Ottoz Route, SE Face Of Aiguille Croux

Aiguille Croux 3256m, on the left, and Aiguille Noire 3773m on the right. This view on the approach walk (via ferrata) up to the Monzino hut

Alison Culshaw and I decided to use the last couple of days of good weather to do the Ottoz Route on the SE Face of the Aiguille Croux. We finally decided on what gear to take and went for 2x60m ropes and a bunch of cams and wires - we found different sources suggesting different things - but in the end I did use a couple of cams and 1 nut! It was the first time up to the Menzino hut for both of us, and the scenery is breaktaking. The scale of everything is enormous and sheer. In the heart of it is the hut - which is the best I've been to. The food is excellent, the facilities include showers! and the accommodation is in single bunks - there's even table football and a crazy dog that wants to play. When we arrived there was even available running water outside the hut - which promptly stopped when I turned up with a bottle to fill!

Our choice of route meant that we could have a leisurely breakfast of 5.30am and a 6am approach. We started climbing at 7.30 and were a bit disappointed that there was thick cloud - and poor views. We climbed in blocks of pitches which worked really well. All the guides give slightly different opinions on the grades of the pitches. I found pitch 10 the hardest, even though it wasn't the crux, but pitch 7 was the most fun. Alison's favourite of her 7 pitches, were the final perfect slabs leading to the South Summit.

A lot of abseils later and we were back at the hut, with only the via ferrata to go. A brilliant wild climbing venue, and it's inspired me to go back for more.

Now from one outdoor capital (of France) - Chamonix, to another outdoor capital (of UK) - Fort William. I live next to the biggest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, but it's dwarfed by the alps ...

The SE face of the Aiguille Croux - with the Ottoz Route

This image was taken from the table mat at the Monzino hut. A little inspirational reading while eating! If you can read the numbers we went up route 8 and mostly down route 6.

Rifugio Monzino

The end of a massive meal at the hut - good food. The best hut I've ever been to. I even had a hot (I had to turn the heat down) shower

Ottoz Route - SE face of Aiguille Croux. Pitch grades 4b, 4a, 4b, 2, 4b, 5b, 5c, 6a (1 move), 5c, 4a, 5b, 4b, 4b, 4c, 3 (grades depend a little on what topo you look at)

Chaos in the Brouillard glacier

Alison leading with mist swirling all around early in the morning

This is the pitch with a move of 6a (that I'm approaching). Alison did these moves completely differently to me, not using any of these under cuts, but using positive holds below

Alison after the 6a move. The rock was solid and perfect here.

I'm on the chimney pitch. This is steep but with large holds. Technically easier than the previous 2 pitches but more strenuous.

Looking down the corner of the chimney pitch as Alison comes up - and the Freney Glacier

Alison finishing off the 10th pitch. I found this to be the hardest pitch to lead, because it was steep and all the holds seemed to be loose blocks, and I was nervous to touch any of them, let alone pull on them!

Alison on pitch 12 or 13. Freney behind

Alison leading on the perfect red cracked slabs to the South Peak.

Spot Alison belayed next to the South Peak

We made our way to the True Summit over this boulder field

Alison starting the 2 abseils down to the notch on the SW face. Then there were 6 short abseils down the SW face (equipped anchors hard to find!), a long abseil to finish the face and overcome the bergschrund, and snow field, and finally 2 short abseils on the descent route to the path.

Last abseil before the scramble path across morraine, finally to the hut. Followed by the via ferrata route to the car park (1.5-2hr from the hut)