Ecandies Traverse

The weather has been stunning for the last week here in Cham and with it all forecast to change over the weekend, I decided I'd better leave the laptop for a day and get a route done. As ever, Peter was psyched and so we decided to do the Traverse of the Ecandies, high above Champex. We'd started the walk in to the route once before but turned around when it started raining so a return date had always been on the cards. 

All the guidebooks talk about walking in from Champex but with us trying to do the route in a day (without a bivi after the approach) we thought that we could get in just as quickly from the Col de la Forclaz. The theory went that any extra time walking would be made up in having to drive 40 minutes less each way. It didn't quite work out!

Initially the walk in went fine and we made good time towards the Fenetre d'Arpette col before branching off across scree slopes towards the Trient Hut. Although long, the approach was fine and we were at the Col des Ecandies by 10.30.

Me on the walk in, with the Trient Glacier behind. Photo Peter Riley.

Me early on the traverse, checking the route. Photo Peter Riley.

Looking along the ridge from near the beginning. 

The traverse itself is just fantastic, with plenty of easy but brilliant scrambling plus the odd trickier pitch. The one bit we did skip is the famous "Saut de l'Ange" (Angel's leap) which involves jumping from one pinnacle to another. We'd naively imagined that this would be between 2 big, flat areas but it is actually between 2 small, sloping little ledges with massive exposure and a horrible potential swing if you messed it up. I was leading and didn't fancy it but when Peter arrived he assured me that we just needed to "man up". One closer look and he quickly decided that he was with me and didn't fancy it either! A quick abseil and a shuffle along a ledge saw us back on the route and on our way, with our tails firmly between our legs. 

The remainder of the route went very smoothly and we were on the summit 3 hours after starting. From there the fun really started when we realised that in order to get back to the car, we'd have to descend towards Champex, cut across to the Fenetre d'Arpette path, climb up the Fenetre and then walk down to the car. Ouch. We ended up walking for just under 9 hours and climbing for 3 so I guess all the guidebooks are right when they say to come in from Champex. Still, it was great to be out and we got a superb route done as well as clocking up some good mountain mileage. 

Heading for the final summit. Photo Peter Riley.

Just below the crux. Photo Peter Riley.

Me heading off on the final section before the summit. Photo Peter Riley. 

Summit!

The Fenetre d'Arpette

All change with the weather now but with a bit of sun still lingering around for a few days. I might just have to get out at the weekend...

Passage du Derochoir & Perrons Traverse

With winter (hopefully) fast approaching, I've been trying to get some long mountain days under my belt in an effort to build up some fitness for ski touring. To be honest, rock climbing hasn't really happened for me this summer so my thoughts have already turned to what I need to do to make the most of the coming winter. The answer is fitness and checking out new places and areas that I'd like to tour in. 

First up was a charge up and over the Passage du Derochoir, above Passy. Starting in the mini ski area of Pleine Joux, this is a brilliant journey which takes you all the way round the stunning Pointe de Plate. Passing through the Rocher des Fiz and featuring 1000m of ascent and descent, this is a great journey with some incredible views. I managed to scope out a few ski tours too....

The Rocher des Fiz. Unfortunately I can't get off the floor on any of the routes on this peak, but if you're good enough it looks an awesome place to climb. 

The Pointe de Place from the parking at Pleine Joux.

Next up was the traverse of the Perrons, high above the Emosson Dam. I did this route last year (click here for the write up) but it's so good that I wanted to do it again. The walk in went a bit smoother this time and we found the right path but it was still a hard slog. The route itself was brilliant though and the combination of views and amazing scrambling is hard to beat. If the walk in and out was half the length, this would literally be the best low grade route in the Chamonix area. As it is, the route is fantastic but you need to be psyched for the walk. Overall, a brilliant day and a good workout - the pizza when I got home was incredible!

The Emosson lake from half way up the approach.

Me rigging an abseil with the Chamonix peaks behind.

Panoramic from one of the summits on the traverse. On the left are the peaks of the Valais (Matterhorn, Dent Blanche et al) then the peaks on Chamonix are central and a very snowy looking N face of Mont Buet is on the right. Click on the photo to zoom in.

Looking back along the traverse.

The weather is looking good for a while now so hopefully I'll be getting out a few more times before the autumn storms arrive - stay tuned for updates.

Chalk and Granite 3

Another great job from Toby and Rachel at Seven Twenty Productions. 

Love it!

So much for autumn!

The weather is frankly horrible here in Cham right now, with heavy rain throughout all of yesterday and no sign of any sunshine until Thursday. Snow has now fallen to roughly 1700m and I think there will be more people up the Midi with skis than with crampons when the sun does come out. 

The Flegere and Brevent lifts are now closed so options will be quite limited for climbing in the coming days. I'd say that heading down the Valley to climb in the Arve area or going through the Tunnel to Italy would be good ideas, although the best solution is probably to get in the car and head for the south coast!

The scene at 1900m this morning

The beginning of winter?

The last week or so has seen some pretty changeable weather here in Cham, and with a long list of things to be getting on with, I've been inside and trying not to think about getting out in the mountains. Today was supposed to be another similar day, but having opened the curtains and seen this view, I'm wondering if I should be getting the skis down from the loft at the weekend!

More of the same is forecast for the next couple of days, which is a shame for rock climbing, but OK for those of us who want the glaciers filled in well for winter.

We didn't have a spring this year, we just went straight from winter to summer in about 3 days, so maybe we won't have an autumn either. Fine by me!

Conditions up high

Yesterday I went up and climbed at the top of the Midi for the first time since mid June, which made me realise just how little I've done this summer. Still, I've had a good time, and it made it all the sweeter to be out and about in the hills again.

It looked at one stage as if this was going to be a dry, hot summer, but some bad weather in mid August really filled in the glaciers again and put some much needed snow down up high. Right now conditions are pretty funny, with most snow/ice based climbs looking dry and black, but many rock routes having snow on the ledges, keeping the routes damp.

If you're heading out now, I would climb either south facing rock high up, or mid/low altitude rock on any aspect. This seems to have been a pattern for the last few summers, with a damp spring and occasional patches of heavy precipitation keeping many routes out of condition all summer. As far as I know the last time the Walker Spur was climbed in dry conditions was 2010, and that certainly won't change this year.

One the upside, conditions could be superb for autumn as the snow consolidates and is topped up by the storms forecast to arrive at the end of this week. Stay tuned...

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.