Téte la tré la téte arête

An unknown, long and not so interesting climb!

This winter has been, in many ways, the pure opposite to last year. First it was warm and hot, then suddenly the snow hit the Alp range hard, big dumps of snow(still warm). And then...the cold arrived!

This meant that the conditions climbing wise was very good in the autumn, becoming very bad late fall and then, with the cold, the water ice falls was just perfect. And that in a week!!

So there was a good time on any vertical ice, but then the warm nice weather made it back and all was gone in a "turn around" So, I thought it was time to try an alpine ridge, arete. And why not a seldom climbed one... I went for the ridge going for refuge tre la tete to mt Tondu. Looks nice from distance, but what a nightmare...!

Starting at 1116mts, the summit of mt Tondu showes up at 3196mts, quite a "walk".,.Starting at the S at "des"

Just getting up to the start, and then trying to establish my self on the arete, on the rock...oh my oh my...

Anyhow, the views are magnificent and the place is nice and quiet. Some people on the way up to Conscrite and aig Berangere though. But nothing compared to the mass around Cogne or Midi.

After wading through waist deep snow I finally am able to pull my self up on the rock, and since the powder is not even close to support my weight I have no other choice then going for a much harder line then first thought off. Almost vertical rock, but with small pockets here and there so it is actually interesting dry tooling, and at least for the first 10 meters it feels like a fall wouldn't be to bad, cause of the soft snow beneath:)

The Arete starts at the vertical steep above the snow field to the right

Then, the angle easies out a bit and it just becomes loose and unpleasant. I actually put my skis on here and there when I just get to tired of plodding around in the snow.

My plan to traverse the whole ridge up to Tre la Téte just seems to much. Because at 1400 I'm just at mt Tondu and its a looong way still up to la Téte. Won't happen today for sure:-/

Decision made, time to bring the wing out and hit for a descent back down. On a five minute ride...

 

Time to head down...

Well,the best time was yet to come, taking off with my wing and the gret ride down...it was worth it!

 

Thanks for reading/riding...