Igloo des Pantalons Blancs

Two days above the Val des Dix

Normally this one starts at Le Chargeur, just below the Grande Dixence dam — but if the road is closed for rockfall (which happens), you’ll be starting from Pranolong in the Val d’Hérémence instead. From the dam, the path winds along the reservoir through a series of tunnels with big views over the Val des Dix. The Cabane de la Barmaz is a natural pause point, and from there a well-trodden path climbs up to the crest of the Rochers du Bou. Day one comes out to about 7.5 km and 1450 m of ascent in roughly 5 hours, with a handful of exposed bits but mostly upper T4 territory.

Day two is where the route earns its T5 grade. Early start, on towards the Pointe du Crêt, and the rock starts showing up with a thin coating of verglas in places. That’s exactly where the technically hard sections live — most notably a delicate crossing high above the Glacier des Écoulaies, which years ago apparently ran directly across the glacier itself (the glacier has, predictably, since retreated). Trust your feet, find good holds, expect short bits of grade II scrambling. After that it’s the long blue-and-white descent to Bonatchiesse — another 7 km, 1800 m down, and about 5 more hours on your legs.

Tip: check conditions before summit day — with verglas and old snow, an ice axe and light crampons belong in the pack. And if the access road is closed, plan the start via Pranolong.

How it went for me

For us it started raining right at the Cabane de la Barmaz — which is just how it goes sometimes. Day two brought the crossing high above the Glacier des Écoulaies: striking to see how far the ice has pulled back since the route once ran directly across the glacier. Two long days, a lot of up and down, a little verglas on the fingers — and that good, tired feeling as you roll into Bonatchiesse.