Clocher du Tacul

Clocher du Tacul
A great little route up in the middle of the great Massif du Mont Blanc. Six pitches of relaxed climbing on mostly perfect granit, once the first section from the glacier over the fist blocks are made.
A route that is reached in some 45min/1h from the Helbronner lift and usually never crowded with people
The third pitch is the mist eye-catching one, but over all the four last pitches are of great quality
Specially impressive is pitch five, the Giljotin pitch!

Approache

Go up Maudit Combe and join the base of the base of clocher of Tacul. The route attacks on the right of the pillar. This can be reached from either aig. du Midi or Helbronner. We took the Panoramique from Midi to Helbronner, which gave us a reason to have a relaxed Italian espresso on the way home
Join R0 (relay on spits), comfortable terrace, after the bergschrund and a few blocks

the approach...

Itinerary

Start up some loose looking rocks up to a single spit 

From here slent up/rightwards below an other spit, don’t go to that one!, passing the formations more right behind a corner. Belay on spits 5b

Up again over loose looking rocks, easy scrambling straight up and then right to the base of the big corner/dihedral. Spits 5b

Climb the corner. Belay on spits 6b

Climb the corner, pass the blocks and then step out to the thin vertical crack. Climb this to a spit and then climb back right, airy step, up to a belay. Short crux, 35m. Belay on spits 6c

The Giljotine pitch

Climb some steep sections, then an airy traverse out left passing a spit and continue up just below a section of white rock. Belay on 2 spits. 6a+

The white pitch

Continue up some wide cracks. Mostly on easy ground. A full pitch up to the abseils, the anchor of Empire State 6b+

the great corner, 6b

Anna following on the same

Just finishing the Giljotin pitch, second last pitch, 6a

Equipment

2x50m rope, for the rappel

1 smal set of nuts

Blue to Red Alien x 2

#0.75-3 BD x 2

#4  BD

Piolet/Crampons/ice screw for the glacier

link Camp to Camp

// kristerjonsson.se

la Chandelle - Bonatti-Tabou

The combination of the Bonatti and Tabou routes is a logical route to the summit of the Tacul Candle. Although we talk about average and moderate difficulty, climbing and what is nice and sometimes supported. A beautiful route taking place on a superb granite, not to be missed!

Route marked in black dots

Looking for an easier acclimatization route in the higher massif, a preparation for a bigger climb in the Mont Blanc massiv we chose the classic Bonatti-Tabou on Chandelle.
Chandelle is easily accessed from the Helbronner lift, mostly downhill on the glacier. And if you, as we did, start from aiguille du Midi, it also include the panoramic traverse in the small 4 seat tele cabins crossing the Vallee Blanche. An experience in it self!

Relaxed approach!

After 3 weeks on canicule, the Sahara heat air flow that has been hitting most of the southern parts of Europe. With temps up to +11 degrees on the summit of Mont Blanc!! But suddenly we experienced some cooler days and standards was getting back to normal. Which meant minus celsius degres during the night and frozen snow in the mornings. Something that also makes the rock bit more stable. So we could start to look on the high alpine routes again.
Taking the early bin up from Chamonix, with the nowadays regular turists that has invaded not only Chamonix. But for sure, climbers (like the real climbers and not Mont Blanc tourists and forest scramblers around Brevent) are starting to be a rear sight in town....but at least they smell, well not good (flooded with parfyme) but better.
Then once at top of Midi we hike over at get into a private cabin on the Italian traverse. An impressive installation even these days!

A quick espresso stop before we make the 1hour hike to the base of Chandelle. And as most of the climbs that takes a bit of effort to get to we are almost alone. Only one team infront of us, and a friendly team it turns out with to British colleagues, which makes the climbing more than just a beautiful day out on this perfect French Chamonix granit, it breaks out in a social escapade as well!!

the first 6b pitch, short and hard

To keep this short, this route is again one of many most do classics in the Mont Blanc Massif. Established by Walter Bonatti and Roberto Gallieni 1960. Gallieni who was with the team of Bonatti on the Freney Pillar the year after, an ascent in which four people died.

Anna Backlund following on the same...

The Route

L1 5c 35 m Climb over the belay and cross left on a ledge to reach a dihedral. Climb the dihedral and come up against a large block that is bypassed to the left. R1 just above the foot of a dihedral-crack.
L2 6b 20 m Refit the dihedral-crack (crack with fingers and many in situ protection). Short but intense climbing.
L3 5c 40 m Start to the left of the belay (Do not engage in the beautiful crack right above the belay, White Line track) Go up to the left the dihedral largely cracked up to come up against under a little suplomb. Circumvent it on the right.
L4 6a + 45 m Two options for the start: go up the dihedral above the relay or take a slight right on the slab (1 peak). Then cross to the right and go back to the easiest towards an imposing dihedral to the foot of an imposing dihedral, which is lying in the shade during the first half of the day (spits).
L5 5b 10 m Short horizontal traverse on the left.
L6 6b + 35 m Raise a thin flake until you come to a stop under a small overhang which is rounded to the left. Cross slightly to the left and take a walk on a slab. Climb a thin crack with delicate protection, provide small jams and Aliens for the start on the shell.
L7 6a 40 m Over the Belay, wind up a system of cracks until you reach a small ledge. There, cross left with the help of a horizontal crack (forming a small ledge) to reach a chimney-dihedral (visible upper left from R6). Do not climb the chimney-dihedral which heads rightwards.
Et Voila!
Rappel the same route

Top pitch 

Equipment

Double sets of cams, Aliens Green to Red & 0.75 to 3 Camelot's (2 x 0.75-2)
A small set of small wires up to #5 DMM
8 Quick draws
2x50m rope (single rope and tail line)
Ice axe and, if its solid frozen snow, crampons
https://www.camptocamp.org/routes/56596/fr/chandelle-du-tacul-combinaison-bonatti-tabou

// alpinemadness.se