Extreme ski enthusiast, you will love this black slope! It has all the records in France in terms of altitude difference and dangerousness…
It holds the title of the steepest slope in the Alps and one of the most difficult slopes in the world. This black slope is formidable, even for professional skiers who have undergone intensive training… The average inclination is 37% but the steepest central part displays an inclination rarely below 50 degrees (with a peak at 90%!), with a monstrous field of humps reaching two meters high after snowfall, one meter very regularly. Add to it numerous patches of slippery snow or ice and this track combines all the difficulties… And the superlatives since it quickly inherited the nickname “Swiss Wall”.
What’s more, it offers a breathtaking view of the Alps, but it can prove very difficult for skiers who are fond of thrills and who are hitting it for the first time… This slope is located straddling the ski resorts. Avoriaz in France and Champéry-les-Crosets in the canton of Valais in Switzerland, and accessible directly with a pass from Avoriaz or via the large Portes du Soleil area.
“Every winter, between twenty and twenty-five people are injured on this slope, and often, they are seriously smashed,” says Francis Perrin, responsible for the safety of the Champéry-Les Crosets slopes, interviewed by the Swiss daily 24 Heures . “During extreme conditions – especially when it is frozen – it can be merciless. Some people have even lost their lives,” he laments.
The real name of this breathtaking descent doesn’t really reflect its dangerousness: it’s the black “Pas de Chavanette” run, located at the top of the Chavanette chairlift in the Franco-Swiss Portes du Soleil area, on the eastern slope. Intrepid professional skiers take it to more than 7,500 feet above sea level, but the descent is short. In fact, this black slope is only 900 meters long with a vertical drop of 333 meters.
At the very top of the chairlift, facing the slope, a real wall is presented to skiers. The curious who want to see it, but who do not have the technical level and the appropriate physique, can however take a chairlift to go back down while admiring the slope in complete safety!