Change Of Plan Again. Back To Cragging

View from Chamonix this morning, of the Mont Blanc side of the valley

Stunning shadow formations

This morning, Alison Culshaw and I were all ready to pack and set off up to the hut for the climb tomorrow, but then a last minute check of the weather on the computer changed everything. The predicted northerly winds on Monday morning up high had increased to 55kph (Chamonix weather), too high to be safe on a ridge, or to have any fun at all. So the plan was cancelled, and a new plan needed for the afternoon. A quick head scratch and look through the guide books (something not too far to drive, something with a short walk because it's nearly lunch-time already, and somewhere that Alison hasn't already been to before) - we found the Barberine crag in Switzerland, that looked interesting. So there we went. We managed to get about 6 pitches of 5a up to 6a done before a sudden heavy shower, that finished the day.

The enormous crag at Barberine. The cliff is around 300m high. The guide book says - 'smearing is the name of the game'

I had to share one slab pitch with this insect. It wasn't interested in moving, but luckily it wasn't on a crucial hold, so we didn't bother each other. It was gone by the time Alison passed by