Aravis - The 3 valleys loop
Outing date: 2012-12-29
Altitude of access point: 1440m
Maximum altitude: 2453m
Elevation gain/loss: +869m >> -309m >> +180m >> -180m >> +440m >> -190m >> +200m >> -1010m
Snow depth at 1440m: 40cm with 5cm of powder snow
Snow depth at 2453m: 150cm with 20cm of compacted/winded snow
Weather: sunny
Departure/arrival time: 8:00/16:30
The objective for this outing was to ride the north chute under Paré de Joux and the Tchadar chute in the Aravis. Paré de Joux is a summit in the Grand Crêt valley on the left of the well known Trou de la Mouche. The north chute starts from the Col de Paré de Joux and ends in the Paccaly valley. The Tchadar chute, also north oriented, allows joining Tardevant valley from Paccaly valley.
We started hiking from the parking of Les Confins at 8:00.
The first part of the ascent in the Grand Crêt valley was difficult because the snow was a bit icy. In the second part under Paré de Joux it was easier... the snow was softer and Benoît made the track. We reached the Col de Paré de Joux at 9:45. The chute joining Paccaly valley was untracked...
...the snow was compacted by the wind but the run was great. I didn't switch my splitboard to tour mode to join the top of the Tchadar chute from Paccaly. I decided to hike with my board on the back because it was a short ascent... short but not so easy. From the top of the Tchadar we had a nice view on the chute we were just before under the Paré de Joux.
People had already tracked the Tchadar chute but it was still plenty of good snow...
... after having a very good run in the Tchadar I switched back my split to tour mode and we hiked 440m upper in the Tardevant valley on the side of Tête de Paccaly to reach a pass allowing us to join back Paccaly valley. We had our lunch at the pass between Tardevant and Paccaly...
...with a nice view on the Trou de la Mouche.
The dessert was a beautiful run in the small chute joining Paccaly valley. We decided then to hike to the Trou de la Mouche...
The Passage du Père chute seemed to be in very good condition but we had unfortunately not enough time to ride it... time to put crampons to walk on the ridge to the Trou de la Mouche.
At the Trou de la Mouche it was very windy.
For the last run we hesitated between the Grand Crêt and the Paccaly valley and finally chose to ride the Paccaly face just on the left of Trou de la Mouche. The snow was a bit hart in the first part but very good from the middle to the bottom of Paccaly valley.
It was the end of a beautiful day in the Aravis.
