Brevent binge - Hotel California, Vioz Traverse & Crakoukass

The last few days have been continually sunny here in Cham, so I've been getting out and making the most of it with 3 great days up at Brevent. If you get Brevent on a powder day in winter there is nowhere better to be, and the same is true when you get a sunny day in summer. 

First up was "Crakoukass", a nice 7 pitch route with sections up to 5c which I've done a few times but which never fails to provide an excellent day. We were filming the day for Episode 3 of Chalk and Granite, so check back next week to see the final edit! Thanks Toby and Sophie for an excellent day.

I didn't get any climbing shots from the day, but I did see some people wingsuiting from the top station and I managed to get this (I think) quite cool sequence of photos of a guy jumping. SCARY stuff!!!

Next up, Sharon and I decided to go and investigate the Traverse of the Vioz. This series of peaks is accessed from the top of Brevent and gets a bit of a hard time in the guidebook ("Abseils from a single point, non-existent cleaning, vegetated ambience...you get the picture, this route is far from perfect") but we figured it looked fun and we fancied an adventure.

We were actually pleasantly surprised by the route, and though there are indeed some oddly placed bolts, poorly bolted abseils and plenty of vegetation, the Vioz does provide a good day out. The only issue we had was on the crux 6a pitch, which is covered in lichen and has some really snappy and loose feeling rock. I led up and was above the crux move, but then the slab steepened to almost vertical, everything got even more lichen covered, and the moves suddenly became quite tricky, with lots of sidepulls and poor footholds. As if that wasn't enough, the bolts just stopped, and there looked to be no prospect of any more. I wasn't keen to push on into the unknown and risk a huge fall so we backed off and climbed to the summit of the Pointe des Vioz via the route normally used in descent. This actually provided an easy, fun scramble, so I'd recommend doing that unless you are feeling very brave indeed and fancy taking on the slab. Overall, a fun day, and great to be on something a bit different, away from the crowds.

Me with the Aiguille Verte behind

Sharon on the 3rd tower the Vioz traverse

Some company for the walk down

I'm on a bit of a fitness drive right now (it won't last), and I'm looking to do routes which cover plenty of ground and get me moving, so with that in mind we decided to go for a classic itinerary today, and climb the 10 pitch "Hotel California" and then the Clocher - Clochetons traverse. A lie in and leisurely breakfast threw a spanner in the works though, and we ended up just doing the first route (which was excellent). I told myself that everyone needs a steady day every now and then...

Mystical views of Mont Blanc

It's hard to get lost at Brevent!

The good weather looks to be continuing into next week, so I'll be out enjoying it - stay tuned for a full conditions report when I've been up high.

Petite Aiguille Verte & Aiguilles Dorees

This hot and sunny summer just seems to keep coming, so I've been out for a few days over the last week trying to make the most of it. First up, Gary and I went for a lap on the Petite Aiguille Verte and the E ridge of the Grand Montets. Given that the weather has been good for 90% of this summer, it seemed ironic to be out in the mist and cold, but we had a good time, and it was nice to get out despite the lack of views for most of the day.

Gary on the Petite Verte

A quick glimpse of some moody looking Drus

Where else can you have a coffee in your own house and then be here an hour later?

Me on a short, tricky section on the Grand Montets E ridge. Photo Gary Tulloch.

Looking to up the ante a bit, I teamed up with super keen London based climber Matt Groom and after much deliberation we headed up to the Albert Premier hut to do the traverse of the Aiguilles Dorees. With conditions quite dry after a long summer, we wanted something rock based, and with no danger of rockfall, either natural or kicked off by other people. The Dorees seemed a good idea, and with it being a slightly neglected classic, we figured we'd find some solitude. The guidebook says that the route is long, difficult to follow, and quite serious, so we also knew we'd find some adventure...

Sunset views from the hut. The Dorees is normally approached from the Trient hut, but with the chairlift which takes you most of the way broken, we decided we'd rather go from the Albert Premier.

The approach was pretty long (just under 3 hours), but we got our heads down and managed to beat daylight to the route, and so had to sit in the freezing darkness for half an hour and wait for the sun.

First light on the route

Matt and the Aiguille d'Argentiere

Matt on the ridge

The climbing on the route was great, and the route finding interesting, so spirits were high by the time we reached the snow traverse section. Unfortunately the snow was gone and had been replaced by patchy black ice, so we had to take the direct line, which takes in a 6a corner. Matt was up it in no time though, and we still thought all was well. 

However, when we finally reached the foot of the Tete Biselx, the whole thing looked like a pile of chossy, awful rock. On the approach to the route we'd seen the evidence of 2 huge rockfalls, and now it looked as if one had originated from where the route was supposed to go. Add this to the fact that smaller rockfalls had been more or less continuous from the face, and we were suddenly not that keen on pushing on. There looked to be no good way up the peak, and nor did it look possible to get around the face and continue another way. We were both gutted to turn around, especially after putting in so much effort on the approach, but neither of us wanted to go anywhere near the Biselx, so that was that.

I've been meaning to climb the Dorees for years now, so I was disappointed not to do it, but a good time was had despite not finishing the route.

Matt looking back at the bigger rockfall

The smaller of the 2 rockfalls!

It looks as if there is now a spell of dodgy weather coming up, but I'll still be getting out where possible and blogging when I do.

Postscript - I had a text from Matt today saying that having checked a few guidebooks it seems that the chimney we were supposed to climb had indeed fallen down in the major rockfall! Scary stuff.

Aiguille de la Perseverance, S Ridge

Keen to get some mountain fitness in, Gary, Sharon and I decided to go and check out the South ridge of the Aiguille de la Perseverance, high above Lac Blanc. The route has classic status, and with a 2 hour approach from the Index chairlift, you certainly deserve to be rewarded with a decent route.

The approach is pretty tough, and the final hour is a really tough slog across boulders and up some horrible scree. 

Gary on the scree slope

Once on the route, the first 2 pitches are good, after that things get a bit loose and chossy unfortunately. There is the odd good section, but generally the situation and views were better than the climbing. The final ridge is really exposed and enjoyable, but the rock quality still isn't great. 

Me on the ridge. Photo Gary Tulloch.

The summit is just brilliant though, with amazing views across Chamonix, and into the Berard Valley. The descent is obvious enough, with a 25m abseil, then a short scramble along the ridge towards the Col de la Perseverance, and another ab of 20m. 

Summit views

Sharon on the second abseil

From the bottom of the second abseil is a frankly horrible slide/scramble down the scree slope below...

Overall, not a glowing recommendation! The approach and descent are really tough going, and the route basically is a great line, but not a great climb. That said, the views from the route are hard to beat, it's a classic line and a famous summit, and the banter was excellent, so by no means a wasted day. I'm definitely keen for a better walking:good climbing ratio on my next day out though!

A bit of company for the walk back to Index

Chalk and Granite Episode 2

The second episode of the Chalk and Granite series came out today, and once again Toby and Rachel at Seven Twenty Productions have surpassed themselves and done an amazing job. This long and sunny summer just keeps coming, so hopefully this video will help keep the psych up!

Back!

As followers of this site will have noticed, the blog has been pretty quiet this summer (sorry!), but I'm now back in Cham and revved up to get the season underway properly. 

The last 5 weeks has seen me driving (or being driven - thanks Mark and Jack!) to Germany, Paris, the Ecrins, Tuscany, and finally from Liverpool back to Cham - ask me anything about European toll roads and service stations. After all that, I'm dreaming of my own bed and plenty of Cham time so hopefully blog activity will pick up considerably!

It's always good to be back in Cham

Rochefort Arete, Papillons Arete, and general conditions

I only got back to Cham late on Saturday night after a blissful week of lounging around in Tuscany, so it was quite a shock to the system to go from hardcore tourism in Pisa on Saturday to kipping at the Helbronner with Matt on Sunday night. 

From the sublime (complete with tourists all doing the "I'm holding it up" act)...

to the ridiculous - The Alpine Clown in full costume

With neither of us acclimatised nor keen for trying too hard, we were looking for something to do which was neither too high, dangerous or committing, and something which would provide some good views. The classic Rochefort Arete seemed to tick all the boxes so that was that.

Away from the hut by just after 5, we were taking crampons off and beginning the scramble up to the Salle a Manger an hour later. It would be fair to say that we were both pretty lukewarm about the loose nature of the terrain, and when the seemingly inevitable happened and a huge rockfall flew past us, it was quickly decided that we didn't need this sort of thing in our lives, and we headed off. Always a shame not to be rewarded for a rubbish night's sleep, but I'll wait until Spring when the approach is a bit more glued together before going back. Everyone else who'd been behind us carried on by the way, so it's perfectly possible to get up there if you have the required psych/danger tolerance.

A sight rarely seen - Matt doing summer alpinism

Beautiful morning light on Mont Blanc

Matt enjoying his second breakfast after our retreat

Having turned back we decided to go and climb the Entreves just to do something with the day, and to check out conditions. If I could summarise things right now, it would be "dry". Some of the bergrschrunds, particularly on the Tacul are enourmous, and routes like the Tour Ronde N face look really icy and unpleasant. The rock, however, looks great, and just about everything is dry, including big routes like the Gervassutti Pillar. If you're climbing up the Midi right now, I would recommend sticking to rock climbs - there are some amazing routes to be done so get on them while it's too hot and dry for anything else.

With that in mind, Sharon and I decided today to do the Papillons Arete on the Aiguille du Peigne. The route itself is just brilliant - perfect granite, nothing too hard (provided you don't get lost at the crux...oops!), loads of gear, and amazing views of the towering Chamonix Aiguilles. 

Early morning light on the M and Petit Charmoz, with the Drus and the Verte behind.

Looking up at the Papillons

All was going smoothly until the end of the route when the weather suddenly went from sunny to misty in seconds, and then a minute or 2 later, a flash of lightning came so close to us that I felt a jolt through my feet. Quite the incentive to hurry down! We duly hurried, and the "storm" only lasted about 10 minutes, so we walked out in perfect sunshine to a very welcome can of Orangina at the mid station cafe.

Conditions are great around the Aiguilles now with just about everything dry. I could hear rockfalls all day though, so choose your route carefully and you'll have a great time.

Chalk & Granite on EpicTV!

After a lot of time spent filming around Cham, the first episode of "Chalk and Granite" is now up on EpicTV. Thanks to Toby and Rachel at Seven Twenty Productions for all the sweat that they've put into it, and thanks to everyone who came along and helped with the filming. This is a 5 part series, so there will be 4 more episodes over the summer. It's not supposed to be anything too hardcore, just fun. Enjoy.

We still need to do some more filming for some of the later episodes, so let's hope this amazing summer continues. I'm currently making the most of it down in the Ecrins, and I'm just coming to the end of a blissful week in the tiny village of Ailefroide. Anyone who has been here will know the score - lots of sun, perfect rock, and some very nice little cafes. If you haven't been then it is well worth checking out, and provides a nice middle ground between cragging and scary stuff in the mountains.

Sharon on a typical Ailefroide slab pitch

A working holiday! (Much more holiday than work to be honest)

On a Via Ferrata above Vallouise - not quite the rest day we were hoping for!

Ailefroide

Outdoor 2013 at Friedrichshafen

I've just got back from Germany having been to the Outdoor Show 2013 at Friedrichshafen, and Chamonix is warm and sunny, as it has been the whole time I've been away apparently. After a snowy start it seems that summer is now here, and I'm itching to make the most of it, so stay tuned over the next couple of days for blog updates.

 A full report will be appearing on UKClimbing.com soon, but in the meantime, here's a few shots (and a pretty funny video!) from the show. Thanks Jack, Paul, Alan and Dan for a busy few days!

Checking out the new Lowe Alpine packs

Ueli Steck showing off Mountain Hardwear's latest hardshells

Leah showing off the new NanoPro fabric from Marmot, with (hidden!) help from Liam

Look who I ran into! Climbing whilst simultaneously pulling your Mrs up with you is pretty impressive.

Kenton Cool with Sherpa's latest offering

Outdoor Party 2013!

Friedrichshafen from Charlie Boscoe on Vimeo.

No further comment required!

Mont Blanc, conditions update, and some very nice photos.

It's been a busy week here in Cham, which for various reasons has seen me not climbing anything hard, but doing quite the tour of some Chamonix classics. I've been on the traverse of the Entreves, the SE ridge on the Index, and finally the Gouter Route of Mont Blanc in the past week, all of which have been amazing, but all of which means that I am now parked on my backside for a few days. 

The Index was with Toby from Seven Twenty Productions, and was in aid of the Chalk and Granite project (Facebook page here), the first episode of which is out in a fortnight. Unfortunately I don't have any photos, but we got some great footage so make sure you watch the series when it comes out, it's going to be epic!

The Entreves was an acclimatisation day for Sharon and I, and we had a great time climbing this classic and exposed ridge.

View from midway along the Entreves

With a whole 7 hours of acclimatisation, we then had a day off before heading up to the newly refurbished Gouter Hut in preparation for a go at Mont Blanc. 

The Gouter Route might not be technical, but it's one of the most scenic snow plods out there, and we made quick work of the route, and were back at the Nid d'Aigle train station in plenty of time for the 12.30 train down. Result! 

Conditions were superb on Mont Blanc, and it seems that all the snow is finally beginning to firm up with the recent good weather having provided some freeze/thaw cycles. General climbing conditions are actually looking much better now, with high altitude snowy routes being covered in firm snow, and mid altitude rock climbs being dry but relatively easily approached. The only summer routes that I think are definitely out right now are rock climbs that are high or north facing, and technical mixed routes which may not have survived the recent heat. Overall, things are looking good though, and there is plenty of sun on the way so get involved.

In the meantime, here's some of the better shots from Mont Blanc. It's not the toughest summit, but it takes you through some incredible scenery whichever route you climb it by. Enjoy - 

Snowy up high

After some horrendous weather over the weekend, Emma and I figured that there must have been some fresh snow up high, and so decided to get the first bin up the Grand Montets to have a look. Well, we didn't quite get the first bin, but went for the second one - you need someone to set off all the avalanches and in Cham there's never a shortage of volunteers so we let them get the early lift!

We had planned to ski straight down the front face, but the initial few hundred metres looked pretty dodgy and loaded, so we skied down towards the Argentiere Glacier and then turned left and emerged onto the front face about 2/3 of the way down. Happily enough, the snow was excellent all the way down, and whilst it would have been nice to do some lift served skiing in July, I'll settle for the last day of June!

The last day of June!!!

Emma happy with the conditions

Me heading for the Argentiere Glacier. Photo Emma Jack

Me on the front face. Photo Emma Jack

Today I went for a look at the Aiguille de L'M, but baking temperatures and a snowy approach sent us home empty handed. Conditions are frankly quite poor up high, with this huge amount of fresh snow not yet stabilised, and not many rock climbs completely snow free. As a result, finding objectives over the next few days could be tricky, but things should improve by the weekend as there is wall to wall sunshine forecast from Thursday onwards. In the meantime, I'd go for the ever reliable Aiguilles Rouges, or maybe a bit of cragging.