44 m away
Col de la Glière - Sud
A great tour for spring snow seekers.
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 11 km
- Ascent
- 1.2 km
- Descent
- 1.8 km
An early start will be needed for this east-facing couloir.
Ski Touring Difficult
The Pointe du Creux Noir sits at the Southern end of the Grand Bec/Vallonet ridge and is a stunning viewpoint down onto the village of Pralognan and the towering rock faces of the Grand Marchet and Aiguille de la Vanoise. In winter it is possible to start this tour from the top of the ski lifts, but speed will be essential here as the slopes up to the Col du Vallonet are in an east-facing bowl which heats up very quickly. Most mortals will need an early start from Pralognan (or Les Fontanettes in the spring).
Follow the pistes up to the Barmettes refuge then cross the stream and head up the main valley to the big flat of the Lac des Vaches. From here 70/80m of steeper slopes bring you to the Chalet des Gardes at the entrance of the first hanging valley then another short steeper slope takes you into the bowl of the ‘Glacier’ de la Patinoire - there's not much left of it these days.
Cross or skirt the lake and take a circular line up then left onto the steepening slopes up towards the Col du Vallonet, pulling left again before the Col if conditions allow to finish up north-facing slopes to the summit (there's also an option here to go direct to the col then follow the north ridge).
The descent follows the general line of ascent, and you can play with the aspects down the east-facing couloir to maximise snow quality. From the Chalet des Gardes you can ski quite directly down into the valley floor, but be wary of staying too close to the Ruisseau du Vallonnet (stream) as this goes over quite a big waterfall!!
Difficult
Serious gradient of 30-38 degrees where a real risk of slipping exists.
44 m away
A great tour for spring snow seekers.
Difficult Ski Touring
83 m away
A great 'medium-steep' spring snow line.
Difficult Ski Touring
84 m away
A prominent summit at the north end of the Glaciers de la Vanoise icecap.
Moderate Ski Touring
243 m away
A traverse from Pralognan to Chapagny-le-Haut through stunning scenery.
Moderate Ski Touring
3 km away
A superb finale to the Vanoise circuit under the Grande Casse North Face.
Difficult Ski Touring
3 km away
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
3.1 km away
A very comfortable hut and an ideal entry point into the Vanoise national park.
Easy Ski Touring
3.4 km away
A big day up on to the Glaciers de la Vanoise
Difficult Ski Touring
4.8 km away
Spring snow heaven!
Difficult Ski Touring
4.8 km away
A fine summit for a short day tour.
Moderate Ski Touring
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