Transition here to skinning. Be aware of the La Noire serac now overhead, which is sometimes active and has been known on occasion to reach the Salle à Manger, so this is no place to stop for a picnic. Skin up the Périades Glacier towards the Col du Tacul until you reach the steeper slopes below the Col du Tacul.

From here, climb up a 200-meter, 45-degree couloir that is to looker's left side of the Aiguille du Tacul summit.

From the top of the approach couloir ski down an open 40-degree face. Be sure of the snow stability before dropping in since the skiing is above huge cliffs.

At the bottom of this first face, take the west-facing couloir to skier's left side. Ski down this, but exit right two-thirds of the way down before the couloir cliffs out.

Ski into another parallel west-facing couloir, again exiting right before it cliffs out. Ski down a third couloir, which steepens and narrows before a 10-25-meter cliff.

Locate an in-situ anchor in the rocks to the left and make one abseil onto the flat bench below. Ski down from here, trending rightwards and down one of the moraine couloirs. There is a final flat bench before a short but steep moraine wall above the Mer de Glace. In lean snow conditions, it is vital to locate the right exit on this final moraine.

The descent of the Aiguille du Tacul Northwest Shoulder involves tricky route finding and has been the scene of several rescues due to route finding errors.