Skiing the Col des Cristaux

This is part one of a story about skiing in the Argentière Basin. Make sure to read about the line we came for, the Northeast Face of Les Courtes.

The Argentière Glacier, with Aiguille Verte in the center-right and Mont Dolent in the back of the basin.

After a stretch of mixed weather, lots of fresh snow, and a week of guiding, the skies cleared for a couple days in Chamonix. John Michael McGinn, a fellow Exum guide, joined me for a 2-day trip to the Argentière basin. This area is known for its steep north facing extreme ski descents. Conditions were perfect to explore the legendary terrain here, starting with the Col des Cristaux.

The Glacier des Rognans, a sidecountry powder run from Les Grands Montets ski area in Chamonix.

Taking the first gondola from Les Grands Montets ski area, we climbed on skins for about 30 minutes and skied the nearby Glacier des Rognans down to the large Argentière glacier. Skinning back into the basin, we passed underneath the hulking north faces of the Aiguille Verte and Les Droites. Eventually, we reached the bergschrund (crevasse where the glacier pulls away from the slopes above) on the Northeast Face of Les Courtes, one of the most impressive lines in the area. 

The Argentière basin is full of steep north-facing lines like the Col de la Verte (center) and Couturier Couloir (right).

With the earliest possible start from the ski area at 9:00, we found ourselves crossing the bergschrund at 12:00 PM. The steep move across the bergschrund required a belay and two tools, and the slope above was heating rapidly in the warm late-April sun. So we decided to head to another nearby classic, the Col des Cristaux.

The Col des Cristaux is the wide panel with shadow lines in the center of the image. It’s a great introductory steep line (arouond 45 degrees) and has a cold aspect that keeps the snow nice and soft.

This is the easiest ski run on the north facing wall of the Argentière basin, but it still packs a punch with a sustained 45-degree slope for 600 vertical meters (2000 feet). Booting up the line in deep powder was exhausting and slow-going.

John Michael McGinn setting the booter up the Col des Cristaux.

Tired from the long approach and our false-start on Les Courtes, we were feeling the burn on this booter. It seemed endless, but we knew that each step upwards meant more turns on the way down.

Looking down towards John Michael on the ascent of Col des Cristaux ascent with the Argentière Glacier (and the classic powder skiing tours) in the background.

Col des Cristaux is considered an “introductory” steep line by Chamonix standards (along with the Cosmiques Couloir), rated 5.1 on the ski mountaineering difficulty scale. This means that it’s an extreme ski descent, with sustained slopes over 45 degrees for at least 300 meters (1000 feet). That said, it’s a wide-open panel with plenty of room for wide turns, and few obstacles to navigate. In good powder snow conditions, hop-turns aren’t necessary.

John Michael McGinn topping out the Col des Cristaux.

Two hours after crossing the bergschrund, we finally reached the top. Clicking into our skis, we knew we were in for a great run. Steep, crusty turns from the top gave way to wide-open powder freeriding on the main face. Hopping across the bergschrund, we wiggled down the Argentière glacier to the Argentière refuge.

Skiing the Col des Cristaux in the back of the Argentière Basin.

With Les Courtes still calling to us, we decided to spend the night at the conveniently-located Argentière Refuge, which provides easy access to the entire basin. We arrived around 4:30 pm  and immediately gobbled down some chocolate cake and a soda, followed by a three-course meal of soup, chili with barley, and panna cotta. Many of the other guests at the refuge were beginning the Haute Route, which also starts at Les Grands Montets ski area. The Argentière refuge is often visited as the first hut along the Haute Route. 

The Refuge d’Argentière is perfectly situated for ticking off the classic ski descents in the Argentière basin.

After a long day, we were tired and ready for bed. We set the alarm for 4:55 AM and went to sleep just as the stars were coming out over the high peaks. Stay tuned to read about the next day… skiing the Northeast Face of Les Courtes.

If you want to read about less-technical skiing in the Alps, check out my posts about the Freeride Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt and the Albula Traverse, from St. Moritz to Davos. Both are great town-to-town routes in the Alps with tons of moderate powder skiing.

Dusk over the peaks of the Argentière.