Giebnebakti an plus

Summit of Norra Klippberget, Kebnekaise

After some weeks of skitouring I got some days of to do a couple of days climbing, yes!

On my own with my best tools, iceaxes, light skis and a speed wing

With good ice conditions my first goal focused on the valley classic iceroute from Ladtjovagge, "Isfallsleden" An ED+ route with approx 300mts climbing with up to WI5 ice. So with my Aska wing packed i skinned of with light is right in mind, planning to bring both skis and wing to the summit. A vertical total of 1000mts.

Said and done...

The movie...

This is a most interesting climb, not often climbed by some non obvious reasons. Often in good shape and nice resting points on the snowfields in between the ice sections.

After scrambling up the last bit of some rock it was time to enter the skis again and sprint up the last bit to the summit, long and boring non ending...But well worth the effort, great views and a superb descent. A 2.45h round trip

Next day gave some bad visibility weather, but no wind. So after an easy breakfast morning I took off for a solo trip up the next classic, the East ridge up to the North summit of Kebnekaise. Probably the highest point in Sweden in a couple of years, ( when the glacier on the South peak has melted down an other couple of meters).

This is a most interesting mixed route which get steeper and steeper with the crux just under the summit. A long determent climb. The hardest bit involves a bit of very exposed drytooling and forcing a bit of cornice and summiting on the very summit.

To get a little easier day I replanned and back climbed to start and hooked of my sac a dos. First planning to ski down from the summit, but the non existing visibility and the difficult of the route made me come up a second plan. No back pack chance! So after leaving the sac at the base I instead hoped to down climb its neighbor route, "Nygrens led" to pick it up on the descent.

At the base of Kebnekasie East Ridge, still happy... Then the climbing suddenly became much easier, even mostly enjoyable. And a couple of narrow full body workout bits the chance of climbing up with a skiequiped sac would have been a bit 2 much for at least me.

 

Realizing, this wont go with a big pack...

 

Happy on the summit I had to deal with the descent problem, how to overcome the cornice down Nygrens...

After a bit of scanning I finally found a most interesting way around this more then big, huge, thing. Crawling under this mega cornice made me feel more the unhappy, mega un... But the alternative of returning down and over The glacier of Björling's felt even more unspeakable...

Once down on the ridge the way was straight 4ward again. And back at the skis the descent down to next nights hostel in Tarfala made every muscle happy again. Back in the match! A sauna and dinner and a single malted whiskey, thanks to Rafael!, and the body was ready for a 3rd and last effort before some working days of rest...:-)

Kebnepakte, a 10mts short 2000mts Peak. Has some unclimbed mixed routes on its East face.

And its 400mts plus wall was the goal of the day

 

The 400m East face of Kebnepakte, 1990mts "Giebne Direct" is in the central of the wall, over the smal snowfield

An hour approach from the Tarfala hut, at the base of the peak and finally a true view of the route. A bit of sun on the blackish rock had made the plastered ice a bit hollow. But at least the start was super solid so with the confidens on its top I took of, for the first 10m at least. Then like a smash in the face it just stops, looked ok from below but now it just cracks up and splash down the face... Cussing the situation I manage to find some good hooks for the axes and pulls over the couple of meters that is trying to stop the day.

Up to the first snow field the brain only feels victory of the day, so the next longer steeper section is attacked full on. But again after a couple of meters I step into an other hard patrol wanting to stop progress... Makes me wonder how close it is to skateboard down the thing on some uncontroled bits of ice. It will hurt 4 sure!

More cussing and ?? Im doing here alone? But no time to think of hot chocolate a biscuits in the sun...

To revers isnt an option so some easy working sneaking up the plastered ice trying to get a light feeling brings me up to the better iced up vertical stuff.

The upper ice section of "Giebne Direct" WI 4/5 ED

Yes, the picks sinks in deep and solid, joyeux et heureux à nouveau!

Middle snow field of "Giebne Direct" 350mts of mixed climbing at M5/WI4

 

A most agrèable feeling to place both crampons in some good snow, over looking the summit fields. The last bit should just involve some easy scrambling and step snow. Before rolling over the summit cornice on top the ridge.

No visibility but who cares? still kicking at least! time for descent

Starting out the retour the vanished sun decides to reappear so I can jump on my skis and ski down a neighbor colouir to the glacier. Probably a first descent as well...Finishing of a great day and three days of vacation with a flight back down to Kebne from Kebnetjåkka...c'est la vie

A relaxing evening inTarfala. A most peaceful place on earth

 

/Fly what you climb!

 

 

 

la Lyngen, ett toppturs paradis

Sista helgen hade jag förmånen att jobba uppe i Lyngen i de Nordligare delarna av Norge.

Lyngen Alperna som det ofta bukar refereras till...En fantastisk plats om man inte har behov av att betala dyra lift kort, utan gillar att sätta stighudar under skidorna, gå i fjäll och njuta av fjordar och havs utsikt!

Med toppar mellan 800 och över 1400 mts så finns det oanade möjligheter till att bestiga toppar med skidor undr fötterna likväl som på ryggsäcken för de mera krävande branta turerna.

Glaciär utrustning liksom lavinkit och stegjärn/isyxa är obligatorisk

Första dagen fick vi en beskärd del nysnö vilket grundade för resterande dagar i äkta Norskt Atlant pudder.

Men sen gjorde solen sitt återtåg, med litt kallare dagar och nätter. Vilket höll snön mera puddrig och gjorde sluttningarna mera stabila lavinmässigt.

Totalt så fick vi ihop dryga 3600 höjdmeter på tre dagar och det endast som skulle kunna ha en baksida är Norsk öl, kalla den vad dom vill, Mackøl, Artic, Nordsjøen eller vad som, den är osympatisk dyr och relativt intetsägande...men vyerna är storslagt!

Urlastning för tur på Fastlagstind

Fika paus i solen nedom Fastlagstind

Gutta på tur, aldrig sur...

 

PUDDER...!

Pudder på fastlagstind, 1275mts

 

Lyckorus på Rundtindan

 

Toppen av Kavringstind

 

Le summit Kavringstindan

YEAsss

 

Ännu en dag på jobben...

 

Movietime, om jag bara kunn se noe?!

 

Nästa vinter kommer en ny chans att hänga med på en Skidhelg i Lyngen/Senja

Boka din plats i tid, kanske är det dig på PUDDER 2013!?!

 

@ info@alpinemadness.se

 

Super Combo l'Empire des sens

Hmm, quite few people around...starts me thinking whats wrong when approaching the Flègére thelepherique

And yes, a small sign on one of the ticket windows explain: l'Index lift is closed!

New planes...The 8€ parking at Brevant is not an option so down the Vallée l'Arve to le Balme, a safe card!

The 1988 route of Monsieur Périllat, vieux de la Montagne, is an other high quality Balme route.

 

Following on the first pitch of le vieux

The first pitch i a little of a transport but the rest of le vieux is sustained variated climbing... As the topo says, Escalade très variée! To make it even better the first 7a pitch of the neighbor l'Empire is recommended. One for at least me full on 7a, with a bunch of on line moves up the steep part of this corner of the world.

 

Not much approaching to hassle about, is there?

Gives 170mts of climbing with mostly good bolts, the last 2 is a bit older things (and it might also be an idea to bring a 14mm key to tighten the bolts)

Fête dans le cheminée

Anna on the delicate 6c travers, pitch 3...

...fighting gravity

After the traverse pitch there is a bit relaxing climbing...with some of the hardest 6b climbing I have ever tried out lately. Makes me wonder how tall Monsieur Périllat is (probably a really short but just ordinary strong French guy in the end, but it gives an excuse!)

The last pitch is a super nice technical thing which together with spread out bolts gives a focusing impression...

A bit of cussing but finally I can clip the last anchor just as the first rain drops starts to drip...

Equipment

9 quickdraws and a 60mts rope or 2x50

Rappel an route

/Bonne chance

 

 

 

Le Diedre Central inferieur

In august 1972 monsieur's Ravanelf and Simatos made the first ascent of Diedre Central, TD/6a, at Plateau Inferieur on Aig Argentiere.

Its a 300mts crack climb on perfect granit! Approached by a ski descent from the, now the back sides turns up, quite often over crowded gr Montets. At least, stay away on sundays (friday and saturdays as well, well also days with snow fall and the days after as well, not crack days anyhow so...)

Anna on the approach

 

The well (un) developed system to bring people to the summit of Gr Montets still have some development left to built on (why the heck can you only prebook from the mid station for the top???, getting one up to the Lognan only to face the fact the the line is long and no other chance than to stand there and...just wait)

 

Anyhow, most of the time its still faster then skinning, so stay focused and think of better things then the houte route people all over that continius keeps on smashing their sac a dos in your face, speaks a bit to high and already smell a bit to much...:-) this week was weather forcasting le solei for the weekend, maybe monday also but pow pow for the next ones so any cracking should be done before. No alternative then to get direct in the middle, no shortcuts this time. So facing a sunday morning with its queueing, good way to strenghten the mind!

Ones you walk down the stair after a coffee at the summit bar, must not be missed! Well, then its hard to feel any thing else then happiness, feeling as close as one can ever be with the mountains. The glacier du Argentiere and it s surrounding peaks takes the breath out of most people. And the ski descent down to the glacier basin is only that worth its lift card pay. Traverse the basin and skin up towards glacier du milieu.

Looking out over the Argentiere basin

Its still called a glacier, even though there is a couple of crevasses I find this Milieu quite soft. Compared to other more complex glaciers around the valley.

If the goal is to climb somewhere unoverpopulated this area is a good goal as well. So, to my supprise we found a couple of Tjecks gearing up as well for this I guess, still a bit to famous climb...what is the chance though?

Anyhow, it turned out that they was quite a good deal of company and we could share a good deal of belay stories between us during the 6 pitch climb. And anyhow, who is in a hurry in such a sunny mountain day...

The first pitch is a nice warm up, a 20mts IV. After that its the crux pitch, quite easy jamming, or quite hard laybacking (your choise) with a long sustained pitch at grade 6a/5+Which keeps up the going all the way to the summit, well the last one is more of a scrambling caracter...

Anna warming up on P1

 

The whole rute has an overall grading of TD/6a, with an easy first pitch, crux pitch on the second. Which is a beatiful jamcrack. Pitch 5 involves a short traverse out left, avoid climbing up to the roof, the down climb back just takes time:) there is a good track with pitons.

 

Pitch 5 at the spot of lefting

Getting steeper...

After the traverse on pitch 5

Summit bid!

The route is somewhat equiped with pitons and coins de bois, old wooden nuts! But the belay/rappel anchours are in nice shape

Well, it takes it to the top, descent on skis instead of a couple of hours walking

The views...

Over all a great scenic climb. Easily approached in a non crowded area well worth doing when its still possible to get a ski descent. The summer time walk down is to be avoided, belive me...!

Approch

Follow the moraine from ref d'Argentiere up glacier d'milieu. The route starts at the end of the moraine.

Equipment

2*50m rope, camalots 0.4-3.0, set of nuts, 5-6 quickdraws. Rappel the route

/fly what you climb!