Chamonix Summer 2016

I was lucky enough to get a second climbing trip in 2016, on top of our Spring trip to the Gorges du Verdon, this time a first trip to the Alps with Chamonix being the destination. There were a lot of unknowns heading down to the Alps for the first time, more broadly surrounding what kind of step up it would be from home. I sought out advice and guidebooks from mates before leaving, to try and get a feel of where we might stand when it came to this big world of alpinism. Before we knew it, Sean was off the back of his nightshift and we were on our way South in his T5. 

We had called ahead on the way South and reserved a place at the Argentiere campsite. The campsite takes a different scene during the Winter and turns into a small ski run. We parked up in among the pomas and set up camp. The campsite is a busy place and has a great vibe. There's all sorts of folks there, from seasoned alpinists to families on holiday and everyone in-between. There's a small pub where you can also order fresh baguettes and croissants for the morning. Best of all however is the midweek pizza nights, run by a local couple who tour the campsites through the week with their trailer, serving up freshly cooked pizzas. Nothing tasted better, besides maybe the steak frites baguettes in town.

Settled in at Argentiere; coffee and films.

Our first objective of the trip was to ease ourselves in up on Le Brevent the next day. We had picked out a popular route known as the Frison Roche, a great 6a which picks it's way up the rightmost end of the main Le Brevent crag immediately beneath the cable car station. We arrived off the first cable car of the day but unbeknown to us pretty much everyone else had the same idea (queues are a theme in the Alps). Nevertheless we waited our turn and eventually got going. 

Base jumper off Le Brevent.

The route takes in a pleasant pillar with a couple reachy moves to begin with, before traversing gently up and right into the physical punchy crux corner. There was quite a lot of waiting about before the crux but it was all pretty sociable and we had a French guides Spotify to pass the time. Plus, there are most certainly worse places to be queuing. Here you could chill out in the warmth of the morning sun, looking over to the the Mt Blanc, your sight tracing along the Aiguilles before being drawn to the mighty Dru. 

Eventually our turn at the crux pitch arrived and the reigns fell to me. It began with a well featured slabby climb up into a short and punchy corner jamming crack. It felt pretty physical and you couldn't hang about too long, but a couple of high and awkward feet allowed me to lank up to a good handrail before pulling over onto easy ground. A medium cam between the bolts felt quite reassuring here, but in truth it wasn't too bad and felt like a punchy E1 or soft E2 5b. 

All that was left was an easy traverse left round to the soaring open book corner which defines the line. It is a superb sustained pitch and without doubt the best of the route. It would be a three or four star E1 5b if up in the Highlands! Sean dispatched this in good style, probably egged on by the fact that the two Italian women in front of us had just ran up it on trad gear without breaking sweat, despite the good bolting! First route in the bag we descended to Cham for steak frites!

The Midi Ridge busy with the morning rush.

Unfortunately the weather forecast for the next day had other ideas so we had resigned ourselves to a day of cafes and touring endless gear shops - there are worse things to do. However timings worked out well and I heard back from John McCune whom I'd got in touch with about arranging a days crevasse rescue training. I'd met John two or three years previously one winter in Lochnagar, where he was climbing with Rory Brown and I'd recommend a route called Ghost Dance on the Southern Sector to them. John was approaching his IFMGA guide exam so a crap days weather and two Alpine punters looking to get lobbed down some crevasses worked out well for all.

Approaching the queues at the crux on the Cosmiques.

The downpours cleared through the night to bring another beautiful bluebird morning in Chamonix. We caught the bus into town and jumped on the Midi lift with the classic Cosmiques Arete in mind for our first 'proper' route. The rapid ascent from Chamonix all the way to the top of the Aiguille du Midi at 3842m didn't quite give the head time to acclimatize and we had to take five minutes for the dizziness to clear. Before long though we were gearing up in the ice tunnel and taking the first few nervous steps out onto the exposed Midi Arete. This certainly got the heart pumping and we took our time down it. Once down the arete we hot footed it across the Col du Midi eager to get in front of as many parties as possible.

The crux step on the Cosmiques with Midi station behind.

The Cosmiques proved to live up to its name as a truly great excursion. It takes in some fantastic scenery and positions coupled with some really enjoyable easy climbing. The crux, despite being rather artificial, was good fun and there was of course the added bonus at the end of topping out back at the Midi lift station. The ridge was ridiculously busy as to be expected which did unfortunately detract from the experience a bit, but it was still a super route and a super first proper Alpine day out. 

A poser on the Cosmiques Arete with fantastic views of Mt Blanc.

We returned to the valley quite happy with the speed at which we had moved together up on the Cosmiques and felt that by the afternoon our bodies were normalizing to the altitude. So after some guidebook flicking that night we decided to up the ante and headed off for an attempt at the Midi-Plan Traverse the following day. We aimed to catch the first lift up the Midi that morning but were stopped in tracks upon jumping off the bus to mile long queues at the lift station. It transpires that if you want to catch the first lift, you have to turn up very early before the first lift! Unfortunately we had to wait a while so didn't set off down the Midi Ridge till 9.30am. Nevertheless we strode on down the ridge excited, eyeballing the amazing traverse ahead which snakes its way along the prominent ridge which sits high above Chamonix.

Embarking out on the Midi-Plan Traverse, with the Aiguille du Plan back left.

We made good time to the Rognon du Plan despite going over the top of the two towers on the way which would have been easier skirted on their leeward side. We began the abseils down to the Col Superior du Plan navigating the numerous chimneys and threads of tat. It was only once we got down onto the snowy col below that we realised the error of setting off so late. The col and Glacier d'Envers du Plan catches the sunlight from the early morning onward so by the time we reached it in the early afternoon the snow was like porridge. After a probing foray out into the steep porridge to a rocky bay we quickly decided that finishing the final snow plod up top the Aiguille du Plan wasn't sensible and that a retreat was now the only option. 

Looking to the Grandes Jorasses and Dent du Geant.

We had two options, descend the creaking Glacier d'Envers to the hut or reverse the route as planned. Neither option sounded great as we were now acutely aware that the exposed stone chute just short of the Rognon du Plan would be a firing line now that it was bathed in the sun. We elected that reversing was the best option and that we would make the call once we arrived at the stone chute. 

Sean leading back up the abseils to the Rognon du Plan.

We had heeded the advice of our guidebook and only carried a few slings and walking axe for the route, something we quickly realised was a mistake. Sean put in a good mixed lead back up the abseils, utilizing his walking axe at one point as a piton for protection. Upon topping back out onto the narrow rocky section of the Rognon du Plan we knew the game was up and there was no chance we were catching the final lift back down to Cham. This ironically settled our minds and seemed to lift the pressure off us once we accepted that we were going to be enjoying an unplanned bivvy at altitude. We relaxed knowing that there was a good overnight forecast and began to enjoy the absolutely stunning sunset which was now beginning to take place. We elected for Andy Kirkpatrick's advice on unplanned bivvys namely, 'work hard and work late' and decided to press on as long as sensible in order to stay warm. 

Back atop the Rognon du Plan with the light beginning to fade.

We soon found ourselves at the stone chute which marked the descent from the Rognon du Plan, just at the last of the light. We timidly took some steps down but could hear stones whirring and bouncing down it. We knew immediately it would be daft to continue, so we headed back up to a snow balcony overlooking Chamonix which we had scouted out as a suitable bivvy. Dressed like two Michelin men in all our layers and thick down jackets, which we were now very thankful of, we began slowly digging out our bed for the night, making sure not to sweat. Still buoyed by the most beautiful sunset and colours we had just seen over the Mt Blanc Massif, we were secretly looking forward to the night under the stars. 

Sunset over the Mt Blanc and Aiguille du Midi.

Sean had rather inconveniently removed his survival bag out of his ruckie, for apparently "the first time ever", so it was a tight squeeze into mine. It was a rather sweaty affair so we elected just to use it as a blanket. It was a chilly night and we had to get up every 30-40 mins to dance about to generate some heat, mostly for the legs - down jackets work well! I didn't manage any sleep but enjoyed gazing at the milky way and shooting stars before later watching climbers start out up the Trois Monts Route from the Cosmiques. Sean on the other hand demonstrated his incredible ability to sleep in any location. 

A bit chilly but enjoying the experience; we even had Spotify!

It got to about the back of 3am and we were driven into action from the cold and the prospect of an early lift back down from the Midi. We'd rationed out what food and water we had left so finished that off and set off slowly down the stone chute. We soon found ourselves back on the awesome snow arete which curves its way back to the Midi. The blue hour arrived and the sunrise over the Grand Jorasses was simply breathtaking. We were glad to get the heat of the morning sun and soon removed the down jackets. We bumped into a team of three from London who were just setting out, at the exposed traverse just after the Col du Plan. They had stayed the night in the Cosmiques and were sporting technical tools and a light rack - all sensible ideas in hindsight. They offered a little water which I gladly accepted although turned down their offer of food as we knew they had a big day ahead. We were soon back at the Midi Ridge which we beasted on up with the prospect of a Coke and some scran. Coke in hand we collapsed at the tourist platform and bathed in the morning sunshine. A great adventure was had. 

Approaching the end with the Midi in sight. 

Once back at the camp site we were both completely gubbed and crashed out on the grass with gear stewn around us. What a nick we must have looked like! A full rest day was had with a couple beers. For my final day in town we elected to just go for an easier day as the forecast wasn't fantastic. So we nipped on up the Petite Aiguille Verte quickly in the morning after a lie in and were back down in Cham for some lunch time hot dogs at Cool Cats - highly recommended! 

Sean was a bit burst.

It felt like a quick trip but we packed in a lot and despite our failure on the Midi-Plan we learned a lot. It was an eye opening experience the Alps and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Moving in big mountains, with big scenery on brilliant routes and with a lot of other psyched and fit people around - what's not to like?

Summit selfies on top of the Petite Verte.