Gavin Daly skis up as well as down on an off-piste, crowd-free adventure in the shadow of Mont Blanc.

In the shadow of Mont Blanc, a small group of Irish people are discovering the real meaning of dining al fresco. They are a mixture of experts and amateurs, with one qualified Alpine guide, one super-qualified ski instructor and at least one person whose ambition outweighs their ability. I know this because I am that last person.

We have left the comfort of the White Chalet in Argentie' re and made the short journey down the valley to Chamonix to take the famous Aiguille du Midi cable car. More than 3,800 metres above the valley, the snowy dome of Mont Blanc seems deliciously close.

But whereas most people have come to gawp at the mountain, we have strapped crampons to our ski boots and setout along a skinny arete to start our ski back down. The off-piste descent is via the 22 kilometre Vallee Blanche, a massive undertaking for someone like me whose skiing education has taken place as much in the bars of Europe as on the slopes.

But Robbie Fenlon, our guide, and Derek Tate, our instructor, are two men who don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so here I am. After building our rhythm on the first few kilometres of the descent, we take a break for lunch.

That is, we stop, clip out of our skis and sit in the snow eating bread, bananas and chocolate. Acres and acres of snow covered peaks surround us. Apart from our group, there is not another person in sight. It is, quite simply, magnificent.

I have always been suspicious of travel reports that start with ‘‘in the shadow of . . .” or ‘‘nestling beside . . .”, because they seem so idyllic and idealised that I wonder if the author ever left their office. Now I know that at least some of them are true.

We are in the shadow of Mont Blanc, the sky is a startlingly clear blue, and the snow conditions could not be much better. If anything, it is a little warm, and our temperatures rise further when Fenlon rouses us after lunch to teach us the technique of ‘skinning’.

With artificial ‘skins’ stuck to the bottom of our skis and adjustments to our ski bindings, we are able to ski uphill without sliding back down. It is tiring - like an immense cross-training machine - but hugely rewarding. As Fenlon puts it, the simple skins put the whole mountain range within your grasp, allowing you to reach ‘‘wilder places’’.

That extracts a guffaw from Claire Michael, the operations and logistics manager for Fenlon’s company, which is, appropriately, called Wilderplaces. The firm specialises in backcountry and ski-touring, and the Vallee Blanche is just an introduction to what people can do.

As an introduction, it is hard to beat. Huge ice formations loom overhead and Fenlon stops from time to time to point out snow conditions, a partially-hidden crevasse or a particular slope that may be at risk of avalanche.

The idea is to give us a ‘‘holistic’’ view of the mountains, rather than just a ski experience, according to the Dublin-born guide who has ‘‘20-plus’’ ascents of Mont Blanc to his name.

At the same time, Tate, a fellow Dubliner who is heavily involved in the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors, keeps a beady eye on our ski technique. Tate runs a ski company called Parallel Dream, is co-director of the British Alpine Ski School (BASS) Chamonix, and has just written a book on skiing, so he is well-qualified to comment.

I must be trying their patience as I fall at least a half dozen times during the descent, but Fenlon and Tate are full of encouragement.

The final few kilometres, with the sun dipping and the mountains looming overhead, are nothing short of spectacular. It has been a flawless mountain day, with no queues, no lifts, no terrorising snowboarders.

The climb back up the steep metal stairs to the Montenvers train station is less enjoyable, but the pain is quickly forgotten as we head back to the chalet, dinner and embellished tales of our adventure.

* Aer Lingus flies direct to Geneva, from where it is a 90 minute transfer to Chamonix.

* Robbie Fenlon lives in Argentiere and runs backcountry and ski-touring courses through Wilderplaces. See www.wilderplaces.com or e-mail robbie@wilderplaces.com.

* Derek Tate runs BASS Chamonix, a ski school based in the Chamonix valley. See www.basschamonix.com or e-mail chamonix@britishskischool.com.

* The White Chalet in Argentiere sleeps up to 18 people in seven bedrooms.