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Scott Todd contacted me. He lives in the USA but his job had sent him to Germany for 3 months and he was keen to do some sort of climbing- any sort of climbing while he was in Europe.
So Scott arrived in Chamonix having left Stuttgart at 4.00am. We set off to climb at les Chesery above Argentiere. We had perfect weather and we thought we were climbing well until we were brought back down to earth when we were followed up the route by a hooved animal!A mountain Goat.
We finished by climbing the iconic Aguillette d' Argentiere.
On our next day the weather was indifferent - raining hard in the morning with an improving forecast so we took the gamble to head to Switzerland where the weather was good and we climbed The outstanding Pantagruel at Les Trappistes crag one of Olivier Roduits many outstanding routes .
On our 3rd day the weather forecast was good- I suggested to Scot that we head through to Italy to climb the stunning Bucce d arancia at Arnad. What I hoped it would be a fitting end to our 3 days together. Well we left a sunny Chamonix drove through the Mt Blanc Tunnel to be greeted by misty miserable weather [ not what the forecast predicted] By the time we arrived at Arnad it was raining. Anyway not to be deterred we set off up the climb - Needless to say we were alone. Fortune favours the brave and it stopped raining and we had amazing climbing
Until it started raining again. We had climbed all the difficult pitches and what should have been simple was not simple in the lashing rain and so we decided to retreat by rappel. This was surprisingly simple if not a little wet and muddy.
But all in all Scott got a pretty good taste of multipitch rock climbing in the Chamonix and surrounding areaa and he has promised to return ..
There is no doubt that if you hit the right weather late September early October can be the most beautiful time to be in the alps.
Peter Folkman arrived for few days climbing. On our first day we climbed the new route Princess which is the final trilogy of the long routes on Les Rochers des Mottets. This is the hardest and probably the best of the three routes , but I made a note to my self not to try and climb it when its damp.. Slippy is not the word.
On Tuesday we set off for the Aravis mountain range but it started raining and we had to abort plan A . Luckly it did stop raining and we managed to have a very good afternoon climbing at Les Gaillands.
On the Wednesday the weather was good and so we headed to the Col de la Colombiere where we climbed the long and remote
Arête des Bouquetins on the Pic de Jallouvre
On the Thursday we returned to a different part of the Aravis - the col des Aravis , for the standout route of the area which must have one of the most photogenic ridges anywhere L'Arête à Marion on the Pointes de la Blonnière. Mind you the approach is relentless and hour and halfs slog up a stoney slope with only a vauge path to follow.
Francis Bridgeman ans I enjoyed some varied climbing in and above Chamonix and then for the second half of the week we headed to Kandersteg and the spectacular Stockhorn
We stayed in Kandersteg at the wonderful 300 year old Ruedihus Hotel which as got to be a must for anyone visiting the town
“Before The Verte one is an Alpine Climber, after the Verte one is a real mountaineer.”
So said Gaston Rébuffat one of Chamonix’s most famous Mountain Guides .
The weather in the Alps this summer has been terrible. Twenty two years I have worked in the Chamonix Valley as a Mountain Guide and this has been the worst- whole weeks have been washed out and many peoples mountaineering dreams have been put on hold until may be next year?
However the constant bad weather meant that it snowed a lot, the glaciers and their crevasses remained filled in and the snow plastered the north faces acting as a form of rendering gluing everything in place. Then finally at the end of the season the high pressure built and we were set up with near perfect climbing conditions for climbing on snow and Ice. These conditions were almost unheard of for a generation and numerous possibilities evolved.
At the same time my client of 22 years who has never missed a season Charles Sherwood arrived to a mouth watering combination of a fabulous weather forecast and perfect conditions.
I had identified a particular route for us to attempt. Namely the Nant Blanc Face of the Verte. The face is rarely climbed because it is rarely in safe condition and pretty much never at the end of the summer, but as I have said this was no normal summer.
Yet even with perfect conditions the challenges are considerable : The face is massive from the Bergschund to the summit it is over vertical kilometer. The ice climbing in two sections is vertical and the final key section at over 4000 meters involves scaling an overhanging serac. [I did not know this before we started otherwise I might have not been so keen]
In addition actually getting into position to start the climb was very hard work;
At mid day Charles and I took the Grands Montets cable car to the top and then headed across and down the glacier from where we had to make a series of difficult abseils down a horrible lose gulley towards the Nant Blanc glacier. Things did no go well because the brand new ropes I had bought for the attempt were immediately damaged by loose rocks [one irreparably] which must be some kind of record - an hour old.
We found a place to bivouac at about 6.00pm and enjoyed the setting sun while having our dinner.
Breakfast was at 2.00am the next morning and we were packed and away by 3.00pm. We scrambled down onto the Nant Blanc glacier and threaded our way through a maze of giant crevasses by the beam of our head torches. This was difficult and I took a wrong turning and headed up a false line. Everyone can get lost in this game the trick is to realise quickly as and rectify the situation , which we did but still it was frustrating and time consuming. Eventually just before dawn we arrived at the start of the route which is marked by a giant crevasse - the bergschund the last crevasses between the mountain and the glacier. The guide book rather unhelpfully suggests it will be between 12 to 15 hours to the summit from this point.
Climbing over the bergschund was steep but thereafter the angle laid back a little for the next 400meters. We made steady but unspectacular progress because the snow was very hard and we were balanced on our crampon front points instead of being able to kick steps in the snow.
10.00am we reached a narrowing of the climb. We were confronted with a pitch of very steep ice- far steeper than anything we had expected. Fortunately the quality of the ice was perfect and the ice axes stuck in the snow like they were being driven in to cork. Perfect nevé.
Above this pitch the route moved onto another giant ice field before heading left to a rocky ridge . By now the the sun had come round onto the face and it got unpleasantly hot added to which bits of melting ice started spraying us from above some of which were football sized!
We were now tired and thirsty and we decided we should stop for the day and bivouac. The problem was we could not find anywhere remotely flat enough and so we just kept on climbing up and up in the vain hope of finding somewhere suitable. What happened was that as we climbed higher the ground became even steeper and so we reluctantly set up a belay and abseiled back down about 50 meters to an area which was the least worst option! We carved a ledge out of the snow - a sort of bucket seat and climbed into our sleeping bags at about 9.30pm. As Charles observed this is know as a “double head torch day” : you start by head torch and you finish by head torch.
We awoke at 4.00am and began to melt snow to brew pint mugs of tea. Packing everything up was difficult because it was all frozen like a board but eventually we were back climbing at about 6.00 am . Above us was the crux of the climb- an overhanging lump of ice know as the “Calotte" which barres the route to the summit. I arrived at the foot of the feature which was made up of fluted ice and I was not a tall sure that I would get any purchase with my ice axes. Firstly I cleared all the flutings of ice away like a vandal attacking a giant chandler. Then I launched my self at the over hanging ice and climbed what was the most certainly exposed bit of ice climbing I think I have ever done because it felt as if I was hanging above the entire Chamonix valley. I was happy to pull over the lip and see ahead of me much more mellow ground. I belayed and it was Charles turn to follow.
Above us lay the summit of the Verte a short walk away. The scene was stunning and we arrived on the summit at about 8.30am,hardly any wind and not a person in site.
The next challenge was to get down which off the Verte is never simple. Some earlier pre planning- We had learned that the Whymper Couloir was still full of snow [again because of the bad summer] and because we had arrived on the summit early the snow was still frozen and safe, so we headed down the rather narrow ridge to the col and set up the ropes for the numerous abseils back to the glacier. It was a rather hot walk on a soggy glacier to the marvelously positioned Couvercle Hut , some beers, massive omelettes and bed.
I was joined by very demanding teenagers last week. The problem with them is that they have too much energy and this energy needs to be channeled constructively. In addition they want adventures but not too much boring stuff [like walking miles and miles.] To add to the mix the weather was being very un cooperative.
Hereward Mills, his father Bill and Bill's Godson Jamie joined me for four days of adventures. They were particularly keen to spend a night in a mountain hut . With the weather forecast the way it was it seemed to me the best chance of over- nighting was to set of immediately and so this is what we did by heading up to the Couvercle hut which is tucked away at the end of the Mer de Glace underneath the mighty Verte. Getting to the hut is quite an undertaking and involves climbing some intimidating ladders bolted to the rock face.
We arrived at the hut in thick mist just before for dinner. The scene was quite moody and there wasn't much colour to be had in the landscape .
The next morning was clear and we enjoyed some fantastic views of the north face of the Grand Jorrasse
The hut is also in a very beautiful position too
We were lucky to be able to see so much because the forecast was again poor so we decided to head down before we got a drenching
Fortunately the weather held and we managed to get some quality tuition in the use of ice axe and crampons on the Mer de Glace
We made it down to Chamonix just before it pissed it down.
The next day was miserable at first it wasnt actually raining so we decided to try and climb a Via Ferratta down in Passey. Just as we got to the foot of it the heavens opened and we had to retreat. Eventually in the afternoon we went to Les Gaillands and not for the first time this summer I was the only Guide there. However fortune favours the brave and the sun came out and we had some really good rock climbing in the afternoon.
On our final day we headed for the Via-Cordia - the rock climb to be done when everything in the high mountains cant be done
Lloyd Donovan is probably the keenest of the keen when it comes to alpine climbing and he arrived to climb with me for six days. Prior to our meeting we had exchanged emails about what the possibilities might be. Plans had been laid. Then we got the weather forecast- utter crap.
The first day was to be okay , so not perhaps following best practice [because it is so high] we headed for the Cosmiques Arete on the Aguille du Midi. I need not have worried because Lloyd flew up the climb only being stopped by a lot of numpties ahead of us. We then had the chance to visit the glass box
It was semi okay the next day but the forecast was to deteriorate so we decided to climb the Voie Caline - a long simple climb above les Bois. Well it is simple in the dry, but when it started to rain it takes on a different complexion - terrifying.
True to form the next day it snowed down to 2000 meters, so we went for a big walk up the Emosson Dam and climbed the Bel Ouseaux
It was more like a Scottish winter scene than a summer Alpine scene.
The remainder of the week was spent dodging around the frequent showers and we did lots of rock climbing and worked on loads of training in "escaping from the system" - Things which ever climber need to know but never get round to actually practicing.
Climbing and Mountaineering trips are all very fine , but the really memorable excursions are when it doesn't go exactly according to plan and there are glitches which produce stories "You can dine out on" Once again teaming up with Alan, Mark [Robo] Miguel Clarke & Art produced a memorable trip.
I was also joined by two other Mountain Guides James Thacker and Jonny Baird. This is what happened:
We met in Gressoney , stayed in the excellent Ellex Hotel , eat in the local Pizzeria and significantly had a little too much to drink.
On the Sunday it was raining and pretty miserable. We took the lift to Puntra Indren from where we walked up to the Mantova Hut , all in thick mist and driving snow.
On the Monday we awoke to hurricane strength winds which stopped us from going anywhere. We sat around drinking cappuccinos and then suddenly for no apparent reason the wind died and we were off.
We "stretched" our legs and ticked the 4000meter mark and some of the team even carried on to the Col de Lys 4200m from where the views to Zermatt and the Matterhorn are unique. We then turned heel and headed for the Gneftii hut where we were greeted by the magnificent Stephany , Guiliana and the rest of the Hut team. The food, the welcome was spectacular. Then showers were provided. free WiFi - what more could you want? You can run your whole life from here.
Tuesday morning the weather was better . We headed off and climbed Ludroigshohe 4341meters.
Wednesday was like Christmas
After some debate we decided to sit it out because the forecast for Thursday was stellar and in addition an extra days acclimatisation would be in valuable if we were going to realize our goal of spending the night in the Margherita Hut.
Thursday - the gamble had worked - Blue Skies, no wind , plus a well rested and acclimatised team powered up to the summit of the Signalkuppe punta Gnifetti 4554meters where there is a conveniently placed mountain hut- The Margherita. Once we were through the door we again met Stephany & Guiliana who were now the guardians of the Margherita Hut . They immediately set about making a magnificent lunch of home made hand grated rosti a platter of dried ham and a selection of local cheese.
During all this Alan discovered he had left his wedding ring down at the Gnifetti Hut. His mind was immediately put at rest with a quick call to say they hand found it.
Ten minutes later Stephany made a flamboyant entry, stood at the end of the dinning table and with a ta- daaa- like a magician produced the wedding ring! We were all suitably amazed and then she told us that the helicopter had just flown it up.
With a bit of imagination, luck and planning it is possible to get some amazing skiing on the longest day of the year.
For the last few years Reuben Berg and I have done just that . This mid summers day might have been the best so far. We drove round to Gressoney , rode the lift to Punta Indren put the skis on and skinned up to the Mantova Hut. some times when we have taken skis out in the summer we have had some strange looks, but not this time. The majority of parties were on skis and it was impossible to distinguish the scene from mid ski touring season. Conditions were perfect.
The next day we climbed Vincent Pyramid.
The weather was far from perfect and we had some cold strong winds to contend with. But from the summit in less than 20 minutes we were in the Gnefftti Hut drinking Cappuccinos.
The forecast for the next day was poor. We went to bed thinking that it would not be possible to do much the next day. Our goal had been to climb up to the Margherita Hut and spend the night. This is the highest building in Western Europe at a lung busting 4554meters.
However at day break the weather was not too bad so we thought we should go and have a "look" knowing that if the weather deteriorated we could retreat very quickly on skis. We were bolstered by the site of a helicopter delivering beer to the Margherita Hut reasoning that if the heli could fly then we should be able to make it . We did make it but the weather was decidedly sketchy as we finally made it and yes the beer was there:
The other delight was to meet the fantastic Giuliana, one of the Guardians of the Hut. A couple of years ago she climbed all the 4000 meter peaks in one summer.
The Hut was not busy that evening. 6 guests. Next morning getting out of the hut was a challenge- strong wind and zero visibility. We teamed up with a Swiss Guide and his client and navigated through a classic white out. Eventually we got below the cloud at the col Lys. From there we could really enjoy our selves with a fantastic powder descent followed by spring snow all the way to the Punta Indren cable car
The weather has been far from settled and coupled with lots of other issues it made for a challenging week which was only half successful. Dee Anand and David Folkman joined me for 6 days and below is the brief story of what happened.
After three days of training and acclimatisation in indifferent weather we headed up to the Tete Rousse hut and spent a pleasant afternoon relaxing and gaining more acclimatisation. Well it was pleasant for me and Dee but David had a bad night with the Shits. Non of us were sure why he was ill when weren't but we assumed that it would be some 24 hour bug that would go. So we decided to continue on with our plan, which was to head up to the brand spanking new Gouter Hut, where we planned to arrive early and rest up ready for our summit attempt the next day.
David struggled , but was determined to get to the Hut. He immediately went to bed and assumed with a bit of rest he would be fine. It started to snow big time. Dinner time came around and David was feeling worse and could not countenance eating. Hugely frustratingly he was not going to stand any chance of attempting Mt Blanc.
While we were dealing with David's illness , another group were dealing with one of their group who had broken his ankle. They had called a helicopter . I reasoned that David would be far better off if he could hitch a lift too so I asked the Hut Guardian if this would work. In principle the answer was yes. In practice it was a lot more problematical. Bad weather meant the helicopter could not fly.
David was going to have to endure a pretty miserable night. With nothing else to do I went to bed . No sooner had my head hit the pillow and the Guardian came into my dormitory to tell me that there was weather window and the PGHM helicopter would be here in 20 minutes. The Guardian was not sure if the helicopter could take one or two causalities because of the weight limit at such high altitude. I was asked to speak to the Police Mountain Rescue doctor at his base in Chamonix.
I explained what I believed to be David's symptoms and the doctor immediately triaged and decided that David was the priority and not the guy with the broken leg. It is not difficult to see that the guy with the broken leg was deeply unhappy about having his helicopter stolen from underneath him.
Both David and the other casualty were taken outside the hut to wait for the helicopter. It arrived in very dramatic style kicking up huge amounts of snow screening everything from sight. When it departed there was no one left on the ground and so we concluded that both casualties had gone. Indeed they had a mere 5 minutes later and they were at Sallanches Hospital.
Meanwhile Dee slept through all the commotion and was somewhat surprised when he woke up and couldn't find David. It was 2.00am and time for breakfast. 45 minutes later Dee and I set off . We were enveloped in thick cloud and there was deep snow. Critically there was no wind. At the Vallot hut 95%of the parties turned back. There was still no wind and I could see no reason to give up. The only difference was that there was us and one other party to break trail. We stuck at it and arrived at the summit of Mt Blanc at around 8.00am. We saw nothing!
Our attempt to climb the iconic Nose of El Captan did not get off to a good start. We left the campsite at 6:30 AM and immediately got stuck in a traffic jam. In front of us a car had hit a tree and landed on the roof blocking the road. No one was injured apart from the drivers pride. (The idiot had been texting at the time.)
It was not a good omen. We lost a good hour and in that time the heat in the valley had soared.
As the saying goes everything in America is big. The style of climbing in Yosemite is Called “Big Wall”. El Capatan is the best example of Big - it is over 3000 feet of vertical rock.
The climbing is completely different to climbing in Europe. The method is to pack everything into a bag and haul or winch it up after you. These bags are called Haul Bags or “Pigs” [because they can be a pig to move.]
There were three in our team me and my two great American friends Jeff & Faerthen. Jeff had made one of the very early ascents of the Nose 40 years ago. Jeff was returning for his anniversary climb and he had invited me along. It was to be my first experience of “Big Wall” climbing.
So we eventually parked the car and wrestled the Pig out of the car boot.[Or trunk as the Americans call it] It contained 36 liters of water, our climbing gear our ropes our sleeping bags our food, plus underneath we had attached a Portaledge. As it sounds it is a portable ledge which can be erected in minutes. When it is set up you can sleep on it.
All this weighed over 100 kg and it was left for me carry it to the foot of the climb. As approaches go it was not very far-about half a mile but still 100 kg is the most I had ever carried.
During the previous days we had fixed ropes to the first 8 pitches to the start of a feature know as the Stove Legs. These are giant cracks which could originally only be climbed by jamming sawn off stove legs into the cracks. Fixing means we had left a giant 200 meter long rope in place so that we could climb the rope using special Jumars which clamp to the rope rather like cleats on a sail boats rigging.
Our plan was to climb the fixed ropes to our highpoint and then haul the pig. Jeff set off up the fixed-rope first. It was as he arrived at a small overhang that he called down to say that he had torn a muscle in his back and that he was in considerable pain. I jumared up the ropes to meet him. Jeff's face was glum . When he tried to sit in his harness he was in agony. We were going to have to descend and abandon our attempt.
Before we could get to grips with the disappointment (something that is part and parcel of mountaineering) we had the practicalities of getting our selves and the pig safely down. It made sense to jettison the water in order to reduce the weight. This task was far more difficult than it sounds because I was suspended several hundred meters above the ground with nothing to stand upon. Eventually after some spectacular acrobatics I eventually lowered the pig down to the ground to join the others. We were all disappointed but at least we were safe and sound and still in a position to try again sometime in the future. And in addition we had not been eaten by Bears.
The plan was perfect. We were going to re do the Haute Route exactly 20 years to the day since the first time Chris Boulton and I had completed it together. We were joined by Mark Gilbey, James Mitchel and Adam Syme. As the saying goes the plan is often the first casualty of war.
To start with the weather forecast was utter crap.Nevertheless we had our warm up day on Grands Montets where we found out that we had certain binding issues. Still its better to get this sorted before everyone is committed. We skied around in misty snowy conditions and with all our checks done we were ready to start the next day.
Contrary to the weather forecast , the weather was beautiful and the initial descent of the glacier des Rognons was a powder skiers dream. But 10 minutes into our trip the dream turned into Adam's nightmare, he fell awkwardly and broke his ankle.
I immediately pulled out my radio and called the rescue in
We had no choice to retreat and we retired to the bar for a beer or eleventeen. Sadly Chris decided that he did not want to risk the same fate as Adam and abandoned. This left James and Mark. They were keen to try and continue, yet the weather forecast was all over the place. So on our third day we drove round to Verbier and made our way up to the Mt Fort Hut where as always we were treated to a warm welcome. The thing in our favour was that concurrently the Patrouille des glacier race was scheduled and the Swiss army had avalnche bombed the route as well as sticking flags along the way. I felt that no matter what the weather was like , if they were going to run the race then we would be safe. As it turned out while it was raining and miserable in the Valley high up it was a perfect day.
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The traverse to the Prafleuri Hut was perfect and made even more interesting being able to watch the racers coming the other way. However the weather the next day was testing: Heavy snow and zero visibility. Nevertheless we pressed on with the aid of the map & compass. We arrived at the Dix Hut having seen very little all day. At the hut the Swiss army [who are responsible for the organization of Patrouille de Glacier race] decided to have an impromptu party which the Hut Staff got dragged into. This was all fine but they got so slaughtered that they failed to get up to make us breakfast the next day. The weather waa still poor and so we could not traverse the Pigne d'Arolla but instead had to climb the Pas de Chevre ladders and head up to the Vignette by going around the mountain.
So we had now endured two days of pretty shit weather. For the final day - the push to Zermatt it is essential for very good weather, especially for the final ski down into Zermatt because there are crevasses which would swallow whole Double Decker buses. We awoke at 5.00am to absolutely clear perfect weather which was nothing short of magical. Made even more special because we had really had to work hard to get into the position where we could take full advantage of it.
We were away first from the hut and headed up to the Col L'Evéque. Fifteen minutes skiing and we were next heading for the penultimate col -Col du Mt Brulé
This did not prove to be easy. Normally you put your skis on your rucksack stick crampons on and post- hole up to the ridge. Yet there was far too much snow to do that and so we had to skin up which created a few "moments" [In over 50 ascents of this col it is only the 2nd time I have ever had to skin the route.]
After this it was heads down for the final long ascent to the Col de Valpelline and the first view of Zermatt and of course the Matterhorn.
It was then it got really good , exceptionally good, the snow we found on the descent of the Matten glacier was one of the best descents of the season and for me that involved over a hundred days on skis.It was a very fitting end to the ski season
I was delighted when John Young got in contact . We first climbed together in Scotland in 1992 and skied together a couple of times in the early 2000's. I was less delighted with the weather forecast for the week John had booked with me. There had been no snow for about 3 weeks and the conditions were looking decidedly patchy. Then the forecast was for rain!
Nevertheless I shouldn't have worried . It did rain, but only at night and high up it snowed. This gave us regular top ups of snow and fresh tracks everyday.
We started on Grands Montets skiing down the Glacier des Rognons but the really good snow was on the front face where we could keep doing laps and still there was acres of space.
On the Tuesday [after another top up of overnight snow] we ventured into the Vallee Blanche. Again we were treated to untracked snow and a wonderfully quiet experience.
On our third day we jumped in the car and drove around to the Col des Pillons where we used the lift system to get into position before climbing Les Diablerets
Our final two days we skied off the top of Les Grands Montets again enjoying the regular overnight top ups of snow.
Chris & Lia and I set off from the 1st cable car at Grands Montets where we suffered a very bumpy ski down to the Argentiere glacier. We then cramponed up the 1st part of the col du Chardonnet before sticking on our skins and heading up to the Franco - Swiss frontier. We avoided the massive traffic jam by entering Switzerland by the slightly higher col. We rappelled down the slope and then skied over to the Saleina Hut which was guarded over the Easter week, seemingly for us!
After a very pleasant evening the next morning we set off at 6.30 am . The view back to the hut was exceptional
Our plan was to traverse to La Fouly via the 3 cols route - probably the best traverse in the Mt Blanc range. The issue was the slopes were very icy and the key traverse could only be done by taking the skis off and climbing above some intimidating cliffs before we arrived at the col des Planereuses
We passed the three cols in very clear but very windy conditions before finally making the very long glacier de la Neuve [and despite the lack of snow for weeks] we skied to with in 10 minutes walk of the Village and our wonderful hotel.
The hotel was good enough to give us breakfast at 6.00am and we were away up to the Col de Ferret.
At the col it was time to ski into our 3rd country- Italy and down the long, beautiful Val Ferret. The start of the descent is steep and a lot of care is needed ,then as it flattens out a lot of pushing and skating is required.
Fortunately the snow remained hard and our task was easier than it could have been. We eventually arrived at the road to see the 1st person we had seen all day. He was eating a cream doughnut and drinking a beer which struck me as an odd combination. We asked him if we could get a taxi and his answer was an emphatic no! The reason was the road had been closed for a week. He'd been stuck there [eating doughnuts] and was excited because a helicopter was coming to get him later that day. It all seemed a bit apocalyptic to us.
We decided to walk the 3km to the village not really knowing what to expect. Originally our intention had been to ride the cable car and finish our trip by skiing back into Chamonix via the Vallee Blanche and thus finish our circular trip. What happened was very different. We arrived in La Palud to find the cable car shut. In fact everything was shut- the whole village had been evacuated because of an imminent land slide. We walked into the police road block and some very excited Carabinieri and general Italian chaos which only seems to happen in this wonderful country.
It took them a while to decide what to do with us. Eventually and not before the Press had got involved[see1st photo] we were bundled into a Police van and dumped at the Mt Blanc Tunnel entrance. This turned out to be a very difficult place to leave from without a car and there was no bus allowed to stop. By chance I got into conversation with the Mt Blanc Tunnel Press Officer the charming Erika Noro. She agreed to take us through the tunnel probably to get us out her country.
The next day Lia's feet were shot so Chris and I decided to give our selves a "beasting" by climbing the Aiguille d'Argentiere from the 1st Grands Montets cable car. It is a huge day with over 1300 meters vertical ascent.
Off course this means lots of good skiing on the way down all the way to Logan all 2100 vertical meteres of it. I was pretty tired after this big day and misjudged how hot it was and suffered a bit from sun stoke.
Yet being too hot was not the problem for our final day- The weather was not conducive to skiing and after all it was difficult to see how we could better the previous 4 days , so we went rock climbing on the long route the voie Caline which arrives at the buvet of les Mottets where after the weather finally changed and it snowed on us...
There is no doubt that our stand out day this week was a trip to Les Daiblerets. It is a bit of a trek from Chamonix - [an hour and a half] but it was worth it. Especially at this time of year when it is key to stay high because low down the snow is non existent or it turns to slush too quickly.
Francis and I started at Brevent and skied some good spring snow as our warm up day. Tuesday it chucked it down - the first rain in about 10 days. However we knew that somewhere it would be snowing. By the next day Wednesday it was back to fantastic weather - but with 15 cm of fresh snow high up so we headed for Grands Montets where we were not disappointed. We enjoyed some very good skiing on the glacier.
Then it was over to Les Diablerets for the skiing of the week. We arrived at the col des Pillions at about 9.00am rode the lift to the top , then skinned up to the summit of Les Diablerets
Today the logic said we need to stay high to stand any chance of good snow. There is no where higher than the Vallee Blanche. So while the weather was beautiful , the scenary as dramatic as anywhere , the actual skiing was disappointing and we actually had the worst snow of the week, although still a very good day. It was a pity the bar had been set so high.
It is not often that pretty much everything goes according to plan. Clearly having 5 days of perfect weather help but in addition good snow , safe conditions, make all the difference. When I say pretty much everything - we didn't get off to a good start because Valdi Gudmundsson , the highly respected Ice Driver from Iceland woke up with a blocked back and couldn't join us.
So Turi and Agust and I sadly left for the village of Diablerets without him.
We climbed the mountain of Diablerets from the lift station of Col du Pillions. From its summit we skied un tracked powder to the Diablerets Hut where we were the only customers for the night.
The next day we took special early cable car reserved for ski tourers and headed over to the Audannes Hut. We had really good safe conditions and the bonus of a great ski down to the Hut
The next day we headed on to the Wildstrubel Hut where for the 1st time ever in a Hut the guardian sat down and eat dinner with us. On our third day we again woke to perfect , but very cold weather , traversed the glacier des Morts
and climbed to the summit of the Wildstrubel, before skiing fabulous spring snow to welcoming Lammeran Hut.
On our final day we left the Hut at 7.00am skinned up to the col behind the hut
From here we skied all the way down the valley from where a short skin took us up to the Cable Car for the ride down into Kandersteg railway station. So if you want a great quiet ski tour then look no further.
Bill Mills and Greg Knott arrived towards the end of a period of weather that had been bakingly hot. In fact my view was that the Off- Piste lift accessed skiing was shot. The snow was awful. It was just as well that our plan was to go high and ski tour.
We drove round to Arolla and headed up to the Dix Hut , firstly negotiating the ladders at the Pas de Chevre
The Dix Hut has a new guardian and they have really upped their game- it was a really delightful place to stay and the sunsets were magical.
The next morning we headed off to climb Mt Blanc de Cheilon 3870m.
The ascent was far from simple, a combination of high winds and concrete snow and the need to traverse under some menacing seracs made the whole thing seem serious. Mind you the view from the top was worth it. Five hours up and 45 minutes later we were tucking into Hut Rosti and a second night in the Dix Hut.
Then the weather broke. The next morning it was windy and horrible. The decision was simple we had no choice but to bail to Arolla. We checked into the absolutely magnificent Kulm Hotel and then went skiing in Arolla for the afternoon where we didn't see very much and quite frankly it was pretty miserable.
On Sunday morning we awoke to 40 cm of fresh snow. Clearly the ski touring options were not good so we left Arolla and headed for the resort of La Tsoumaz where I hoped there would be good skiing through the trees. I hoped but was not sure because most of the snow had fallen above the tree line. However the risk paid of and the skiing was very very good. In the afternoon we traversed over to Verbier and got a memorable descent of the Vallon d'arbi.
It was then back to Chamonix to ponder the weather forecast for the next day. It was for snow. So if we were going to ski then we needed trees so we could see. The logic was to head through to Courmayuer [There is limited off-piste tree skiing in Chamonix] This plan went wrong when we exited the mt Blanc Tunnel because there was no new snow and the weather was clear. We almost turned round , but decided to suck it and see . This turned out to be the right decision because although the snow at tree level was dire high up it was sensational and because the weather was actually good we had some of the best lift accessed of the season.
This was a trip a long time in discussion and as the date for departure neared the excitement levels increased. The team consisted of Catherine Lewis ,Lucy-Kate Hunt and Bella Noakes. Between them they are mothers to 10 children. So organizing the trip around their families was a challenge.
We met and drove to Bourg St Pierre from where we skinned up to the Velan Hut. I was keen to choose a really good hut because this was to be their first ever hut to hut tour. The Velan Hut did not disappoint. Everything from beer on the terrace to the good food and the calm atmosphere made sure my team were content.
The next morning we set off about 7.30am and climbed up and over the ridge behind the hut before skiing the steep slope on the other side before skiing up to the col to the north of the Petit Velan. From there we managed to catch perfect spring snow where we skied down the vast comb to the old Super Gd St Bernard lift station.
It was now very hot. As Catherine suggested it was like wearing Ugg Boots in the Bahamas. We skinned up to the Gd St Bernard where we spent our second night.
The next morning , still with absolutely stunning weather we headed of into Italy before climbing up to the Fenetre de Ferret.
From the col we skied all the way down to La Fouly through some very technical terrain . Arrived in the village where we had a welcome beer while discussing plans to try and do it all again next year!
The weather has been magnificent clear and hot. I had four days skiing with Reuben and Fiona who were joined by their son Antony who we worked out has been skiing with me for over half his life! He is now married with kids! It was good to catch up with him.
We had good skiing at Les Contamines skiing through some stunning foret scenery although I never did really find the perfect spring snow because it was very windy and the snow remained rippled.
We had two days skiing at Les Grands Montets mainly skiing off the top and making long glacier descents
Skiing Knees. Things are not always what they seem
I ski a lot, over a hundred days a season. Most of it is off piste some times in marvellous conditions sometimes not. Of course this is a good job. But it is suddenly not good when your knees start screaming with pain and you have to continue otherwise you can not earn a living.
A brief potted history of off piste ski design evolution :
Skiing off piste has exploded in popularity over the last 20 years . The primary reason for this is because skis were developed for solely skiing off piste. They were much wider and shorter allowing them to" float" on top of the snow and because they were shorter they would turn faster. The generic term for these skis are “fat boys.” They acquired their name because they were wide under the foot and also because big fat and mostly rich people could now ski off piste and the Canadian Heliski industry particularly embraced them. ( the skis that is.)
The big draw back of these skis was that they were so wide that it was difficult to engage the edge. This is essential for skiing on anything other than bottomless powder snow. Off piste skiing involves skiing all types of snow , some of it being rock hard and icy to snow that is commonly referred to as "porridge."
Gradually skis were developed so that they could be used on and off piste and a whole new concept was born. The buzz word being " Free Ride skis ."
These skis were Game Changers because people like me ( Mountain Guides ) had a much bigger potential pool of clients because off-piste was now comparatively easy.
It was also easier for me too!
What then gradually happened was that the ski manufactures to a great extent cracked the problem of wider skis inability to be skied well on the piste. The manufactures made the skis torsionally more rigid. This meant the edge could bite into the hard snow and the grip was better.
What started to happen was that skis gradually got wider and wider again. The thinking being that you could truly have a big fat ski that you could carve on the piste apparently the best of both worlds .
Fast forward to earlier this season. I was due for a new pair of skis and as I get older I am always looking for ways to make it as easy on my body.
It is perhaps easy to see that it made sense for me to buy a fatter pair of super modern skis . This is exactly what I did. A stunningly well made pair of skis which the manufacturer promised were good in all sorts of snow but also I quote "allowed me to carve my way home on the hardest of pistes"
They were not wrong ! These skis charged through the powder the breakable crud and certainly did allow me to carve on the piste. I skied hard on them all week then one day I started to get pain on the inside of my left knee. Now this is something you get use to as a Guide . You learn to live with it, when you get home you ice your knees and stretch and by the next morning it's mostly okay. Yet this pain was different because within half an hour my right knee was hurting in exactly the same place as my left. Still I just thought “oh well these pains come and go.” But this pain did not go, it got worse and by the end of the day I was in considerable discomfort . Self diagnosis told me that it was cartridge problems. My Hypochondriasis made me conclude that it was the beginning of the end - my knees were starting to fail me.
That evening I went to see my physiotherapist ( about a completely unrelated problem : tennis elbow) but when he saw me hobbling through the door he asked me what I'd done. Meaning have you had a ski crash or something.
I told him I hadn't done anything that I hadn't been doing for 20 years.
Any way he sat me down examined my knees and then asked " have you bought a pair of new fat skis?"
"Er yes I said , thinking me must have a side line as mind reader " I thought they made skiing easier?" I said.
He raised his eyebrows and said " well that's your problem! Your new skis are too fat."
The Physiotherapist [who not only looks after me but also looks after the French Ski Team] then explained that it was a relatively common problem because when you put the skis on their edge( which turns them ,) because they are so wide your knee joints twist too much and you put undue stress on the cartilage.
This was both good and bad news . It was potentially bad because I had bought a pair of skis which I couldn't use , while it was good in the sense that there might be quick solution to my sore knees.
The next day I fished my old skis out of the skip and went skiing again and there was no pain.
I have discussed this with various skiers and it seems that I am the only person who didn't know about Fat Skis causing knee pain. Many confirmed what my physio hold told me.
A modern off piste ski might be something over 8 cm wide under the binding
It seems that once a ski is wider than 10 cm under the binding then this kicks off the potential for sore knees. 10cm is okay , but my new skis were 12cm . This 2cm appears to be the tipping point. Some of the really really outlandish are skis are 15 cm underfoot.
Needless to say I have been convinced. I have another pair of skis.
Clearly this is just my personal experience but it does seem to follow the adage that when progress is apparently made in one direction often there are contrary problems in another.
Just finished a week of exceptional skiing with Francis Bridgeman. It is part of the adage. "Give me bad weather and good snow as opposed to good weather and poor snow because [if you have the right mind set] you are going to get memorable skiing.
Last week was very good. As ever the recipe is to be flexible and prepared to travel at a moments notice - go where the snow is good.
We had two days in Italy where the one in La Thuile was "as good as it gets"
On Thursday there was a snow fall which was perfect just enough snow to make it good but not enough so that the Compagnie du Mont Blanc had no excuse to open the lift system. We skied at Le Tour - the best conditions I have had in the last 15 years. 30 cm of fresh snow which had fallen without wind. Plus it was relatively quiet thanks to Grands Montetes sucking up all the people who think that is the only place to ski off piste.
On Friday we found our selves in the middle of an almighty snow storm. We headed to Combloux and while there was good snow finally there was too much snow and it got to heavy and actually getting around became a real issue let alone actually skiing. still I nice problem to have.
So Monday we skied La Flegere - Tuesday Courmayeur - Wednesday- La Thuile Thursday- Le Tour Friday - Combloux.
Last weekend Catherine Lewis put a group of friends together. Our plan was to climb the rather unique L'Aiguille. A beautiful ski tour directly above Lavey Les Bains close to St Maurice.
It is a brilliant ski tour that leaves from the village of Mex. All you do is park the car put the skins on and head off up the hill.
One of my Guide friends brilliantly described the name for this phenomenon. This is when you set off down some remote off piste run with your group only to find you have been followed by some idiots. "Klingons"
Chris Boulton has been putting his group of skiers together for 20 years and we again met for a weekend of off piste skiing. We skied off the back of Le Tour heading way skiers right and found some very good snow. We skied down to just above the Lake near les Jeurs and stopped for a picnic lunch. it was as we stopped that 3 men asked me where to go now.
They had just followed us. They had no avalanche safety gear nor any idea about anything.
When I told them it was our intention to skin back out and up to the lift, they asked what are skins? They took their skis off and immediately sank to their waists.
I took some sadistic pleasure in skinning past them as they struggled exhausted through the snow. Still they were considerably better off than one of the groups who followed me a few years back : One of that group fell head first into a crevasse and had to be fished out by the PGHM.
I over heard a Brit in a cable car saying how he had been coming to St Gervais for 17 years and had never actually skied in Megeve. John Cackett and I on the other hand skied in La Thuile,Courmayeur,Combloux, Geittaz, Pila,La Fegere-Brevent and Megeve attempting to make sure we found the best snow and conditions which we mostly did.
The trucks passing through the Mt Blanc Tunnel might be responsible for making Chamonix one of the most polluted towns in France but it has allowed us to pass from the land of no snow to the land of cold fresh powder. The off -piste skiing in Courmayeur and La Thuile has been wonderful.
The skiing season started on the 9th December when Catherine , Bella and Lucy-Kate rendezvous in Saas Fee for an early season attempt on the 4000m Allinhorn. This ended up being a little too ambitious for the prevailing conditions. These conditions turned out to be little snow . What snow there was was like concrete. There were gaping holes in the glacier and we had what was a "jour- blanc" ie no depth perception. So instead of potentially ending the season before it started we spent the day learning how to build snow anchors, and the basics of safe crampon work. All money in the bank for our next trip in February.
Next Geoff and his daughter Aimme Gosling arrived for four days off piste skiing. The issue was there was not much new snow just beautiful clear weather. So it seemed like a good time to introduce Aimee to the delights of ski touring. We spent a day in Megeve and then Walter the Mountain Dog joined us for a trip to the summit of the peaklet L'Arpile.
Despite only blue skies for 3 weeks the skiing on the descent was very very good.
Infact it was so good that when Katie Locke joined me for some ski touring Walter and I took her back up there. The only difference was that finally the weather had changed and it had finally began to snow.
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