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Le Éclipse dans Maladière

Falaise du Maladiere above Cluse at Vallee l'Arve has ha whole bunch of nice routes. Even though the most are in the higher grades.

But, today we picked out a Piola route which are supposed to be one of the best and most wanted routes. Le Eclipse, a 5 pitch 6a+ two star route at the Eclipse sector

Picture from topo le Vallee de l'Arve

The approach from le parking after la Frasse and before the village of Ballancy is easy and quick. Allow 30 min gentle walk. To get at the base there are a couple of rappels. Look for a small yellow sign "ECLIPSE" on a tree.

Follow the unbroken trail for approx 50m and there is an old anchour with a 2 bolts and a big oval carabiner.

Then do one short rappel, 30m, followed by an other of 30m and then a veggi rappel of 40m and a last one of 20m

The Eclipse route starts very close to touchdown. Approx 5-6m to the right looking uphill

Pitch one and still happy

 

the first pitch is for a 6a something of a wake up pitch, very engaging for the grade. As is the whole route, very hard Piola grading. As always...:) And, getting over and past the second bolt gave me a little puzzling with getting the feets right, or left?! Just to make me do a little cussing of the third bolts missing hanger -Thanks Jason Aldeen for all the love songs!!

P2 is a shorty with a bit of left traverse past a very odd placed bolt. The instruction, Topo, says it spits brand Simond, but I found most of anything on the way. Good ones, bad ones and often long distans between them.

And, there is a lot of routes around so might be wise to keep an eye on the instructions now and then.

Steep between the veggi stuff, but, it is way better than it looks!

The last three pitches are superb, a lot of balance, fingery and finally a bit more then vertical. But always on holds.

P-E fighting face, just happy...!

To make it a little more interesting I took the direct 6b finish, easily done, and got some high tech launching to get to the summit.

As very common this last weeks the forecast said early afternoon rain and thunder. Clouds was building up over the horizon but at least it didn't look to lightning able. So just enjoyable sporting to le sommet.

And P-E could pick up a whole bunch of extra points from Vanja with some Suisse saussice et fromage! SUPER P-E

Peaetmoi

You need,

2x50m rope, 10QD and a chalk bag full of things

Look out for the 3rd bolt, hanger is missing but then there is a way through on the little left

/Bonne chance

 

"One last try..." Le Barbier Barbare

Well, the Barbarian sure knocked me down yesterday, almost out...

la premiere un peu aleatoire, la deuxieme tres a doigts sur microreglettes et consecutives...So, a bit hit and miss on pitch one. And the second, a fingery micros that goes on and on... Think it's been a mix up cause the third is very...doigté 

A often used phrase in this branch. Reading the topo it says 7c with 6c+ obligatoire. So, ok, I could always do a French free and pull a QD?! Said and done...off the team goes. A perfect combination with a nice walk up the Varan so me and Vanja get the most out of it. Always think of your partner!

Une pause an route, regarde le vue

 

It might be a long approach but the views are stunning, and so was the heat. The sun is doing its best to slow down the force going uphill, but water taps here and there fills up a drying body.

A 1 1/2h later we checked in at the base of the rocher. And to my pleasure I could see that the first scrambling part was equipped with a rope. The loose grass scree didn't look to tempting at distance otherwise.

Fueling up for some more workout...

Finding the route on this one is easy work, even for me. And with a rope in place to show the door in, even easier.

le Route starts up right Going up the grass grove to the yellow rock

The first pitch, a 7a gives what I was hoping on, even though if I had a good warm up after the walk in, the first climbing meters gives nice solid rock on 6a/6b something. Before a short but hard crux. The hit and maybe miss section! That is the backside with those easy parts, suddenly the holds and steps are...gone! One what it feels like impossible friction traverse on crimps send me up...and off...

New try and this time the rubber holds me, can't blame anything else really. Sometimes it's just magic. Together with some ordinary cussin' of course. A thin layback and a very high foot placement in a bit of desperation, it's there.

Going rope solo, somewhat to prefer then just solo at this grade for me at least, makes some harder effort. Compared when climbing in team of two.

When the rope is out about halfway the weight pulling down is twice as much as climbing with a "real" partner. Because the rope hangs double. Which also makes it harder to pull up the rope when clipping in, so best thing is to clip the QD at the height of the waist. But that makes the fall longer, if you do...fall.

An other thing to take care of is the risk of falling upside down, because then the thing won't brake. So head up, feets down, simple as that.

the red soloist in use with a chest harness

 

A very airy pitch send me up one of the most stunning 6b pitches I've done lately. On its something 15m of climbing it offers layback, jamming and crimps on perfect yellow limestone.

Starting up the 3rd doesn't look to bad, and isn't until I have climbed myself into the thought that this is working out fine and a bit to high realize that...oops...where did the hold go? Well, I went back down in a hurry to find myself hanging a bit below the last bolt. Good bolts! I'm at least half way, but not close. New try but there is no way, after maybe six-seven times trying I step up in to a sling just to realize that Estrangin and Rivere must have been tall guys, no way I could just reach the next bolt. Which sits there up nosed like c'mon vise guy. So as so many times before, Just One More Try, cussin crimp! What goes around comes around and this time it works out fine, again. Time to breed and do a little dirt road dancing up this pice of rock. Le sommet! Again there is a great 6b that takes me up and over the edge, considering climbing with out a rope but hanging there on the two hand slab I'm quite glad didn't visualize that idea all the way. 

A bit more known mountain, le Mont Blanc, at distance

The return is a easy choice since its possible to walk down, instead of a somewhat rappel. I always get more out of the climb if it takes me up on something and it means walking down. Or even better; flying!

Biggest water bowl around

Quick down to my well expecting friend and of for some watering up, and a little shadow!

You need

If you climb up and walk down, One 40m rope If you rappel, two 40m ropes10 QD's

And good friction on your shoes

 

le Barbier Barbare à la Barbre Rousse, 7c

/

Bonne chance et A+

 

Magic Islands of Norwegian

Le Lofoten, une très belle place, avec beaucoup du temps!

And there is climbing for every weather and body...

 

The magic at its best, Daniel Backman on lead at Pianokrakken

The journey from la France to this heaven of granit is a bit awkward but well worth the trip...even when the weather is a bit mixed up like this time.

Actually I didn't use any of the chalk in the refounded bag, from an other climb remember?

Anyhow, the 5.10ns friction shoes went one ones for a classic climb up Svenske Diedret, a great corner at grade 6 and one of the top 50 routes around.

Tovo Spiral, workin on it And still dry!

After this warm up, a quick climb during lunch time, the Norwegian weather showed its worst side, with rain and snow on and off during four full days, mostly on actually! So in pure desperation I just have to go and do a bit of bouldering up some steep overhanging cracks, gives an other dimension to the sport sort of.

Kalle, a great camping spot on earth, tent with a view!

But we was able to flee out between the showers and get a couple of climbs, even though some of the routes was climbed in full on snow and hail showers:-)

Workin on a slab in hail and snow

After a certain time of hours in a tent, even a big one, the time tend to be more then just boring... And even with a bit of fresh snow outside it is better to try and fail then not and hail!?

 

Belay in the weather

So said and done we walked out to the car and drew over to the other side of the half island to have a "look see" With a bit of spell in the rain we decided to take a shot a one of the most classic routes, Piano handlare Lunds Rute" a grade 4 super classic. Which I have climbed many times before but never in big shoes and gloves, so a bit of challenge still.

Suddenly, the sun made its way trough the clouds of wet

And, now and then the sun made it trough the thick clouds. Which made it possible to climb one more route on this quick drying cliff....

 

Lofoten and it's amazing cracks...

 

After four mornings with the alarm clock sound of rain on tent fabric the mood tend to get a little off. Specially when it's a couple of centimeters of pow pow outside the "door" But, the good thing is that snow is less wet then rain...?

 

And. An other thing is that this place dry quicker then anything else...almost.

 

A top Krakken after one of many variations of reaching it

 

Last day last and it's time to point the wheels an partir de retour de avion.

Not so many routes as hoped on, but still a taste of its potential and since I have been so many times before, I know its P

Easy to leave with weather like this outside the wind screen, Våga Kallen - Lofoten magic islands

 

Next time!