Les Perrins North

Les Perrins is a large, fine bowl in the Petites Rousses wall, with two main entry options which are somewhat confusingly named - North refers to the aspect, not the location. This variant is harder and steeper, and crosses some quite intimidating terrain, with strong route-finding skills essential. Start from the Dôme des Petites Rousses, and head north as for the La Fare routes, but where that route heads down towards the first small valley, hold your height on the left-hand ridge. Continue past a notch in the ridge with huge cliffs below, and keep some momentum for the short rise onto the crest of the next section of ridge. After about 100m a small shelf appears down to your left on the top of the cliff - find the easiest spot to drop down to this, and then follow the shallow scoop due north until you reach the edge of a steep face ahead. Make a careful descending traverse leftwards from here, across quite steep ground just below the ridge-line, until a steep open slope appears down to your right leading to the base of the bowl. Ski down this, into the bowl, and immediately turn sharp left below the cliffs, and follow the left-hand side of the bowl, staying close to the cliffs until a final steepening. From the base of the wall bear leftwards across the flat to pick up a road that takes you back to L'Alpette.