We caught an early car up to the very top and worked out way down the stairs to the col.
There was the usual crowd of people setting off for routes, and a few intrepid skiers, too early for the good snow.
The route goes down the usual route direct opposite the chardonnet glacier, then goes down the glacier and diagonally up the other side into a bowl below the rocks. The exit is up a gully in the corner.
Dropping down to the glacier, and then getting as far across as we could before putting the skins on.
Then we started off diagonally up the other side, following the tracks of the previous parties.
The track got a little steeper as it cut up to the bowl, and then traversed around to the other side The route goes around the big buttress, and then up the snow gully.
At the buttress we took off the skins, and put the skis on our packs. Crampons on and ice ax in hand we then started climbing.
It gradually gets steeper until it tops out.We dropped the packs and had a good look around
We then set off down the new glacier, it started off gently and then steepened up as we got to the serac area, before we were working our way over the end
All that remained was to get down the patchy slopes and across the tundra scrub to t he Vormaine pistes.
The last time we were here there was lots more snow, but eventually we fond a way through.The ski bis was not running as the Le Tour slopes were shut, so we walked down to the railway station and caught the train back to Argentiere.