Trip Reports 2009

4th September 2009

Apart from valley rock climbing there is little to do down the Chamonix Valley when the weather is too bad up high. One excellent option is the Via Corda on the rock slabs above the Arveyron River leading to the buvette below Montenvers. It starts right at the bottom of the valley and goes up several hundred metres in steady scrambling and easy rock climbing with bolt runners. The crux pitches reach grade Severe and the finish is in a spectacular position above the foot of the Mer de Glace and looking right down the Chamonix Valley. This was a brilliant way to finish a good week. It was very frustrating to get the first bad weather after five weeks of great conditions but we managed to climb every day and cover all the skills required for Tim, Gordon, Mark and Steve to come back and climb in the Alps in the future.

3rd September 2009

The break in the bad weather forecast a couple of days ago failed to materialise. The wind was very strong all night and low cloud and snow showers kept up all night. So our window for climbing Mont Blanc did not open. In fact the strong wind was putting the telepherique down in question! We got back up the snow crest with the other climbers in the hut (and the hut guardian!) to catch the one and only cable car back down to the valley today! This afternoon was slightly better in the valley and the Guides Crag at Les Gaillands was busy with disapointed alpinists!

2nd September 2009

Big storms over Geneva caused a power cut this morning in all of Chamonix Valley so we got a late start to the Aiguille du Midi. By the time we descended the snow crest to the Col du Midi clouds were building fast and the wind was picking up. We decided to change our plan of traversing the Points Lachenal and went for the little rock ridge leading to the Cosmiques Hut from the Col du Midi. This is a great little scramble that finishes right at the back of the hut and we managed it before the bad weather really arrived.

1st September 2009

We woke to a perfect morning with shooting stars and no wind. There was also a layer of cloud in the valleys that stayed there until well after the sun rose. The view to Mont Blanc over the clouds with the morning sunshine lighting it all up was fantastic. The bottom of the glacier on the normal route to Gran Paradiso is now quite steep and very dry hard hard ice. Everyone is currently going up the rock ridge to the north of the glacier and joining the route from the Chabod Hut on the glacier to the summit. This adds nothing to the overall time of ascent especially as the top part of the mountain still has quite good snow cover. As usual there were lots of people on the summit but this did not detract from the climb. A long descent and drive back to Chamonix and we are ready for Mont Blanc. We'll see what the weather gives us, after three perfect days it certainly looks quite mixed for the rest of this week.

31st August 2009

As soon as the sun hit the Guides Crag at Les Gaillands the heat was on. We spent an hour practicing prussicking in case of a fall into a crevasse followed by a quick climb on this fantastic crag. Then a quick trip through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Italy before walking up to the Vittorio Emmanuel Hut below Gran Paradiso.

30th August 2009

The first day of training for Mont Blanc with Tim, Gordon, Steve and Mark was at Les Grandes Montets. We walked from Lognan up the front of the hill to the glacier which not surprisingly is nearly completely dry of snow. We got around to the north facing slopes where there is some snow left and we did some crevasse rescue training before climbing the north ridge to the summit. The walk down was quite easy - two sets of steps to the very last telepherique of the season! Great weather, cold in the morning and not a cloud in the sky.

28th August 2009

The walk out from the Monte Rosa Hut is a straightforward walk over the dry glacier and along the path to Gornergrad Railway. The views from this path are astounding and it was great to look back at the 4000m peaks we had climbed. Jari and Casper did a great job and I'm sure the memory of climbing Monte Rosa will stay with them for a long time.

27th August 2009

After a couple of days of wandering around in the mist it was a pleasure to wake up to a clear sky with brilliant stars and no wind. This was the day it counted as well. The sun rose as we arrived first on Zumsteinspitze with the ridge to Dufourspitze laid out ahead. Some fresh snow made everything pristine and the descent to the col was quite delicate on the narrow snow crest.

The way back up Dufourspitze was brilliant with sparkling snow and easy rock climbing in the sunshine. From the Grenzgipfel the ridge is almost horixontal with some delicate climbing on rock but with no wind and now in the warm sunshine it was a pleasure.

We met Steve, Chris and Dave on top who had dug a great trail all the way from Monte Rosa Hut including 1800m of ascent! We were very grateful for this huge effort and enjoyed an the descent to the hut, easy apart from the dry and quite challenging section at the bottom of the glacier. It really felt like it all came together after the last couple of mistly days, with great weather, challenging but brilliant conditions and a superb traverse of the second highest peak in the Alps.

26th August 2009

The bad weather of yesterday had not cleared completely today as Casper, Jari and I headed round the Passo del Naso. We were first out of the hut so trail breaking duties were down to us which was easy enough at first as the cloud was above us. Passo del Naso was quite easy as well with soft snow at the bottom allowing for good foot steps and only the second half requiring steps to be cut in the ice. Thick mist again greeted us on the pass and this helped me find a crevasse to fall into! Alpinism is a team sport and I'm very grateful to Casper and Jari for their excellent reactions in holding the rope and making me safe. The descent of the pass went without problem on the rocks and the long climb back up to the Margherita Hut on the summit of Signalkuppe was again in the cloud.

25th August 2009

It was a little surprising to wake up to thick mist and rain this morning! It seems that the forecast changed since we were in the hills and we walked back up towards the Zwillingsjoch with the rumble of thunder all around! One strike hit Pollux right next to us so after a wee rest we tentatively started up Castor. The route to the Quintino Sella Hut goes right over the summit of Castor so we were very grateful that the thunder died away and all we had to cope with was thick mist on the summit. So no view to appreciate the very narrow snow arete at the top but at least we were still on track for Monte Rosa.

24th August 2009

Good weather was forecast again as I went round to Zermatt to meet up with Jari and Casper. Working for Adventure Peaks, we planned a Spaghetti Tour finishing with the Dufouspitze. Despite starting and finishing in Zermatt this tour is entirely in Italy so pasta is firmly on the menu! We went to the Theodule Hut for the first night before escaping the ski area today and climbing Pollux, the first of our 4000m peaks. This is a great little climb with a difficult section of rock between easy scrambling and a nice snow crest to the summit. Snow cover this high up is still quite reasonable and the descent to the superb Val d'Ayas Hut was easy.

21st August 2009

With the first bad weather forecast all week, Paul, Paula and I went rock climbing at La Maya, just up the valley from Arolla. There are several climbs here, all bolted, starting from the original route that feels around VS. Finding the start of the route is a bit tricky with the Alpine Club guide book so you might like to find a local topo for the crag. After for pitches of superb slab climbing with a few steeper moves thrown in as well we abseiled off the side and returned to the hotel for a coffee. As we were sat there the rain came on and we decided to call it a week ... and a great week too. We managed to climb something on every day of the six days with varied ascents of glaciated peaks, high level rock ridges, mid level scrambling ridges and low level rock climbing. Not a bad Alpine introduction!

20th August 2009

If you have four wheel drive you can get up to Remointse de Breona above Forclaz making the walk to the Col de Breona a gentle hour. Walking from the road will make it a very long day indeed! However it is certainly worth it as the climb to the Couronne de Breona is a brilliant, narrow and airy scramble. From the top a free abseil and a walk kdown a path will take you to the Clocher de la Couronne. The north ridge of this is a beautiful arete which can be climbed at III/IV- and descended by abseil. It is certainly worth the climb. The rock is perfect and it is a compelling line. A wee traverse line on the east side of the clocher gets you to the next col which can be descended over loose ground back to the idyllic Alpine meadows below.

19th August 2009

We left the hut first for our route up the Pigne d'Arolla at 5am. The stars were out and the snow was in great condition for our climb to the summit which takes four hours of glacier trekking. The view from this top is excellent with the Zermatt giants on one side and Mont Blanc on the other. The descent to the Vignettes Hut is not too crevassed and we carried on down to Arolla for a very welcome shower!

18th August 2009

Mont Blanc du Cheillon is a fantastic peak for your first Alpine season. It is a varied climb with sections of snow, ice, rock and narrow exposed ridge. In fact the final ridge to the top is particularly exposed and you need a very good head for heights to reach the top. We made it in good time and in great style to enjoy the view just before the pack arrived there! There is still some snow around and we descended the winter route which still has very good cover and makes for a far easier and quicker descent. After a long day out we decided to enjoy the hospitality at the Dix Hut once more instead of returning to the valley.

17th August 2009

Since I was last in the Alps it has been continuously warm and nobody can remember when it last snowed! Because of this, much of the great snow cover we had in June has melted back and the snowline is now very high. It is turning into quite a dry summer. Paula, Paul and I climbed La Luette for our acclimatisation peak. It is right behind the hut and offers an easy glacial ascent and some rather loose ridges, all in a very good position. The views more than compensate for the poor quality of the rock!

16th August 2009

After a few winter seasons in Scotland Paul and Paula decided it was about time they had a go at some Alpine climbing. We based ourselves near Arolla where there are many good objectives for a first Alpine trip. Our first day involved walking up to the Pas de Chevres and traversing a short section of rock ridge to the Col de Tsena Reiffenen. This is a mini classic with a short section of grade III climbing to start and plenty of scrambling with a couple of abseils as well. The rock is perfect and the views amazing. After the traverse it is an easy walk across the dry glacier to the Cabane des Dix, a great hut run very well by Pierre and Beatrice.

15th August 2009

After my break back home I got straight into the rock climbing with Abib on the Mirroir d'Argentine. We climbed Papageno which was recommended to me by Paul back in July. The Mirroir is a huge slab of limestone above Villars in western Switzerland with several fourteen pitch climbs. The normal route is a fairly friendly french 4 and our route has a pitch of 6a, a couple of 5c pitches and lots of 5a. We were in the shade for most of the climb which was a mercy in the baking heat. If you have a day to spare and enjoy slab climbing this place is certainly recommended for that Alpine rock climbing experience.

25th July 2009

With good weather forecast for our last day we spent the night at the Plan de l'Aiguille Refuge above Chamonix. Our intention was to climb the Frendo Spur, a magnificent route, 1100m high, on the north face of the Aiguille du Midi, however we had to trust the afternoon storms and early morning mist would clear. Because of the clouds in the morning we didn't make it to the start of the route until 6am and the first sections of rock were climbed in the mist. However we turned round at one point to see above the clouds with clear skies on top, a great moment that told us it would all come good.

There is a lot of rock climbing to do and the quality of the rock gets better the higher up you go with some brilliant sections of sustained easy rock climbing on the buttress below the snow crest with some quite hard moves thrown in too. Arriving at the foot of the snow crest is another great moment with all the tension of not knowing the quality of the snow and ice and the sheer scale of the situation. For us it all worked out brilliantly as there was still some snow on the crest which was nicely frozen and very good ice on the face higher up. The Frendo Spur is a brilliant climb and for John and I to get it in such good condition with great weather on our last day was perfect!

24th July 2009

Very strong winds and more rain meant a simple walk to the Trient Hut just before the afternoon storm arrived. Today the wind was still blowing but the sun was shining and we made a fantastic traverse along Les Pointes des Ecandies. This is a fairly low level traverse on excellent rock with great views down the Rhone Valley. It can be completed in a day from the valley with a long approach or a simple walk down hill from the Trient Hut. Le Razoir is a very narrow section that is very airy but the most interesting section is the Angel's Step, a particularly exciting leap of faith!

22nd July 2009

After some big days John and I decided an easier day of cragging would be a good plan. We went to Fieschertal where there is plenty of excellent rock climbing in a beautiful and quiet Alpine valley, just a short walk away from the road. The rock dries quickly which is just as well considering the showers that kept on coming throughout the day! We had one wait of around half an hour while a slab dried sufficiently for the friction to be good enough to allow us to climb it. Persistence paid off though and we made it to the top with great satisfaction.

21st July 2009

Up again at 3am, John and I left the hut at 4am just six and a half hours after we arrived there! We did the return walk all the way back up the glacier to get to the ridge going up Lenzspitze. All the way there were clouds building in the west that decided to come in just as we got onto the ridge. The traverse from Lenzspitze to Nadelhorn is another committing traverse and with bad weather clearly approaching we decided we'd pushed our luck far enough and descended (again) to Dom Hut and down to Randa. Gratifyingly it did snow on the way down and it was clearly very windy again on the tops all day so we were very happy we'd made the right decision. Traversing all of Mischabel in one go takes three days of very good weather and will always be a big proposition. They are long and serious days that match this huge and serious set of hills.

20th July 2009

At 4am the wind was still sounding fairly ferocious so we left it till 5.30am. Over breakfast and in the first light of day the wind was still looking too bad for the narrow ridge traverse so we had a leisurely breakfast and decided to head back over Alphubel. However after a couple of minutes climbing in that direction we stopped and thought it wasn't too bad after all! We turned back and started up the Taschhorn at 7.40am, not an early start! The route up was dry to start off with but soon turned snowy and formed a very dramatic snow crest for much of the way. There were the remains of a trail which helped as climb along but with no real protection we resorted to draping the rope under the cornice on the opposite side as John and I traversed along. It was nowhere very hard but with thousand metre drops on both sides a long way from anywhere the seriousness of the route was quite obvious. The last section of rock to the summit of the Taschhorn is not at all solid but short lived and we made the summit ahead of guidebook time.

After another wee discussion John and decided to carry on to Dom. We put on more layers as the wind was still blowing and went down the very narrow section to the Domjoch. With hands on the crest and feet on the flanks this was a spectacular bit of climbing followed by some more serious snow crest. The ascent of Dom can be compared to climbing a drystone wall exceept slightly more loose! Spectacular towers and norrow crest make up for the rock which does improve in the last couple hundred metres. Arriving at 6pm on Dom in great weather the tension was released as all we had left was a (1600m) walk down the glacier to the Dom Hut. We got there at 8.30pm and were lucky but enormously grateful to get dinner.

19th July 2009

After a couple days of rest due to bad weather Paul headed home and John and I went round to Saas Grund. Being further east means there is often better weather here when the winds are coming from the west. We took the Alpine Metro lift to Mittle Allalin and traversed Feecopf and Alphubel to get to the Mischabeljoch bivi hut. This is certainly the most fun way to get to the hut and gave us some more acclimatisation before our intended traverse of Taschhorn and Dom. Being a Swiss bivi hut, it is very well apointed with beds and blankets, a stove, pots pans and crockery. We had a great night miles away from anywhere, listening to the wind whistling round the hut.

16th July 2009

At last the rain came with the thunder storms but it cleared quickly enough for us to do some cragging at Les Gaillands before heading up to the Albert Premiere Hut. With only two hours of walking there is plenty of time to get to the hut. Only three teams left the hut before 3am to go across to the Aiguille du Chardonnet so it was quite a surprise when about twenty people came over the col from the Trient Hut! The Forbes Arete is the classic of the mountain and one of the best AD ridges you will find in the Alps. It has a steep snow approach with a section of ice and continuously interesting climbing over and around the many gendarmes on the ridge. It's a spectacular summit with views down onto the Argentiere Glacier and a tricky descent. However the conditions were great and we had a perfect day for it with sunshine and no wind. If you've not done it yet, you need to climb the Forbes Arete!

14th July 2009

We set out for the Aiguille du Bionassay before 3am with a couple of teams ahead of us making a nice trail for us to follow! The traverse of this peak is very well know for its narrow snow crest on the summit but there are sections of rock and snow crest on the way up as well. On the last narrow section of snow before the last section of rock and with increasing wind and clouds we decided it would be too windy on the summit and returned to the Durier Hut. We were already in a very spectacular position and being buffeted by the wind and we'd already done some great climbing to get there. Below the Durier Hut there is a descent route on the French side that is well marked with red paint and a couple of short sections of cables. It leads down (and down and down ...) until you eventually reach the road near Les Contamines, 2800m below our high point!

13th July 2009

With the weather warming up and getting more humid Paul, John and I set out for a grand traverse of the Domes du Miages and Aiguille du Bionassay. It is a five hour walk up to the Conscrits Hut where you start the traverse of the Domes. The walk in is up a spectacular gorge with a set of very long ladders to keep up the interest levels! We didn't get a freeze of the snow on the traverse of the Domes du Miages but it was in pretty good condition otherwise with nice snow and very little ice. It is a superbly elegent snow crest nearly all the way along which is quite straight forward so long as you are good with your crampons and have a good head for the exposure! The descent to the Col du Miage is the crux of the day and involves some delicate descending of ice patches and rock steps to the Durier Hut where we got a great welcome from Helene who guardians the hut for three months continuously come storms or sunshine!

11th July 2009

Back out in Chamonix with John and Paul we were faced with good, cold conditions on the first day still with some good snow cover. We decided to warm up on the Aiguille du Peigne in the Chamonix Aiguilles as a day route by the Voie Normal. This is a great AD rock route with lots of scrambling, interesting route finding and some tricky climbing at the top. The comb that gives the peak its name is very spectacular and we felt very well warmed up after making it back down for the cable car back to the valley!

25th June 2009

With an early finish required Radek and I had a leisurely breakfast followed by a leisurely climb of the Arete des Cosmiques. This very popular ridge startes next to the hut and is a brilliant route directly to the Aiguille du Midi telepherique station. A great way to finish a very successful trip to start the alpine summer season.

24th June 2009

With the good weather holding Radek and I went over to the Torino Hut for an easier day after our climb on Aiguille du Chardonnet. We did a short route on the N Face of Aiguille du Toule which gave a few pitches of moderate snow and ice and a great view from the top. Starting at 4am from the Torino Hut we got to the Tour Ronde N Face very quickly and climbed the Decorps Perroux (North) Couloir. This is slightly harder (D+) than the classic north face and has several pitches up great ice in an open and mixed couloir. The upper slopes next to the N Face were very soft by the time we got there as it was far warmer than a couple of days ago. We stayed on the rocks and enjoyed the complete ridge over the top of the N Face, soaking up every bit of the immense exposure! The quick descent from the Coll Freshfield was well covered in snow and we plodded back up to the Cosmiques Hut for our last night.

22nd June 2009

A 2am start from the Albert 1re Hut got us across the Tour Glacier and the foot of the N Buttress of Aiguille du Chardonnet in three hours. The climb was in excellent condition with great neve all the way. We didn't touch rock once apart from when we wanted to belay! It was a bit misty all the way up but we caught glimpses of the view from the summit. The descent was quite straight forward but there were one or two pillows of windslab in the gully.

21st June 2009

We've had a good dry spell with just occasional wet days for the last couple of weeks. A frontal system brought some rain to the west coast over the last couple of days which arrived in Chamonix at the same time as Radek and I got there! It cleared through very quickly though and we had a good walk through to the Cabane du Trient for our first night in the huts. We climbed the Aiguille du Tour for a warm up, going up to the N summit from the Fenetre du Pissoir. This is a really nice wee route with a couple if pitches in a great position with nobody else around. The crowds tend to stick with the S summit. We had a fantastic view of our next objective, the N Buttress (Migot) of Aiguille du Chardonnet.

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