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%!), equipped with a monstrous field of bumps reaching two meters high after snowfall, one meter very regularly. Add in lots of slippery patches of snow or ice and this track combines all the difficulties… And the superlatives since it quickly inherited the nickname “Swiss Wall”.
She offers, what’s more, a breathtaking view of the Alps, but it can prove to be very difficult for skiers who love thrills and who are going down it for the first time.…This track is located between the resorts of Avoriaz in France and Champéry-les-Crosets in the canton of Valais in Switzerland, and accessible directly with an Avoriaz ski pass 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 hours. “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 does not really reflect its dangerousness: it is the black slope of “Pas de Chavanette”, 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 2,150 meters above sea level, but the descent is short. In fact, this black slope is only 900 meters long with a difference in altitude of 333 meters.
At the very top of the chairlift, facing the slope, a real wall awaits 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!