The Best Backcountry Skiing Routes in Arve Valley

If you are looking for some great views, a bit of a tranquility and some mellow skiing, look no further. However, this tour does pass through (and underneath) avalanche terrain so this is not an entirely stress-free route in the wrong conditions....

Follow the Les Rognons descent onto the Argentiere Glacier, then skin as you would initially for the Col d'Argentiere line. Head up very gently until the first glacial basin on the left after the obvious Argentiere Hut, visible on the moraine above....

Perfect for newbie backcountry skiers and high risk avalanche days, Pointe d'Andey is a mellow, safe and relatively short ski tour that's very popular with locals. If you're into ticking boxes and hard charging Type 2 fun then please proceed directly to the Chamonix valley where you will find all the iconic steep descents your ego is looking for....

This is the classic ski touring summit of the Chablais, offering stunning views of the Dents Blanches, and surrounding mountains. It is a long but rewarding ski tour, where you really ‘earn your turns’, the antithesis of the nearby huge Portes du Soleil commercial ski area....

This quiet ski tour journeys into the wilder side of the a popular neighbouring peak - the Croisse Baulet. The view towards the Mont Blanc Massif is spectacular as it is towards Pointe Percée and the Aravis....

A unique ski touring peak with novelty value and a great viewpoint. It is very prominent on the road between Cluses and Annemasse and in a good winter you can see tracks on it from your car! The Môle is on the fringes of the Chablais but stands entirely on it’s own....

An often quiet ski tour on the shady side of the Col de la Colombière which offers an excellent vantage point from which to view the more popular ski tours on the sunny side of the Col....

Despite being surrounded by some of the most popular and famous peaks in France, this route is rarely busy and, as an added bonus, enjoys one of the finest summit panoramas you will find anywhere....

This is a fabulous tour which is best done in early season when you can skin all the way from the parking area in the little village of Burzier. Leave the carpark and skin up the well established jeep track through the hamlet of Les Planes and up to the Chalets de Doran at the northern end of a long bowl....

A major peak and a true 'skiers' mountain with several first rate descents off it. The most amenable way both up and down is the Glacier du Milieu. From the top of the Grand Montets cable car, ski down the very start of the Point du Vue piste before quickly ducking the rope and heading skier's right and down the Glacier du Rognons....

Something of a hidden gem, this line should see more traffic given just how good the skiing is in it. The line can also be combined with one of the other wonderful tours here, such as the Col de la Fenêtre or Col de la Ciecle....

Although the Y Couloir is one of the most frequently descended steep lines in the Argentière Basin, it is still a demanding undertaking. From the top of the Grand Montets cable car, ski down the very start of the Point du Vue piste before quickly ducking the rope and heading skier's right and down the Glacier du Rognons....

One of the Aiguille d'Argentière's four skiable sides, with a variety of descents to the valley from the bottom. From the top of the Grand Montets cable car, ski down the very start of the Point du Vue piste before quickly ducking the rope and heading skier's right and down the Glacier du Rognons....

This lies amongst beautiful granite formations, but not easy to find in good condition. From the top of the Grand Montets cable car, ski down the very start of the Point du Vue piste before quickly ducking the rope and heading skier's right and down the Glacier du Rognons....

The most logical way to ski the West Couloir is via a traverse from the South Couloir, skiing it on-sight. This gives one of the very best ski-mountaineering traverses in the Mont-Blanc Massif....

Tucked away in the upper reaches of the Argentière basin lies the Col des Courtes north-east slope. Weather systems can roll over the nearby Italian frontier and deposit snow on the Col des Courtes whilst missing much of the rest of the Argentière Basin....

Whilst it is the least steep of the Argentière Basin's great North Faces, the Col des Cristaux should still not be underestimated. It is steep (50 degrees) and sometimes rocky on the final top pitch before the ridge....

The Aiguille Qui-Remue North Face is a sought after descent that is less often in condition than some of the other north facing lines nearby. From the top of the Grand Montets cable car, ski down the very start of the Point du Vue piste before quickly ducking the rope and heading skier's right and down the Glacier du Rognons....

Les Courtes is a true steep skier's mountain. There are no less than eight independent skiable lines on the peak. Out of these eight lines, the North-east Face is the most amenable and most frequently skied....

This is steeper than its neighbours, but not as steep as some of the other 5.4s in the range. This descent also benefits from having two options for attacking it; to climb the line itself, or to drop into it on-sight after having climbed the North-east face....