Petite Balme – Telegraph

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Fig 1: Traverse on the left or the right of the frozen lake? 

At the end of the open field mentioned in my previous post you will go over a couple of gentle rolls.
For Telegraph (some people call this run Telephone, but the pisteurs assure me it is Telegraph..) you get a choice (Fig 1) of circling a small frozen lake either staying right along the long traverse or turning left before the long traverse, to traverse on the opposite side of the valley. In either case, try to keep a high line.

If you take the left traverse, you will reach the entrance of the couloir directly after circling the frozen lake.

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Fig 2: the route after the right traverse, down some bumps…

If you stay right, you will reach a first plateau, followed by some bumps and often some surfacing rocks (Fig. 2).
Keep going down and round to the right, and then turn left towards the entrance of the couloir (Fig. 3), otherwise you will be heading to the other couloirs of the Petite Balme.

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Fig. 3: turn left to Telegraph!

At the entrance of the couloir you need to be careful as there are often a few surfacing rocks.
Once you are in the couloir it is fairly wide and self explanatory, just head down towards the Lanches chairlift and have fun, you can then re-join Double-M (stay skier’s left) or stay skier’s right and traverse all the way around the Petit Balme to the wide powder pillows at the bottom of the North face, and then join Prariond (Bollin).

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Fig 4: Telegraph (beware of the red line!)

Beware of the line marked in dotted red on my picture above (Fig. 4): while it is often untracked, to get to it you need to walk/traverse over some VERY loose and unstable rocks/rubble at the top. I did it once and feared for my life a few times!! Really not worth it!!

Next instalment: P7..

2 thoughts on “Petite Balme – Telegraph

  1. remember when you go off piste, never follow the tracks, on this run there’s sometimes speed riders and they fly over the rocks,…, not you, or perhaps with a bad landing!!!

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