L`Envers refuge climbing, Une Gueule du Diable 6c+

l`Envers Refuge - backyard climbing

Approach to l`Envers refuge from "merde du glace"

Looking for a just outside door climbing place, somewhere to have a relaxed time with short approaches shared with ”climbers only”!?!?

Well, that would be refuge l`Envers for what Im about to see

Merde, du Glace!! Verglace"

Even though it takes a bit to relies this ”secret” place. Guess it isn’t that secret after all, well known to a whole bunch of climbers already. But still, why tell even more? Well, why not!

There is so many climbs around the corner and I just like the Gardiens so much. As they don’t just keep the place clean and neat, they got a big heart and serve the most amazing food as well.

Just go and you get a memorable time surrounded by the Chamonix red granite.

A regular 40min train trip up to the Bellevue of Montanvers. Taking the ladders DOWN to mer du glade, what is still left of it. Finding the way UP towards the lower part of Grand Charmoz and the trail up towards the refuge l`Envers. A gentle 2h walk, well 2 1/2h more realistic but still. Easy hiking. 

Once at the hut we just stow the extra things away in one of many baskets. And order a well deserved coffee. Served with a nice biscuit on the side…and the bellevue…great to be back

We have as always or almost, not made any made-up plans, so just enjoy the sunny weather, which has made its entrance for a day. Tomorrow has a bigger plan in mind but the winter conditions might just change it, AGAIN…!!!

Well anyhow, there is a whole bunch of climbs around so we aim for Natillons and ”du le faire”. A straight forward 6a climb. But as not always but often…i see this great splitter crack heading up the rock face. 

No way, I wont keep away from a splitter like this!

And since we didn’t even have a chance to cross the rimeye to get to the start of the thought of climb, why not change plan again!? 

So starting of with ”Melissa” we traverse over to le Faire and then take the obvious cracks of "du Diable”

WOW, what some great jamming! What ever you do, don’t miss this great route. First climbed by…Mr Piola (of course) and Pierre-Alain Steiner (of course again) in 1985!

But it very much holds it up, amazing climbing, which finish up the last pitches of ”Guy-Anne”

Anna fights the gravity, which doesn't have any effect to me...

Once on the top it starts to dropp and rain a bit again. The humid and wet cracks, well its a confirmation of the weather of the summer of 2014

We rappel of and get back to the hut for a late afternoon coffee and relaxing time before supper. Which don’t send anyone disappointed for sure

Next morning is supposed to be a big day, among for the easy on grade but long climb, Mer du Glace. 

As always with a big show coming up I have a hard time to sleep. So the 01:00 a clock check shows me a lot of stars in the sky. Looks like the weather forecast is messed up wrong this time! Yess!!

An 04:00h check, well looks like the Cham meteo is right again…light rain/show…and a 06:00 check…snowing hard….back to bed…f:-=!k

refuge l`Envers et le bellevue

A late breakfast, as late as it can on a place like this…

And, actually, the breakfast at l`envers is good. Their fresh bread is…!!!

Just as with most French huts, the coffee is a little miserable but still

So, we pack the bag and just get ready for a descent back down. With a 5cm of fresh snow outside there isn’t much to climb really

Splitters!!

If, it wasn’t for its south facing aspect and very much friction covered granite though! 

A couple of minutes walk down the path…I rise my head a couple of times…well maybe…it is super boring to just walk down…a night in a nice hut sure but…

Reconsider your mind, why not just try a something out, I mean just one singel wet pitch would make the day. And it dosnt look that bad here and there…

As people start to descend back towards mer du glace, we hold up and start glancing around. Hmm...

Amazing day to come….hang on!

Climbs

Le Piège 5c max

Une Gueule du Diable 6c+

Equipment

For le Piège 2x50m rope, a small set of midsize nuts, Camalots 0.5-3.0, Alien green to red

For du Diable 2x50m rope, a small set of midsize nuts, Camalots 0.5-3.0, Alien green to Red. Double of midsize probably makes the journey easier

A movie..?! Yea sure at 

// Stort, är att vara större än sina motgångar  

Aiguille Moine - Arete Sud Classique - 3412m

Aiguille Moine - Arete Sud Classique - 3412m

Ok, now your not tied in to anything!
The words comes from Anna, maybe a little desperat…but I definitely realise that I actually had throw both ends back when thinking that I only untied from one of knots when trying to get a little bit longer rope outI´m standing at the one of the crux sections on the Arete Sud voie ClassicFirst climbed by Fernand Belin, Etienne Bruhl, Lucien Valluet, Arthur Ravanel, in Septembre 1928And as it looks and feels it a little more like a winter ascent a this time. With snow on the ledges and ice filled up in the cracks. And with a fighting sun high up on the sky which doesn’t make enough of a differens to change the situation. Its going to be a long day out!

Site du Choucas - summit of Moine 3412

The aiguille du Moine´s south face is a big classic climb, also in the 100 classic climbs of Rebuffat.
The climb up to its 3412m high summit can be done via a couple of ways but the Arete sud is supposed to be one of the best. With climbing up to 5c.
The wall is reached from refuge du Couvercle which it self takes about 3-4h to reach from le train de Montanvers. From the refuge its an other 45min walk up easy terrain to the base of the climb
And as always there is an Intégral as well. Which makes the climb even more intégralistic
With the summer of 2014 almost behind the conditions has been like in the late fall the whole summer…a couple of days with sun, a couple of days with rain and snow togheter with heavy strong rafael winds

snowy peaks

Our trip to the Couvercle area is just the same, trying to do a high mountain climb the day after a serious snow fall…well bonne chance!
Something that we gets very well reminded of on the walk in and up to the hut. The mountains beautiful covered in a layer of fresh neige while we walk surrounded of these stunning peaks, le Dru, le Droites, aiguille Verte (not so verte at the time) les Courtes and Grand Jorasses…as said a stunning area

Once up the long section of ladders, seems its been a lot of them this summer, the last bit of walking to the refuge is quite nice. Its just the boring bit on Merde du Glace that is a bit on the negative. But, with the lack of glacier crevasses, its quite easy at this time

mr Rèbuffat on the last crux of Moine arete Sud, in leather shoes and the rope round his waist!

The Couvercle hut has some good history as well with monsieur Ravanel working in the hut as a gardien in his late years 1926-1931, actually until his death. Which happened just after the construction of the new hut (finished 1932 and took 70 people, a newer one which stands there today was ready 1952 and hold 120 beds)
Ref Couvercle history

Going to be a great day out! Climbing on aig. Moine

After a reasonable breakfast with an 08:00 start we leave the hut with the words from the gardien, "the conditions is very terrible” and "no one has climbed it in this” we must at least have a ”look see”
And yes it doesn’t look good kind off, but not to bad either.
-Why not just go for a couple of longeurs and see how it is, I mean we are here anyway. I happily announce

a lot of snow around. les Courtes in the front, the old hut under the rock

And Anna doesn’t have any opinions at this point. So we crampon up the last bit, balance over a thin snow ledge and find ourself at the base. And suddenly we are 3-4 pithes up and the sun starts to get some effect on the snow-covered ledges, starts to dripping and dropping sort of. A nice mix with the ice to get some melted variation also, which is doing its best to sink into the cord

Balancing over the thin snow ledge

The verglaced rock keeps onsending me away from the route, which makes it necessary to take more difficult options, the normal one isn’t, and then some rising traverses back again. So it takes a while but finally we are up on the ridge just below the obvious and characteristic T formed block. 

Never a good sign...

Up to here we have been changing between 25 and 50 meter rope and sometimes moving together But with the now iced up 5c cracks on the ridge the climbing gets a little sharper. So a couple of most interesting pitches send me up to the very top of the big T. A super sensual climbing!! A short down climb secured by a sling that I leave on the top, and then up again on the other side over a most spectacular ledge. Almost like the bicycle ledge on Grepon!

me leading the "ice cave colouir"...

...and Anna following

Then, a cold vertical pitch, again, but even harder then the former ones…is this never going to end. I find my self fighting my way up in the shadow with the fingers getting number for every second, and there is a few! Before I finally get a foot over the edge and traverse out to the sun and a nice belay

mini bicycle ledge of Moine

Icetime!

The last hundreds meter of climbing is a small adventure over broken rock with hard sections here and there and le Monk dosnt give any away until we finally reach its summit. Already occupied by a serious amount of Choucas, just waiting for a late lunch served by two frozen climbers…

LUNCH!!

the T stone of Moine!

A couple of minutes rest in the sun, amazed by the beautiful surroundings, we share the packed lunch with our flying friends. Which we realise will be back in Cham in about 10 steep minutes. We, we are looking on a late night arrival back to car at some 21:00h
Well not to bad. 4 1/2h climbing and a great day out
Time to descent…some 2500 meters downhill

Happy climbers...

You need
Equipment
Rope 50m (possible to do the climb and rappel with one 50m rope but easier with 2x50)
A small set of nuts
Friends 0.5-3.0 Camalot
Piolet/Crampons

Time
Approach from Couvercle 40min
Climbing 3-5h
Descent 2h (the descent is well marked with cairns as well as rappel points. There is some walking and down climbing on the middle and lower section)
More info at
Camp to Camp

Rappeling of the summit, a lot more to come

//Framtiden. Är en virtuell förlängning av nuet

Flyingplanet - MUTANT 9

The mutant is based on the amount of Antoine Montant´s ideas: get a wing that sublime skiing!

 Mutant has all the qualities of a parachute, without the drawbacks. When the trimmers, it flies only if it chooses, while remaining safe to fly

After giving it some test flights for Speed Flying, well it works fine for that as well!

A really nice sensitive and distinct wing

Takes a bit of running to foot launch in nil wind, but it fly fast!

Would work out a bit nicer with a little less overworked raisers, Elevateurs. But that can be adjusted and changed. A mountain variation will come soon

More info at Flying Planet

//Hodie mihi, cras tibi

The ”diamant des Flammes du pierre” - le Joyau et le Lotus

The ”diamant des Flammes du pierre” - le Joyau et le Lotus

le true Diamonds les Flammes

Easily reached from the train Montanvers, an 1hour and an half. The Flammes des Pierre is a most enjoyable ”ballade” for a day climbing. Either it is a bit harder route as the "le Reprise", 7a or the ”les Flammes du Désire” 6b or the solid arete of "le Joyau le lotus” 6a

Pitch one, "le Joyau", Anna struggles easy up

A route that clear quickly after bad weather and involves some nice pitches over reddish solid granit

For a hard day of climbing I recommend ”la Reprise” but for a nice day between rain showers the ”Joyau” is the perfect choice

Perfect granite crack system on le arete of le Flammes

From the Montavers train, join the ladders down to Merde du Glace. Traversee de glacier over to the withe dots on the opposite side of the moraine

Grab the ladders, big thanks to the Chamoniards for a great job, which leads up from the glacier to the cheminee leading up towards Charpoua refuge

Cracking the fingertips on the second crux pitch

Just before the moraine and a bigger area of block of stones, about 50meters, take a sharpe left. Follow an blind track. Which is quite obvious with an open mind, towards the base of the ridge. An old drilled sling marks the start of the climb it self with a drilled bolt a couple of meters up

Viewing over the merde du glace, a pure distance joy!

After that just enjoy the climbing! A climb that has it hardest moves at the premier pitch, a very well secured one! When it suddenly feels hopeless, look up and there is 3 fresh 12mm drilled bolts.

Last pitch extra, after 8p climbing, only 4 easy ones to go

All the belays are made up ones with at least one good modern point as well, all the way to the very Diamond summit. Which as well has a nice BB anchor. With all the rappels down its steep west face, so rappelling down is not just dafe but safe and secure as well...hepp

Happy fam! le sommet...

Equipment

For la reprise

2x50m corde

Camalots 0.5-3.0

Aliens blue-red, double

Coinceurs un set

QD´s 10-12

Le Flammes de Pierre

For la Joyau

2x50m corde

Camalots uo to #3.0

Coinceurs

QD´s 6-7

// All förändring börjar med dig själv...!

Skickat via Blogsy

Singeries - Plateu d´assy

What ever you hear about this little route, what ever positive things, don’t ever believe any of it!!

Le base, looks good?!

If a thought plop up in the head that

-yes it might be a nice alternative to the via ferrata

-yes it is an easy accessed route

-yes its a nice south face route

-yes its….

What ever you might come up to, just stay away. IT AINT WORTH IT!

Well, if your like me and like a dirty, muddy loose and often wet route. Then, its an other thing!

Rack up with some set of cams, skip the coinceurs ut bring some sangles. Drive up to the parking of the Ferrata and walk up as far as to the last bend. Then take the obvious path sharp up to the left and voila, your at the base of this … climb

Look out for a piece of snatched cord and believe it or not, thats where your gonna get up on the first pitch!

The thought hits me with ”ahh, nice with just a wet hold, no mud on it!”

The first pitch, a grippy loos story with flakes stapled on each other just waiting to be pulled off. So go with a light touch and it will be just fine

For the last couple of meters head out a little left and you will enter the last section of the ”Smoked out grass pitch”

Anna is...

...still fighting her way trough

Second. A violent corner with some slopy slippery steeps. Aim for the via ferrata vajer bridge and just when it feels hopeless there is an old drilled bolt to the right. Clip it and run for the nice anchor. A three bolted one with a most new 12mm bolt which just been put there. (someone actually keeps this route running!)

And your just sent the ”Muddy must corner” pitch

le MuddyMust Corner pitch belay

Third. Well, this is the "do it or leave it" pitch. 

Start up passing a furious 12mm bolt. Then head for the grassy corner which has a most interesting section but once there it forms better then it looks. Just keep your focus and there will be an end. An end with two options, a single old bolt belay, a non hanger equipped bolt belay or an other 5 meter up a perfect 2 bolt belay (free hanging)

What ever you chose, its a nightmare!

The leave it or do it pitch, a true mind work 

Forth. The ”Choucas fly, alpinist die” pitch. A true climbing story with a solid 6a crux secured with a dead tree, awesome!

And the ”sortie”, can’t wait to do it again. That catch to the old pine, well its amazing climbing but the pitch that saved the day

le topo

Equipment - You need

patient

50m corde

a set of camalots 0.5-3.0

a set of aliens green-red

3-4 QD´s

// Styrka är att göra sig själv överflödig