Just like everyone else!
After a fantastic trip to India (report on my site for those who are interested) I'm now back in Cham and itching to get into the hills. It seems like I've just missed the first really solid spell of good weather this summer, but there is still sun to be had and a roadtrip may be in order to get some blue sky next week, so let's see.
Sharon and I have managed to get one day of climbing in already, and with me feeling a bit weak and knackered from India, we opted for the ever reliable Chesereys slabs, climbing "Un Pere Noel pour Lucy", a 5 pitch 6a. The route is great, and the 2 6a pitches at the top are superb, so well worth a look overall.
Sharon on the final pitch
This guy came and checked us out while we were having lunch after the route. The animals seem very tame this year, and it's great to see them so close.
After the route we decided, on a whim, to go and recreate the picture in the Chamonix Crag Climbs book of someone doing a tyrolean traverse between the Aiguillette d'Argentiere and the cliff behind it. This was a bit of a random thing to do but turned out to be great fun, well worth the effort. I couldn't be bothered tensionning the rope properly though, so it all sagged a bit and made getting back to the end pretty tough! Still, good fun and very photogenic -
The walk out provided yet another animal close up!
One sad note to finish - we encountered a guy walking up to Chesereys with a massive Alsation dog, and dogs aren't allowed in the Aiguilles Rouges. I told him this and he promptly told me to mind my own business! After a bit of an argument I gave up and left him to it, but having seen so many animals yesterday it made me even more annoyed that people flaunt the rules. If you see someone with a dog, do something about it and stand up for the ibex and marmots!
To quote my mate Pete Croudace - "You never need to pack an idiot, one will always turn up when you get there"!