Monte Rosa003

5 of the Most Iconic Ski Peaks in the Alps

Everyone loves great skiing, but great skiing from an iconic mountain is even better!

Freeride Skiing, Ski Touring Difficult, Severe

Also in Tirol, Austria • Haute-Savoie, France • Savoie, France • Valais, Switzerland

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Monte Rosa003
Monte Rosa003 Photo: Francofranco56

Description

The Alps is perhaps the ultimate mountain playground, with lifts and huts making some of the most famous and beautiful peaks in the World easily accessible to ski tourers. Virtually every peak in the Alps can skied from its summit and these are 5 of the best, and best looking.

One of the routes (the Stopselzieher line on Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze) can be skied straight off a cable car but all of the others require you to put some effort in. However, skiing the most beautiful peak in an area is worth a bit of effort, and knowing that you earned your summit will make that post-ski drink taste even better!

This list takes in the highest and second highest peaks in the Alps (Mont Blanc and the Dufourspitze), the highest peak in the Vanoise region of France (the Grande Casse), the highest mountain in Germany (Zugspitze), and the perfectly shaped peak which dominates the skyline from Innsbruck (Serles). That's not a bad list of peaks to climb on foot, let alone on skis!

Routes included

Stopselzieher Freeride

Stopselzieher Freeride

A classic line below the 'Tiroler Zugspitzbahn'

Severe Freeride Skiing

Distance
4.4 km
Ascent
21 m
Descent
1.7 km

Serles

Serles

An exciting and varied route up the peak which dominates the Innsbruck skyline.

Severe Ski Touring

Distance
7 km
Ascent
1.1 km
Descent
1.1 km

Grande Casse, Grand Couloir

Grande Casse, Grand Couloir

A ski mountaineering classic involving a steep climb from the Refuge de la Vanoise to the summit of the Grande Casse, the highest in the Tarentaise.

Severe Ski Touring

Distance
7.4 km
Ascent
1.4 km
Descent
1.4 km

Mont Blanc North Face

Mont Blanc North Face

A satisfyingly long descent from the Alps' highest summit.

Difficult Ski Touring

Distance
22 km
Ascent
2.9 km
Descent
2.9 km
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