Kermesse Folk, Brioche and Haribo

Alison on pitch 3 of Kermesse Folk

Last Monday after doing 'Cris-tal' on the Monts Rouges de Triolet, Alison Culshaw and I walked back to the closed Ref. Dalmazzi. We had access to the winter room, and after a quick search we found a reasonable water source. All we need now is food... We cleared the floor and spilled the rest of our Monday and Tuesdays lunches out. Hmmm, not great - peanuts, oat cakes, dairylea cheese triangles, brioche and some stale croissants - oh, and of course - Haribo. We decided to have an evening meal of - oat cake, cheese triangle, brioche pieces, and peanuts, and a breakfast of old croissants. My packed lunch would be more brioche and Haribo. So basically we went to sleep hungry and feeling a bit sick. Early on Tuesday morning we had to try and stomach a rubbish croissant, which didn't go down well... So we went climbing with a small lunch. We got to the base of Kermesse Folk as it got light and got on with it.

We soon cheered up when we found that the climbing was awesome. On pitch 1 the rock was still cold but there were good moves low down. Pitch 2 included a great steep, juggy hand traverse. We discovered at this point that the climb would be semi trad - the guide book told us to bring some cams, so Alison had 4 camalots. After a couple of weeks on bolts, it took a few minutes to get my trad head back on for the traverse (where are the runout slabs when I need them?) - a perfect steep juggy pitch. Pitch 3 - a steep wall, with some perfect trad cracks to the belay - my fav pitch of the week, if not month!

Alison eyeing up her next lead, about a quarter of the way up the climb

We continued even though we both felt strangely sick. We were eyeing up the clouds, for signs of the forecast storm - we didn't really want to be abseiling off 19 pitches at 3200m in a storm.

Alison cruising

Alison checking the topo - where does the next pitch go?

Spot Alison

On the way down at the end of the day

After a day of eating more brioche and haribo, feeling sick most of the time, it was good to be abseiling off after a great climb, with mostly awesome pitches on a great face. We were glad to get down to an earlier belay where we had left our shoes - my toes were very grateful for a rest, and so we eventually headed back to Chamonix as the rain started. I managed to eat an entire Poco Loco large special for the first time in my life, happy to see the back of the haribo! These last 2 days taught me how far you can stretch 2 packed lunches.

On Wednesday morning in heavy rain, after fighting the Geneva rush hour, I headed back to Fort William - to be greeted by more rain - it's good to be home (the rain is the same, but the rush hour is a bit different in the Highlands!).

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

Plan B Can Still Be a Fun Day

Mont Blanc in the distance, from the Aiguilles Rouges

So you complete the approach, start to gear up, which involves unpacking the rucksac - then one person freezes and looks at the other and says words that you don't want to hear - like - 'we've got a problem' or 'oh - hmmm' or 'I've forgotten something important' ! Some key piece of equipment needed to make the day work is still on the shelf or in the drying room at home. It's happened to us all - right?!

That's when you leave plan A behind and focus on the next plan. So we decided to go to the Contrefort de l'Aiguille de la Gliere, just a short walk from the Index chair lift, and do Nez Rouge, which is a fun 5 or 6 pitch climb with a great 5b(+?) at the top. This still meant we could get home early to start packing properly for something else ...

Alison leading 4c in trainers

Alison making the best of those trainers

Fully testing the trainers on 5b

Aiguille de l'Index

Yesterday, in the cold

Looking good with the hoody look - hmmm!

24th July, Petit Aiguille Verte

Leaving the telepherique, Lena is all set to go, even shades on, striding out towards the snow...

Looking back down at our route so far. You can see some people milling about at the bottom (just dots), and the top telepherique station on the left of the rocky peak. Already the clouds are coming in and the weather is deteriorating - again!

At last, tech axes are out. The ice was fully plating though, and a bit difficult to work with. Very brittle, cold, old ice.

Stop resting, get on with it!!

Suddenly, there is almost 0 visibility.

Into the mixed at last...

A moment of clear air, before the mist swept in again..

Okay, time to get out and off. The weather is getting just too bad now! A quick abseil down to easier ground.

Okay, maybe a second abseil was needed!

Awesome - for another day - Les Drus in the middle and a half shot of Mont Blanc on the RHS...

Aiguille Verte

So we decided to do the best with the weather we had and go for the Petit Aiguille Verte. At least we would get our axes out and have a little ice and mixed climbing! This route should be safe from all the rock/ ice fall we could always hear all around us! It was :)

So, the climbing was fun, in a spectacular setting, with sometimes great views of Les Drus and Mont Blanc.

22nd July, Midi Plan Traverse PD

Somewhere just out from the ice cave near the beginning of the traverse. Lena looking set to go, waiting for somebody perhaps !!

You can see the Midi telepherique in the distance on the RHS (a small dot!). The Midi is impressive at the top of the mountain in the distance, showing the start of the Traverse.

Jacket now on! Weather has deteriorated significantly, visibility is reducing, wind picking up, storm clouds are developing, as predicted - let's not stay here for too much longer! Impressive scenery though!

Middle section of the traverse

Who's that !

Quick - everybody back to the ice tunnel and safety! The storm is fast approaching. This team is just about to do the steep and narrow snow/ice ridge to easier ground.

Today was the day for altitude and snow, but hopefully in safety away from rock/ice fall. We chose the Midi Plan Traverse. After research in town the day before we knew that it had changed significantly after the last couple of weeks, and it had been stripped of much of it's snow, leaving bare dangerous scree slopes in places. These could however be negotiated safely - just! The weather did show that an afternoon storm was on it's way, so definitely a day to know when to turn around! As predicted we found that the snow was in fact ice for much of the traverse. It was a day where so often in the alps, the weather can change in minutes from blue skies one min, to storm clouds and lightning the next min!

We got down Safe!

15th Aug. Petite Aiguille Verte

The initial approach from the glacier.

Mixed terrain in the ridge.

We decided upon this next classic. From the col des Grande Montets 3233m we climbed up to the true summit of the Petite Verte at 3508m. A great climb.

13th August. Cosmiques Arete.

Hannah walking into the Valley Blanche, with the camp site well established in the distance.

Abseil around the first Tower.

Below - 2 other climbers have just finished the route - which followed the ridge to their left.

A classic route. Starting from the former Simond Hut at 3593m and finishing at the Central Summit of the Aiguille du Midi 3842m. The hardest climbing was grade IV going up the chimney couloir. We used the day to practice fast moving alpine style using short roping and fast belays. It was great except for the loose rock, size of a small fridge (that I didn't even touch) that decided to slip onto my ankle. I thought it was broken and trapped, but after dramatising, realised it was badly bruised and not trapped lol. About half an hour after Hannah managed to climb past it without disturbing it further, we heard a massive rock fall from the gully behind us. The route was busy behind us, we can only hope that nobody was injured. Alps - always exciting ! The result for me was a rest day the following day when I couldn't even walk around the campsite without limping like an idiot.