Alpine climbing is the logical progression for all would be mountaineers. For me the expereince of high peaks, being self sufficient in a beautiful and yet hazardous environment, pitting myself against some of the classic routes was always an ambition. There is somethiong for everyone in alpine climbing, from bolt clipping in the valley, snow plods (Mont Blanc!), ridges, ice, mixed and everything inbetween. You make the trip what you want it to be. For me it was the technical or interesting routes rather than the peaks. Mont Blanc may be the highest peak but there is little interest or technical difficulty on the ordinary route. I would always have a great deal more respect for those who have completed say the Grandes Jorasses or Les Drux! Classic mountains steeped in history, failure and achievement. Although we failed on the classic traverse of the Rochforte Arete and Grandes Jorasses it is definitely on my tick list for the future!
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flew in from Newcastle and arrived in geneva on friday the 7th July.
From here a coach took us all the way to Chamonix and a train to
Argentiere where we were to camp at Les Chosalets. This is a fantastic
campsite, it has all you need ....clean and hot showers, shop, washing
machine and dryer, pizza van on Mon and Thurs ....damm their
good ...mmmmm! ....oh and the crazy old french owner!! Arriving fairly late we decided to try the nearest bar for food a pizzeria and i can tell you these are without doubt the finest pizza I have ever had ....and they sold pints of Leffe!!! ....well ok enough about food. This was a climbing trip after all. |
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Rachel
my climbing partner for the trip was to undertake a Conville course for
the first three days so I had to find a way to amuse myself, (See the guide
but this is a fantastic and subsidised course for all would be
alpinists!) I decided to try and start aclimatising by doing some high level walking. I quickly realised why i hate walking ...its dull. Fell running I like but hill walking bores me unless it inviolves some technical scrambling. So to liven things up I went up to Lac Blanc and up top the col well above the snow line wearing shorts with just boots and sticks. I met a crazy Italian on the way down who showed me how to ski just in boots ...well cool! On the second day I did a scramble above Chamonix and decided the third day should be a route planning/rest day. Sorted. |
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After
a day of planning I had my first target. The Tour Noir. A classic rock
route above the Argentiere Glacier with a Galcial and Couloir approach.
Even with the aid of lifts this is a long walk in over technical
terrain
carrying full bivi kit. We had elected to save money by bivi-ing. We
found an excellent cave to bivi in which had a flat foor and shletered
from the wind! 4* Bivi spot at least!! Bivi-ing may be uncomfortable but you are rewarded with spectacular sunsets which are just not quite the same in a hut. Although the continual sounds of rockfalls on Les Courtes were a little dis-concerting. |
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The
following day dawned clear and bright, by which time we were already
two hours into our five hour walk in.The approach consisted of a long
glacial plod until we reached the coulouir which allowed access to the
col and our route. I would admit to saying it looked a tad ropey,
chossy in fact. However after five hours plodding along a galcier I
wasn't going to give in now. My first challenge was the snowbridge over the bergshsrund which was completly rotten. I threw myself over this to be rewarded with an extremelty loose gulley filled with rock and ice rubble. Over the course of the next hour I advanced about 30m. Seeing the sun hit the top of the col I decided it was time to come down. This was gutting as it was my first real alpine route of the holiday. It was ten minutes later plodding back down the glacier when we heard the sound, a small rock fall. This grew in intensity until tonnes of rock and ice were pouring down the couloir in which we had until recently been .... There is honour in victory, honour in defeat ....and honour in just staying alive... |
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| Needless
to say we walked back to the campsite feeling relieved and plotted our
next move. This was to be the Table de Roc Ridge. A classic! Mike was at a loose end in the campsite so we invited him along to join us. We walked into the Bivi spot just above the Albert Premiere Hut. On this particular bivi we were treated to an immense electrical storm. This was on one level very frightening yet also strangely exciting. The storm was right at our level but in centered on an adjecent peak. Later the storm moved into the Chamonix valley which through the clouds looked like Chamonix was being bombed!! |
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The
follwing morning we set off at 4am for the start of the route. we
decided to go up Table Couloir at the start to avoid loose rock as
noted in the guide. The route was a techical ridge which at times was knife edge. For the most part I led and we moved together. Just below the table the climbing became very technical so we pitched it. The move onto the table was not difficult but if you can imagine gear at your feet and immense exposure then you may be getting close. We devised a way to protect the move by throwing a rope over the table!! In alpine climbing it is not being technically competant that is often required. It is being able to move together confidently on the easier terrain and then being able to use a little creativity and inititive now and then! |
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| It
wasn't long before we reached the sunmmit only to be dismayed to
discover the decent required reaching the second summit. And so we
climbed this only to be straffed by lighting all the way down ...but
hey
it was an adventure! |
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By
now we were into the second week oh the holiday so it was decided to
make a big plan for the last few days. This basically involved getting
the lift to the Midi-Station, doing cosmiques, getting the cable car
over to italy, bivi-ing at Hellbrronner, doing the
Rochforete Arete and then going down the Peridies Glacier and staying
at a bivouwac hut. Aguille du Tacul. Covercule hut. Auguille du Moine
...back to Chamonix via the Montenvers train. Sorted. Being neither stupid nor naive I decided to get a return to Hellbroner as this was only slightly more expensive than the single and accidents do happen. |
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| It
is probably woth noting the famous french guide Gaston Rebuffant.
Gastons book the 100 finest routes is an inspiring and informative book
on the Mont Blanc Massive and is a wise investment. A few notes of
caution. This book could also be renamed the 100 busiest routes. Also
with timings .... Gaston lies. Unless you a extremely fit, french ...carry a slight odour of garlic and onion and can climb ED5 then in general you will not be able to match Gastons times. The timings given in the Alpine Club guide are more realistic. |
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Our
first mistake was to arrive at the Midi station in peak time, meaning
that there were hundreds of pesky tourists in the way. It took 2 1/2
hours to get our uplift! This did however have two benefits. We completed Cosmiques ridge only seeing one party coming down. This routes finished somewhat spectaculary on the Mont Blanc viewing platform via a ladder and unusually no click of a Japenese camera! Secondly this forced us to Bivi at the Midi Station as the last car to Italy had already left. You are permitted to Bivi in the corridor next to the plant room which is warm although a little noisey! The Midi really does make a 5* bivi spot being warm, having toilettes and access to the afiorementioned viewing platform. |
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At
8.30am, a delightful lie in we got the car over to Italy. This resulted
in a 9.30am start for the Rochforte Arete. Not ideal but being a ridge
it wouldn't increse the hazard of avalaunch or stonefall. the route was amazing, not quite as good as the Midi-Plan traverse which I had done some years previoulsy but excellent all the same. we had decided not to do the Grandes Jorasses on this trip after our late start and investigation into the technical difficulties. In terms of time it was not realy feasible to get to the Canzio Bivouac in time. |
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The
climbing was fine although I did begin to suffer with the Altitude.
This was strnge as I had aclimatised quite well although in truth I had
never ascended quite so high on this trip. Nevertheless we pressed on
and reached the summit only an hour longer than guide book time. It
should have been a simple drop down to the Peredies Bivouac from
here.... |
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The
drop down glacier was frankley death on a stick. Not too far off
our earlier experince on the couloir of death. Imagine a crevasse 50m
deep, 10m wide with a snowbridge of Pate and you would not be too far
off. |
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| After
slogging back up to the summit it was agreed the best plan would be to
reverse the arete and use our wisely bought return tickets. We reached the end of the arete at 10pm. The downclimbing through the rock acent took 5hrs (instead of 2 on the ascent). At 3.30am we reached Helbronner to hit the deck only to be awoken by tourists walking all over us at 8am! What an adventure! |
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So
that was the end of that. We had to try one final route after a rest
day of
course. This was the Chapel de le Glere, 15 pitches of HS!!! Awesome .... |
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The
main problem was it wasn't HS ...it was VS going on HVS andf although
this is 'do able' bolted, .....15 pitches nah.... We completed the first pitch and decided a night in the bar would be preferable than a 3.30am finish on a route again. Leffe ...yey! |
and that was us ...back to england for more alpine dreams....... |
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Go
alpine climbing more than you do at the moment!!!
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See my alpine guide for how to get involved.