Third Couloir of Saint Pères

Third couloir of Saint Pères Couloirs in Val Thorens

This couloir, which doesn’t exactly start from l’Aiguille des Saint Pères, doesn’t benefit from the same notoriety as the Y-couloirs.

Access is a little longer along the arête with an easy section among the rocks. For this reason, it is very rarely skied, but because of its wider, easier slope, it should attract those who would like to discover the sector in a progressive manner. The Third Couloir is definitely worth a visit.

• Vertical drop: 800 m including 400 m of couloir
• Aspect: West, South-west
• Technical difficulty: Very difficult
• Engagement: Serious
• Route finding: Obvious
• Danger: Starts in a little circle. Be aware of a heavy accumulation. Windslabs.
• Snowboard: More room to turn than the other Saint Pères couloirs.
• Itinerary: From the “intersection”, attain the col around midway between l’Aiguille des Saint Pères and the Roc des Saint Pères (where ridge “sags” the most). Mixed ground. Choose the route according to the snow-cover.
  From the top, the slope quickly widens the closes in, before passing under the “variant”, then under the Y-couloirs. Next, as for the Y-couloirs, skiing the even, sustained slope at their base. Instead of skiing directly down to the Moraine piste, veer right, exploiting the vally systems weel to the right of the big Moraine, arriving onto the end of the Christine piste.
• Time: between 30-90 min, depending on the snow.