Skiing the steeps on the the Aiguille Verte. Screengrab: La Verte, une histoire de pente raide
La Verte, une histoire de pente raide: A ski mountaineering film focusing on the history of the Aiguille Verte in the Mont Blanc Massif.
It may be deep into Friday evening wherever you are. Or, perhaps, you sitting at work, mind checking out, thinking of some touring to be had over the weekend. To compliment these touring dreams, we are adding another film to THR Curated list. The translated title is La Verte, a story of steep slopes. For the Francophiles out there, here’s your title: La Verte, une histoire de pente raide.
La Vert, it seems, after our viewing, is a pretty core film. In roughly 48 minutes, viewers receive a history of steep ski and snowboard descents down various flanks of the Aiguille Verte. Some of the footage is pure classic—think headbands, and a tilt toward pinks and neon greens, and some steep turns on some decidedly long and skinny planks.
About the Film
“If Mont Blanc is king in Chamonix, the Aiguille Verte is queen. Climbed for the first time in 1866 by the English mountaineer Whymper, it wasn’t until 1968 that the Swiss Sylvain Saudan imagined and dared the first ski descent of the Whymper couloir. It was a seminal achievement in steep skiing, inspiring generations of skiers from Patrick Vallençant and Marco Siffredi to Jean-Marc Boivin, Bruno Gouvy, Eric Bellin and Pierre Tardivel.
“This film retraces 50 years of steep skiing at La Verte, through the eyes of Vivian Bruchez who, in 2018, after descending the Nant Blanc slope with Paul Bonhomme, decided to set off to meet his predecessors.”
How to Access and View the Film
A few notes before you dive in. This is an on-demand film costing €8.25 + €1.65 tax. In U.S. dollars, that equates to a bit under $10.00. You’ll have 30 days to watch the film. And there are English and French subtitles (unless you speak French, the English subtitles come in handy).
You can access the film at this site. An account must be setup to view the film.
