Day 1
Meet up at the chalet in the late afternoon. Your guides will take you through the itinerary for the week and will discuss equipment, conditions and objectives.

Day 2
A warm-up day on the Grands Montets: there are some excellent runs from the top or middle. We'll also focus on mountain awareness especially avalanche rescue practice. This session will increase your awareness and confidence for skiing off-piste.

Day 3
This morning we'll ski the Pas de Chevre all the way down to Chamonix....one of the worlds biggest and best off piste descents. If the group is up to it we could take the Rectiline couloir entry which gives us access to the awesome powder fields directly beneath the Dru. In the afternoon, we'll cross the valley for a 'best of Brevent' afternoon.

Day 4
A high mountain ski tour on glaciated terrain with climbing uphill on skis for 3 hours plus a mountaincraft session on Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue. This is essential preparation for the Mont Blanc ascent. At the end of the day we will take the cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi 3800m and descend to the Cosmiques hut using crampons and ice axe. Stay overnight in the hut.

Day 5
Starting from the Cosmiques Hut you’ll ski one of the classic descents on the Envers Glacier or in the Vrai Vallee Blanche. If there's enough snow we can ski all the way back to Chamonix then ride back up the Midi to the half way station Plan d'Aiguille and ski the superb itineraries right or left directly back down to Chamonix.

Day 6
Summit ascent. A leisurely start before ascending the Aiguille du Midi cable car and ascend to the Grand Mulets refuge or Cosmiques refuge where you stay overnight

Day 7
Early alpine start from the hut for the summit ascent. We'll be climbing on skis for about 8-10 hours. If the conditions are ideal, we can ski right from the summit but it's usual to leave skis at the Vallot hut for the final ascent to the summit. The descent will be via the Grands Mulets hut to the Plan du Glacier lift. It's a unique descent through wonderful glacial terrain. Lots of bars in Chamonix to celebrate in!

Alternative Summit Ascent
If conditions are good it is possible to do a heli-drop from the Italian side of Mont Blanc which allows us to reach the summit in 3-4 hours.

If you want to do this option on day 6 we will embark on a ski tour in the Vallee Blanche area, lots of fabulous options exist depending on conditions.

On day 7 you'll breakfast early and drive to Italy. The helicopter take off site is just through the Mont Blanc tunnel; we would hope to take off at about 7.30am. Due to the high altitude the helicopter can only take 3 passengers, 2 guests plus their mountain guide... perfect, as this is your ‘team'. Depending on conditions you will land between 3800m and 4100m near the Dome du Gouter from where it is a 3-4 hour skin up to the summit.

Day 8
Depart after breakfast.

The itinerary will depend on snow & weather conditions and may change from the sample itinerary shown here.

Prices
All prices are per person.
The price includes 5 nights half-board chalet accommodation, 2 nights HB in mountain huts, 6 full days guiding/off-piste coaching, resort transfers
The price does not include: lunches, personal insurance, equipment hire, lift pass, travel to and from Chamonix, helicopter ride on Mont Blanc

Group Size
The maximum guide: client ratio is 1:5 for the first 4 days and 1:2 for the Mont Blanc ascent.

Accommodation and meals
There are lots of great catered chalets in Chamonix and Argentiere that provide very comfortable ensuite accommodation with all meals.
As part of the acclimatisation & preparation for going up Mont Blanc you will stay one night in a high alpine hut. The night before the MB ascent will also be spent in a hut - this is usually the Cosmiques hut which is a comfortable modern refuge situated in a spectacular position at 3500m above the Vallee Blanche.

Equipment
A copy of our  recommended kit list will be sent to you at the time of booking.
You will need ski touring equipment for this week, if you need to hire this is very easy to arrange locally (please ask us to reserve for you). In addition everyone is expected to ski at all times with the three essential items of avalanche safety equipment; transceiver, shovel and probe.

Insurance
It is a condition of booking that you are insured for ski touring covering personal accident, rescue and third party risks. You are strongly advised also to take out cover against cancellation and curtailment.
If you are looking to purchase insurance for your trip we recommend SNOWCARD. They specialise in travel insurance for adventure sports particularly skiing and snowboarding. Their rates for both single trip and annual policies are very competitive.

For details on their policies and to get a quote CLICK HERE or contact our office for further details.