Alpine conditions a Chamonix

Alpine conditions a Chamonix

Since we have had winter the whole summer it doesn’t seem more than right that we get a bit of extra summer now when the winter supposed to arrivée.

The last weeks has been perfect for a bit of rocking around doing rock climbing, specially on the south facing sides. The north faces has been a bit chilly...yes I agree on that.

As most of us have seen the lack of snow is quite obvious in the western parts of the Alps, not to bad in the eastern parts actually. But still long way from a ”normal” winter. What ever could be normal these days…

But, with an open mind and free soul, there is a whole bunch of thing to do. As this monday I found the perfect conditions to ski off the north side of Mont Joly towards le Planay. A great line but most of the time to scary and prone to avalanches. Not mentioning the Bisons at the lower part, KEEP skiers LEFT!!

As with the conditions in the high mountains. A lot of mixed and alpine routes are in perfect ”nick” and now when the lifts are starting to open up, the Italians has kept the Helbronner lift open the whole autumn (lets hope it stay that way). 

From Helbronner and Torino even some unusual lines has been in for a mixed up climbing as well as some steeper ski runs has been doable and quite safe to ski off.

The snow is very wind slabed in places and the lack of snow shouldn’t  take the seriousment out of the day, a little more like Scottish conditions as you might find on places like Ben Nevis. No snow…no snow…but then on that spot…there is a whole load and hard effected by wind as well and POW, there the whole thing goes. Worst case, your in it! So take care and do not just judge because the lack of the normal amount of deep powder snow. The fall has been very dramatic, windy and warm. Which make the ground control a bit worried and different. 

A Classic peak.

Le Tour Ronde - easily accessed from Torino and Helbronner has a whole bunch of classic alpine routes. The other day we went up and got a go on ”voie Rebuffat” a nice D+ route with one pitch with some delicate mixed climbing. And if you skip the last pitch its possible to rap the route back down on fixed belays. A great climb all in all.

Crux part of the "Voie Rebuffat"

On the approach I saw that the North Face was in perfect shape as well so with a totally free day off I had a late breakfast before I brought the Ford to the tunnel under madame Blanc. 

A quick approach to the base of the face on the wind blown snow, changing to crampons from skis and as always when crossing a bergschrund solo…the pulse goes up…but after the road is clair. Since I have climbed the regular NF a couple of times before I headed for the Buscaini variation. 

Which hold some 4c mixed parts and full on enough 4 sure. A great climb and a bit more interesting than just hammering up its neighbour. 

Once on top I put the skis on to try and ski down the south SE ridge, but a narrow rock corp force me to take them of for a couple of meter to down climb a few meters before I can continue down and make the moving round tour in a bit under the hour.

   

And at the time being, use the situation as best as possible, stay on top!

//La seule chose permanente est le changement

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

Chamonix - Traversee du Midi-Plan

Traversee du Midi Plan - Aiguille du Plan

Vy över traversee du Midi plan från Plan Praz

En av de mest klassiska Alpinturerna i Chamonix och en av de mest luftiga, varierande och mera spektakulära sådana, Traversee du Midiplan upp till Aig. du Plan

Med en dramatisk start från Midiliften, ner via arete du Midi och sen bara fortsätta över kammen bort mot Plan. En händelserik tur med snö, is och klippa. Vars svårighet det går att välja lite fritt från, 4b till 6a+

Som oacklimatiserad så är en tillämpad tur att föredra och om det normala boendehöjden ligger på

0-200m över havet så är det minst sagt en förutsättning att arrangera en eller ett par dagar för att komma i "stämning"

Vi tog en stämningsdag på Brevent och Plan Praz och klättrade en fem replängders tur på en av alla torn och tindrar som finns strax intill liften

Sista replängen och fortsatt glad!

En dag i augusti upplevs av de många som väldigt hetsigt i Chamonix, men faktum är till trots att om man bara håller sig framme vid rätt tillfälle och väljer rätt turer så är det en mest överdriven uppfattning. Visst, liften upp till Midi är väldigt populär men det är också en god anledning till det.

Tajming är ledordet!

Efter 10min väntan så kliver vi in i liften och är faktiskt helt själva på väg över kammen mot Rognon du Plan! Och förhållandena är dessutom utbra!

Vy över Traversee du Midi-plan

Efter att passerat col du Plan och Rognon du Plan 3606m, så är det ett par firningar för att komma vidare upp mot Aig du Plan. Som slutligen klättras över fast solid klippa på ren granit!

Martin följer de sista reporna till toppen av Plan 

En fantastisk tur med mönja varianter som innehåller det mesta. Rekommenderas!

Mera info om utrustning samt detaljer via Camp2Camp

Toppen av Aig du Plan

Nedan bilder på klättringen tillbaka upp till Plan du Rognon

Summit Rognon du Plan!

Utrustning

40m rep, minimum

Ett par mellanstora kamkilar

3-5 mellanstora kilar

4-5 QD's

Isyxa/Stegjärn samt ev ett par is skruvar

Retur mot Midi

//Framtiden,en virtuell förlängning av nuet...

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Aiguille de la Vanoise - The ultimate Traversee

Said to be one of the most visited refuges in the Alps, Refuge du col du Vanoise. Well yes it might be. And after paying the place a visit I for sure understand why. 

Its a great place!!

Easy to access via Pralognan. Just take the 7eruo telepherique up to mont Bochor or if its open the Le télésiège du Génépi. Brings you even closer

http://www.pralognan.com/ete-summer/

The Shark fin, aig de la Vanoise

And as soon as you are in the path in to the massif, you will see the obvious peaks, le Grande Casse and aig. du Vanoise, share as a shark fin!

The most senic peaks you would think of and even though le Casse isn’t a 4000mts peak, its quite close to at 3855mts. The highest peak in the Vanoise´s

And, a must do!!

Summit of Grande Casse 3855mts

As is the traversee of the aug du Vanoise! I would say its one of the most spectacular ones in the Alps. Has everything accept the high grades. At 3c/AD its a most major climb with aérien et étroit climbing

aiguille-de-la-vanoise-traversee-des-aretes

Refuge de la col du vanoise

The Approach from the hut is…easy so to say. A 5min hike takes you to the base, an other 5 min to the base of the arete and then the adventure begins! 

Make the first belay at the old ski pole and just aim for the first, of few, drilled bolt, and let the passion bring you up the airy ridge/arete. It will bring you a please and memorable climb!

Approach lac de Vache

The col du Vanoise hut is just as fresh as the air around the area. Newly built this spring it host a big amount of trekkers/climbers. And togheter with the staff it makes a most pleasurable moment. The place even host a most perfect espresso machine, which a few of them are able to handle and hand out the most enjoyable espresso or cafe a lauit! Hoppsan!!

And for starving people it offers the most magic meals in the big Alps. Not only a normal 3 course dish. The concept with starter, main and pre dessert with the final dessert, well…! WOW!

First pitches de la Vanoise

Back to the climb…

The first bit, couple of pitches, is just climbing. But soon enough it gets airy and even though the climbing is easy its just fun and one can’t wait to get on the next one. And the route finding giving it an extra bonus. Not difficult to find really, just go for the obvious and easiest terrain, sort of

Steep up!

Reaching the first small summit gives an idea of the rest about to come. A little scrambling downwards  to a small col before the next section, and the next section...just keep your eyes open for a bolt here and there. 

This spring, at the beginning if July, it was a huge rockfall from the middle top part of aig. du Vanoise. Leaving a big scare on its south side. And when Im stepping over the rocks that hanged on I walk with as light steps as possible

Ones up at the first summit there is a bit of walk over some grassy ledges on a little path. Suddenly the path is gone and…what the ?`!>””# Are they kidding me or what?! 

The ridge turns into something that looks just undoable. 

Something like a paper sharp edge that disparaît away. But a couple of thought about the options only leaves the arete left

A couple of meters later I see a bolt a bit further away, so back on confidens I keep on ”hangling” the sharp edge. Which also has just perfect foot holds here and there. Amazing!

Finally it opens up a bit and we can continue moving togeheter until the very last bit which gives some nice crack moves up to the very last bit and airy walk to the summit

Even holds a finger crack...

A short brake inhaling the views and some thoughts to the one who built this peak before the descent. Continuing the ridge downwards…

Le Descent, just don't forget to close the gate!

aig de la Vanoise. The route starts from the right end slab

Equipment

30m corde

2-3 midsize Cams

2-5 midsize nuts

3-5 QD´s

Time 4-6h round tour 

More info http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/54150/fr/aiguille-de-la-vanoise-traversee-des-aretes-e-w

// Wild things doesn't make well in a garden