150 m away
Austrian Route, Les Courtes
A mythical line down the true north face of Les Courtes, it has still seen hardly more than a handful of descents.
Extreme Ski Touring
- Distance
- 3.7 km
- Ascent
- 1.1 km
- Descent
- 1.1 km
One of the lowest angle ski tours in the Argentiere basin, to a fabulous viewpoint.
Ski Touring Moderate
Follow the Les Rognons descent onto the Argentiere Glacier, then skin as you would initially for the Col d'Argentiere line. Head up very gently until the first glacial basin on the left after the obvious Argentiere Hut, visible on the moraine above.
The Col d'Argentiere line now carries on up the flat glacier, but you head up and left for the tour described here.
The first part is possibly the steepest but barely reaches 30 degrees. It then mellows off before a slightly steeper section again as you go up and left under the Aiguille d'Argentiere, with its beautiful red granite pinnacles and the Y Couloir above you. Further easy ground above leads slowly to a final short steepening to the col itself.
Descend the same way, then back onto Les Rognons, joining all the other tracks from the Grands Montets and down to the pistes.
Moderate
Slopes become slightly steeper at around 25-30 degrees.
150 m away
A mythical line down the true north face of Les Courtes, it has still seen hardly more than a handful of descents.
Extreme Ski Touring
480 m away
An inspiring couloir past a bulging tongue of ice.
Extreme Ski Touring
546 m away
Yet another big 5.4 in the Argentiere Basin
Extreme Ski Touring
667 m away
A great introduction to the steep north faces of the Argentière Basin.
Extreme Ski Touring
708 m away
A spectacular hanging couloir, this line is a 1000m TD alpine route that has seen only three known descents
Extreme Ski Touring
753 m away
A beautiful wide and open steep ski face, one of the most popular of the Argentière Basin's celebrated North Faces. Shorter than the rest but steep and exposed in the upper half.
Extreme Ski Touring
1.3 km away
A truly inconic ski face, THE line of the Argentière Basin
Extreme Ski Touring
1.7 km away
A fantastic route which is surely on every steep skier's tick list
Extreme Ski Touring
2 km away
Often overlooked, but a fantasic steep line beneath the Aiguille Chenavier
Extreme Ski Touring
2.1 km away
One of the Alps most elegantly exposed steep lines, yet very skiable.
Extreme Ski Touring
10 routes · Freeride Skiing · Ski Touring