the Grands Montets ski station sometimes distracts a little from the splendour of the surrounding landscape as the crowds of visitors to the slopes sometimes show a certain lack of respect for the environment that welcomes them. Nevertheless, with a little bit of effort you can still find peace and quiet and, more importantly, slopes of untracked snow here.