Forbes Arete - Aiguille Du Chardonnet

Spot Alison looking up at the Aiguille du Tour after we got to the hut. The route is to cross the glacier, gain the ridge - climb the ridge from left to right in the photo, descend from the summit on the RHS in the photo, and then descend back to the glacier and then to the hut (and then to the car).

With a good weather forecast, Alison and I packed to walk up to the Albert Premier Hut, from Le Tour. We were grateful of the gondola and the chair and got to the hut in no time (hours!). We spent the next hour checking out where we would start the next morning in the dark . We had plans to do the Forbes arete on the Aiguille du Chardonnet. We found the long line of huge cairns across the rocks - job done.

So Tuesday started with my alarm at 2.40am (I was the first person up in the hut - that's never happened before!). Breakfast at 3am, we started walking at 3.30am. I had done nothing to acclimatise, so I knew that I would find the day tough, getting to the 3824m summit. I generally need a dose of acclimatisation before happily getting to this altitude. So the walk across the glacier was a touch slower than guide book, and the traverse done by 5.50am. Feeling a little less than energised, but with the words of Rebuffet in my mind (see the bottom of this blog if your're interested - words on Enthusiam!) - we got on with the next section which should take 2hrs - gaining the ridge, via the glacier branch and the Bosse. I found the last stage of this walk pretty tough, due to altitude, but with Gaston in mind, I embraced the suffering. Alison said 'if you feel that bad, shall we turn back', and that was all it took to spur me on. We hit the ridge at 7.45. The ridge was great - and it was amazing to think that people had been climbing it for more than 100 years! We made quite good time and got to the summit at 11.45. Hut to Summit, height gain - 1100m. The descent is not boring either. it starts with some down climbing, then a choice of what to do on lots of snow slopes. We decided to do a couple of abseils, and eventually got to the lower abs. We were grateful for our 60m rope, but to abseil the bergschrund you would need 2 ropes, so I down climbed the relatively easy bergschrund. After a careful walk across the glacier we got to the hut at 4.30pm. Not wanting to stay at the hut another night, we decided to walk back to the car, even though the chair and gondola were closed, so got to the car at 6.45pm. The descend from the summit to the car was 2400m. A pretty long day!

A great route, go and do it - start early, take a 60m rope, and maybe be a touch acclimatised first!

Seracs seen from the hut

Alison arriving at the flattening just below the 'Bosse'. This is about 6.50am. The sun hit my face at exactly 7am.

Alison doing a tricky move over a rock step

Alison on a different tricky move

  View from summit of Aiguille du Chardonnet - after climbing Forbes Arete from Max Hunter on Vimeo.

The tat we found at one of the abseils. The route was first climbed in 1899 - how old is some of this tat? There were even 3 mallions in position, in series

One of the many abseils of the day.

On a later stage of the descent. Le Tour in the background with the car in a car park

A little view of the bergschrund that we had to cross on the descent. Either you have 2x50m (or 60m) to abseil past it, or somebody down climbs. It was straight forward, with bridges the whole way. The track is obvious in the photo.

Looking back up - you can see the Bergschrund, about 35/45m from the upper rocks

One of the bigger crevasses we found. The path bypasses this, without testing the snow bridge on top! Later Alison did step onto a soft snow-bridge, but the rope held her from going past her calf into the hole

Gaston Rebuffet - words on enthusiasm -

Carrying a heavy rucksack, sleeping fitfully in a hut, feeling too hot then too cold, probably hungry, undoubtedly thirsty, knowing as you set off that you cannot call a halt to the climb if you are tired, or the weather turns bad, being dependent on a companion who may be going less well than you are - turning away, in short, from your comfortable habits; this is really what is meant by enthusiasm. And enthusiasm is a most worthwhile emotion, especially in a generation which is forgetting the use of its muscles and its individual intelligence, and forgetting  the sense of fulfilment and peace that can come from tiredness.

L'Ile Aux Razmokets, Vallon De Berard (Vallorcine)

Alison Culshaw on Pitch 1, 5a

Pitch 2, 5c

I'm on Pitch 3, 6a

Pitch 5, 6a

Pitch 5

Pitch 6, 4c

Pitch 6

Alison starting the ab's after the 8 pitches

We only had less than half a day because Alison was buying a house or something - highly inconsiderate when there's climbing to be done!! So we headed for a sport route in Vallon de Berard... Despite somebody forgetting the guidebook, we still found the route (thanks to James for being at the end of the phone reading the guide book to us!). Most of the 8 pitches were good... Excellent.

CWA training course

I've spent the last two days working on a Climbing Wall Award training course with Pete Hill based in Aberdeen.  The course had been organised primarily for Transition Extreme and RGU: Sport climbing staff.

Debs doing all the hard work whilst Callum belays.

Ahh; spot the sensible course director...

Day one was spent at RGU and included wall considerations, personal climbing, warming up and equipment use.  Day two included the remaining major elements of the CWA including; group management, session format and problem avoidance and solving.

Karen and James playing with toys.

Now everyone hold hands and sing on the count of three!

Linda working on her balance; either that or she's at the forefront of a fashion trend!

The Abseil module of the scheme was bundled into the course on the Thursday afternoon so I spent most of the day in the upper atmosphere of Transition Extreme; a.k.a. the abseil ledge working through the set-up and management of group abseils.

As Tamzyn looks longingly for a safe descent all she got from Al  was a fiendish grin...

Look what I did; Richard ready to abseil.

A really fun two days made all the better by the standard and characters in the group.  My thoughts go out to those whose brains were beginning to implode at the end of day two!

Aiguille du Midi, South Face, Eperon des Cosmiques

This is the topo of the main route. The start is off the topo. It starts up a very loose couloir on the LHS. It finishes on the Cosmiques Arete, with 2 thirds of the route to go, to the top Midi station.

Alison Culshaw on the approach, looking to the route.

The ititial climb up to the first belay, in the awful loose couloir - I couldn't wait to get out of it...

This is the third pitch now - facing the overhang. I tried to be all British about the overhang and tried to free it - but with the heavy bag, being at 3,700m, and not acclimatised - all VALID excuses ;) (okay, I'm weak!) - I failed, and resorted to Alpine tactics, and ended up doing it as a A0 pitch :(

Watch me here...

There's always time to take photos, even when trying to free an overhang !

Alison taskes on the next pitch

The next..

The last difficult pitch

Alison posing ....

Alison forgetting to pose..

The Brevent Cliff, over the Valley - the spot of my last climb :)

Yesterday I was in Swansea, today I woke up in Chamonix in Alison Culshaw's house with 2 Guide Aspirants - James Thacker, and Mark Walker... They have their Alpine test next week !! Good luck to them both. Mark is on the approach to the Matterhorn today... James is drinking tea with Alison !!

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

Valle dell' Orco - Droide - Moslty About The Cracks

I'm on Onda Lunare (6c). It climbs the left hand side of the arete - the arete is shown in the next photo. Unbelievable feature - I didn't make it to the top - my crimp strength gave out on me

On Thursday night James Thacker, Alison Culshaw and I arrived late in Valle dell' Orco - and then it started to rain, and carried on through the night. It must have stopped in the night and we woke up to a wet misty morning on the Friday - a good excuse for a late start. The rock dried out very quickly. So on Friday we mostly climbed slabs (last blog entry), but on the Saturday we went to Droide to try a single pitch venue with lots to go at - as long as you like something steep or cracks! Learn how to tape your hands!

We started on the 6a+ of Diedroladruid, which was terrific. We all climbed it differently, with James using a good deal of jamming, but Alison and I using about 2 finger locks only.We moved onto the 6b Las' Landra - which was completely different. Brilliant cracks climbing, without the need for jamming - takes you up to a technical sequence to access the last bolt, then a few steep pulls on mostly jugs to the top - amazing. James then went onto 'Un Gancio Per Due Sorelle' left (6b+), which has apparently recently had the bolts removed, so now it is fully trad except the belay - so a rack of cams is needed. James climbed the route, moving through some great sequences, that I tried to take photos of. Alison then followed, making use of her taped hands. I didn't follow, wanting to save my energy for the 6c of Onda Lunare. This route did in the end get the better of me. I did however do a bit of screaming as I was trying to pull down on a little crimp. I didn't find another sequence - so that was the end of that route - left for another time! We finished by doing the great route of Salisalama (5b), because it is good, and also to retrieve the quickdraws on the neighbouring route!

So finished our time in Orco. A quick drive back to Chamonix last night (with a queue at the Mont Blanc tunnel), and now today Alison and I are going to pack to go up to a Hut ready for tomorrow - an early start!

Alison on Salisalama (5b). A great climb on the wall. The arete on the right above  is the same arete in the first photo.

Alison on Diedroladruida (6a+)

I'm on Diedroladruida (6a+). A great split corner. I was taped up for jamming, but managed to climb the route in other ways - only using 2 finger locks. I'm not a fan of jamming!

I am a fan of finding rests where-ever possible, and here it was possible. This is still Diedroladruida

James on Las' Landra (6b) - this is described as a 'beautiful slab with technical exit'

James on Las' Landra

Alison on Las' Landra

I'm on Las' Landra, on the finger crack, before the difficult sequence to access the last bolt, and then steep jugs to the top

James on the trad 'Un Gancio Per Due Sorelle' left. (6b+) - described as 'overhanging jam crack' (no bolts)

James getting involved with the pod before the difficult exit to the overhanging crack above

Happy to have a deep fist jam, and he found a right heel hook

The crack above is nearly wide enough for a partial body jam

Alison on 'Un Gancio Per Due Sorelle' left. (6b+)

Alison fully using her taped up hands to make jams to exit the pod

My new website for Hunter Mountaineering is coming on really well - so watch out for HunterMountaineering.co.uk in about 2 months time