Trip down the Mer du Glace from Aguille de Midi,

Chamonix, France, January 1998

 
View of the Mer du Glace, the ski route goes from the bottom left, 
to the right of the crevasse, and then to the right of the left ridge. 
View of Chamonix from Aguille de Midi
Bruno and Gaelle after the hike down the snow ridge.
Looking up at Aguille de Midi from the south (at the crevasse in the first picture)
The crevasse from the first picture, just a bit closer.
I was looking up at an icefall while Bruno is looking at where we'll ski. 
Perhaps I should have done that?
Eating lunch at the Hut. We traversed the icefall on the left to arrive here.
On the glacier after lunch. The safety hut, where we had lunch, 
is on the smaller ridge to the left of the main icefall.
Looking back again, but more to the south. The visible moraine came 
from the confluence of the hidden glacier with the Mer du Glace.
Our guide, Gaelle, and Bruno eyeing another off-piste run.
In the shadows of the ridge, we stopped to look at the deep blue ice seen here.
Near the end of the trip, we traversed through much exposed ice as seen here.
After taking off our skis, this was the view up the valley. 
We then had to hike up a staircase to take the tram to the station 
where we would take the train back down to Chamonix
The end of the Mer du Glace as seen from the train station. 
The ski route descends from the right out of the hidden valley.
A cloud illuminated with the morning sun.
Pascal Yiou, one of the organizers, preventing us from going over the edge.