Krister Jonsson / IFMGA Mountainguide: granit climbing

Showing posts with label granit climbing. Show all posts

Sep 8, 2013

L'eau rance d'Arabie - 6b/UIAA VII, 250m

L'eau rance d'Arabie - 6b/UIAA VII, 250m

As said before, the approach to Blaitiere is most easy and well worth the effort of its 1 1/2h walk. This late in the season it's not even necessary with crampons or even a piolet.

Nice to have, le piolet, but not necessary at the moment. But things change...

One the walls best and to its grade persistant route on the red pillar is told to be "L'eau". So, we just had to climb it!

Once again, the slab climbing in Chamonix is hard like in Hard! A crack 6b isn't even close to what a slab 6b will give you, in my opinion at least...

The first pitch has a crack though, but the moves are still closer to slab and pure friction. But very good protected, actually the route it self is a bit over protected with bolts, still in my opinion...

Pitch one, 6b! Anna Backlund over gravity

Every single pitch has enjoyable climbing and its not until the last one on the original route that it's possible to relax.

The line is very obvious except on the third pitch wich follows some flakes but instead of continue up the flakes and cracks the route falls back to the left and finish over again some slabs, just aim for the bolted anchor. All which are perfect the whole way.

Climbing L'eau gives everything from slab to finger cracks and one the second last pitch even a great off width, have no#4 Camalot ready, or bigger...

Sadly it's places a totally unnecessary bolt at the top though

Second last pitch on L'eau, a little offwidth amusement drôle

The summit is very obvious and then it's just to rappel back mo or less the same way

Early morning at le lac

You need

2x50m rope, or rappel line

Small set of mid size cablés

Set of cams Green-Red Alien, 0.75-4 Camalot

5-7QD's

Route 119

More info on camp to camp

//Hellre skapa rykten än att bara sprida dem...

Mountainpassion

Aug 29, 2013

Haugfjell

Norske semester del lV, dag 4

Haugfjell, last mountain before the border and a perfect spot to enjoy the last day of the holiday climbing tour

A new route on Storsteinsfjell followed by an endurance climb on Eidetind and then a solo race on Stetinds South pillar. 3 days of intensive climbing. So some small craging on this easy accessed north northeast wall makes a good plan. Only issue is last nights heavy raining, might be wet sort off

But, since I'm anyhow passing the place and the approach is done in about 10min walk, it's ok just to have a look see. Off course the main wall was still wet but since I have climbed the routes up there before I didn't mind just to look around a bit more. First finding a short boulder crack close to the path, suddenly the walk in had paid back!

A glance further down to the east turns out to have some interesting stuff as well. And a huge off width up the wall, quite short but still, I'm not a tall guy either...

At the base it sure feels small, specially after the last days climbs. But I pull out the gear and rack up. It will be fun I tell my self and start climbing the fist muddy meters. The crack is filled up with moss but a bit of cleaning and it will be fine. Up to a small roof which has this perfect hand crack that turns into a ring lock up to a free hanging ledge or something similar

Up the small corner I find myself pulling on moss, grass and bushes. Which all comes of when I rappel back to actually clean the pitch

Next one is a most interesting off width protected with a no#4 Camalot at the base before it gets to small, sending me on a 7-8 meter run out. I said its gonna be fun!

Again up on a ledge, big one this time, I walk over it crossing up to a small short dihedral that takes me up to the footpath descending from the summit.

Brutna Sällskap, 3pitches 6+

And just to the base of some established routes going up some nice cracks, left and right. So I climb both of them in turns, the right one turning out to be pretty stiff

Summit crack at Haugfjell, established since before

Rappelling back down to clean the last short pitch I only have to enjoy clogging the pitch back up. Climbing trip is over and done for this time

Easy descente down the ladders...

But still, a nice dinner waiting over at Anders and Merjas place! And then back to work, out on the slowly dissapering glaciers...an other story

Stetind showes it's best side

Haugfjell - You need

50mrope, 1set of stoppers, 1set of Camalots 0.5-4.0, 6-8QD's (Aliens and micro stoppers might be useful for some of the thinner crack lines)

Arriving from the Swedish side there is a small dirt roade turning to the left just after the wind turbine, follow this for about 200m, parking site. And then just follow the foot path, the wall is on obvious.

A full topo is found at topptur.nu, look for "dancing on the devils dance floor"

//S & S, a smile solves any problem, silence keeps you out at first place...

Mountainpassion

Aug 4, 2013

Fidel Fiasco / les diamonds du President

Blaitiere - no fiasco on Fidel

Great views on Blaitiere

With only single days in between work Plan d'Aiguille and Blaitiere is a good choise. Straightforward approach, no glacier crossing and not even necessary with crampons

A thing to bear in mind though is that most of the routes are quite long time since they were put up, so beware the gradings! A 6c Piola route, it IS a ruff 6c...

Anna Backlund on second pitch of Fidel Fiasco

We headed for the long and persistent "Fidel Fiasco" 350m, ED sup/VIb or modern 6C, only broken up with a short 4+, otherwise sustained climbing, mostly in cracks but with a most interesting crux part over a steep slab. A route not to be missed!

A Backlund in the corners and cracks mood, Fidel Fiasco, 6C

A Backlund following the cracks on Fidel Fiasco

Sensitive climbing on the slabs of Fidel

An other excellent but less climbed route is the "old Wave", which I guess is named after Ringo Stars 9th studio album

First climbed July 1976/1977; Rick Accomazzo, Mike Graham, Rob Muir, TD 5.10, read more here

In the Piola topo the route is called “Les Diamants du President", TD/V+ 180 m, 1e asc:Thierry Rus/Pascal Strappazzon le 19 Setembre 1985

Some kind of mixed up is probably done, but it's still a nice route

As it says in the Topo:

-Tres belle voie ouverte uniquement a l’aide de coinceurs. Soleil rare

And the big chimneys explains the reason for the lack of sun for sure!

Blaitiere and Pilier Rouge, the Old Wave is in the shade to the right in the picture

Jaming on trough les Diamonds, Ari V climbing

Cracks and Chimneys, a route for a President

Santa Ari arriving through the chimney!

R B for the routes

Fidel Fiasco, good fixed belays

Set of nuts, small wires is a good complement

Set of Cams double of Alien Green-Red

Set of Cams 0.75-3.0 Camalots

7-10 QD's

2*50m rope, with 2*60m the rappels are quicker

Descent same route

"Les diamants", ok fixed belays, route no 140

Set of nuts

Set of cams Green-Red alien, 0.75-4.0 Camalot, double of mid size?!

2*50m rope

Descent down Majorette thatcher

//En gång tala och därmed bliva, är bättre än 100ggr tala

Mountainpassion

Jul 11, 2013

Majorette Thatcher - a classic crack tour

At Blaitière, 1 1/2h walk from Plan de l'Aiguille téléphérique, there is a number of great climbs. And with an exeption from Nabot Leon, an other classic which is frequent climbed, the other routes doesn't see to keep much traffic these days. But, I might be wrong?!

Anyhow, the approach right now, with the amount of snow covering the boulder terrain over plan de l'Aiguille and the remaining of the glaciers, is very sufficient and easy. Specially with the last winters now transformed to solid neve

The only issue is to take the right turn once at the brèche and not head straight up glacier du Blaitière.

The climb start at the highest point at the Red Pillar, under a small roof. Which is the crux of the whole route, but good protected with a no.3 Camalot.

The start is accually much easier than it looks at first glance and its possible to protect there when needed. A delicat move out to the right takes you to the first anchour, a couple of meters under the roof.

Arriving after pitch 1, Majorette Thatcher

An advice is to climb up to the roof and place the next piece before the second is brought up to the belay, since it's a bit tricky start, at least for a shorter person, and nothing to protect with. So a fall will result in testing the anchour...

The roof pitch is just a perfect hand and fist jam, not easier if it's wet for sure...but after a bit of cussing I transform the jam into a layback and so, I'm over it

As meteo France had promised an afternoon thunderstorm the goal was to be ahead of it. But fighting with pitch nr.3, which gives a feeling of a never ending story, takes a bit of this time! But since its a much enjoyable crack pitch at almost 50m finishing on a perfect belay on a small pedestal, it's worth every punch

The advertisement for this route is cracks, and cracks there is

With one and the last pitch to go the clouds are once again sweeping down the walls and just when I have placed the first cam in the last bit of climbing...

-Isn't that something like grêle coming down...?

-It sure is I hear from below!

Great!!

Anna on the last pitch of Majorette Thatcher

Perfect timing and when we a both up and safe on top the pillar all heavens doors opens, like wide!

So just on it, down with the ropes and rap of, thunders in the distans moving in...

An other great day in the mountains...and the thelephrique was even running still once back at plan, thanks for that!

What a bit of hail can do

You need

2x50m rope

A set of Aliens green to red, xtra red useful, a set of Camalots 0.75-3.0, xtra 0.75 useful

A set of wires DMM 1-8

5- 10QD's

Belays are in place and some bolts during the trip

Majorette is the line to the left

//Även en kättare måste tro på något. Om så bara på sanningen i sitt egna tvivel

Mountainpassion

Sep 17, 2012

Pilier Rouge via Nabot Léon, 6a

A classic Piola route at Aig. de Blaitiere from plan de aiguille Nabot Léon 6a, 250m

Approach this area from plan de Aiguilles and the téléphérique Midi

The Nabot Léon starts a bit to the left of the big snow field to the left of the gray rock

The walk to the base is via the path towards lac blue that continues to Montanvers. Keep on walking the path until under the moraine ridge heading up to the Blaitiere face.

The col on the approach

For the climb you need

Rope 2x50, one small set of wires, 0,3-3 Camalot and 7-8 QD's

All the belays/anchours are in place

Approach 1.30h, climb 3h, rappel 1h, return to téléphérique 1.30h

Useful, a stick and crampons!