These are ideas for professionally guided outings, not route directions. Beyond the marked pistes, avalanches, cliffs and glacier hazards demand specialist judgement. Choose the day’s route with an appropriately qualified local professional; carry a transceiver, shovel and probe and know how to use them.

Icons describe terrain, skiing demands and walking, including route variants. Skiing labels are descriptive, not official grades. Open terrain describes the landscape, not the snow conditions; a missing terrain icon does not mean that feature is absent.

Solaise · Laisinant

Trees
Open terrain
Couloirs
Skiing: Steep, complex terrain
Walking: No walking

Open slopes give way to trees on this classic descent towards Laisinant. The changing landscape is its appeal, but rock and cliff bands make route-finding a serious part of the day.

Fredrik’s experience

Behind the top of Solaise

Danaïdes starts high on Solaise, behind the upper lift station, dropping towards the valley. This is not a run I would try without knowing the route and having good visibility. There is no walking on the version I’m describing, and the descent mixes open ground with forest.

The first steep pitch

The beginning is a short traverse into the first steep section. That first pitch can be excellent, although the snow can be wind-packed. With the right line and the right conditions, it is a lovely stretch of skiing down to the first flatter area, where we have regrouped. Up to that point, I find the route fairly obvious; beyond it, the route-finding becomes a much bigger part of the run.

Cliffs and careful route-finding

There are very high cliffs nearby, with drops I would put at around 50–60 metres. On the line I know, the route bends away from them and works around the rocks. This is where you really need to know which way you are going. The flatter regrouping area is a place to assess with the guide, not a landmark that makes every approach or descent safe.

From open trees to tighter forest

The next part is lovely, open tree skiing through an old cleared corridor. Then the route turns back into the forest and becomes more technical: the slope gets steeper and the trees closer together. Towards the end, there are open glades again, which can give the descent a perfect finish towards the edge of Val d’Isère. For me, it is a classic last run of the morning before lunch.

Good visibility, snow cover and a guide who knows the cliff passages and exit are essential to the outing described here.

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