Cosmiques Arete...

Following our ascent of the Petite Aiguille Verte Dave, Jaimella and I were keen to continue in our search for traditional alpine routes.

Today, with an early 'bin' we opted for the Cosmiques Arete.  This is another justly popular and classic route with difficulties on both snow and rock both in ascent and descent.

First up was the descent of the snow arete from the Aiguille du Midi which is particularly narrow at the moment, and demanded a steady approach. Arriving near the Abri Simond hut we removed our crampons enjoying the climbing on good quality granite, higher up we climbed in crampons again as we were forced on to the north flank.

This was an ideal opportunity for us to practice but it's equally possible without, the route being in good 'dry' condition at the moment for the most part.

Jaimella and Dave are pictured low down on the route, the cosmiques hut and the flanks of Mont Blanc visible behind.

Petite Aiguille Verte, North Face...

Keen to swing some tools today Dave, Jaimella and I headed up to the Petite Aiguille Verte (3512m) on an early 'bin'.

We climbed the 'North Face' making good progress up the neve covered slopes, until not far from the top.  Here there was a thin covering of snow requiring some determined front pointing and blows from the axes.

A short rocky pitch took us up to the summit for a brief break before the hoards arrived.  Finally a series of abseils took us back down the line, where we were able to dig down to build abolokov threads.  Dave is pictured on one of these abseils revelling in the "North Face" experience...

Diretta al banano...

I have joined Dave and Jaimella for a week of varied climbing based from Chamonix.  The intention is to climb different types of routes and develop some alpine skills along the way.

With an unsettled day on Saturday and at the start of today we decided to head to the Valle d'Aosta and Arnad/Machaby in particular.  Here we opted to climb the classic line 'Diretta al banana' at F5c+.  With some sustained and intricate pitches this route is justly popular.

Sadly for us we didn't manage to do the whole line as the temperature reached 38 degrees on my watch thermometer.  Keen to seek out some shade, we made a quick abseil descent back into the trees making up the pitch tally with an ascent of 'Topo Pazzo' F5b.

Traverse of the Aiguille d'Entrèves...

To finish our week of guiding, Peter and I decided to traverse the Aiguille d'Entèves (3600m) near the Tour Ronde.

Peter has been suffering from a chest infection so we have largely avoided the higher altitude routes, however today we decided to opt for an interesting line with a short approach and descent from the Torino Refuge.

The traverse, first opened in 1913 remains popular today with a narrow and exposed section with views down the Vallee Blanche and down to Courmayeur...!  Peter is pictured on the narrow section which involves a short down climb - classic alpinism.

Following this excellent traverse we headed down to La Palud to sample some fine Italian coffee and make some plans for next year...

Mani Puliti, Les Aiguilles Rouges...

Keen for a shortish day today, Peter and I opted for some high quality rock climbing in Les Aiguille Rouges.

A short distance from the top of the Index chair lift lies the Contrefort de l'Aiguille de la Glière (2852m) which is home to two high quality lines, 'Mani Puliti' and 'Modern Time'.  Both give great climbing in the F4-5b+ bracket on sound Gneiss.

We decided to climb 'Mani Puliti' before switching to climb the final pitch on 'Modern Time' in an attempt to keep the difficulties more homogenous.  Peter is pictured on the middle section, the Aiguille Verte, Les Drus and the Grandes Jorasses behind...

Petite Aiguille Verte...

Peter despite having climbed in the alps for quite a few years, hadn't ticked the Petite Aiguille Verte (3512m).  That was of course until today...

The normal route on the Petite Aiguille Verte is often dismissed as a pure training itinary, but the reality is an interesting short ridge with varied obstacles.  A sometimes tricky bergshrund was closed today but the bare glacier ice above required care.

Further up interesting rock steps and mixed climbing eventually led to the summit.  Here we enjoyed a brief snack with two other brits (one of whom was by chance from Sheffield) before reversing the line of ascent.

It wasn't too busy today, allowing for a steady and social ascent.

Aiguilles Crouchues traverse...

I have joined Peter here in Chamonix for a few days climbing and this year he has picked a good weather week!

Following an ascent of the North Face of the Tour Ronde yesterday, it was nice to be on the rock today, and the traversée of the Aiguille Crochues (2840m) in particular.  We made steady but good progress sharing the route with some inquisitive young Ibex.

Peter is pictured with the summit of the Aiguilles Crochues behind on the later section of the ridge...

Mönch and Jungfrau...

I have been over in Grindelwald for the last couple of days with Chris Wood.

Sadly, Iain wasn't able to join us as planned and had to return to the UK.  As such it was just Chris and I who travelled to Grindelwald with the aim of climbing the Jungfrau 4158m and The Mönch 4107m.

Using the famous Jungfraujoch railway we were able to climb the Mönch off the first train, Chris being well acclimatised following ascents of The Breithorn, Castor and the numerous summits of the Monte Rosa group.  Descending relatively quickly before the snow softened, we enjoyed a relaxed afternoon at the Mönchjochhütte.

The following morning we had hoped to climb the Jungfrau, but a bitterly cold northerly wind throughout the night and early morning, resulted in a few weather checks before abandoning our attempt.  We retreated early in the morning down to the Jungfraujoch station with the other guided parties in the hut.

The Jungfrau remains for next year, and we managed to use the time on the train to talk through some plans for Scotland during the winter...

MMC Trad in North Wales...

Over in North Wales Luke and Catrin have been running a success weekend of skills coaching for the Marylebone Mountaineering Club (MMC).

On Saturday they visited the Upper Tier of Tremadog before going to Tryfan Bach (pictured on a previous visit).

Over the duration of two days they developed a variety of skills useful for trad climbing whether single or multi pitch with Sally, Julia, Irene and James.

It's always great to work with the MMC and climbing clubs in general and I am looking forward to running a Problem Solving and Self Rescue weekend in the autumn.

Valle dell'Orco...

With a unsettled forecast in Chamonix, I popped through the tunnel to visit the Valle dell'Orco.

Now I had heard a lot about the place from Rich Cross, Kris Hill and many others and was keen to see what all the fuss was about.  It certainly didn't disappoint but following my brief visit I have the following tips:

#1 The grades are variable, use the table in the front of the guidebook

#2 Tape up - Augen Gneiss is rough stuff

#3 Take as many cams as you can, a double set up to BD No.6 for the classic 'Fessura della Disperazione'.

#4 60m ropes are useful for abseiling off a lot of the routes.

Thanks to Kris Hill for the photo above - taken on a previous visit and demonstrating the correct equipment for the job...

Mont Maudit...

While descending from the Roi de Siam, we heard the first reports of the tragedy on Mont Maudit yesterday.

Initial information was sparse, but it is now clear that nine mountaineers of various nationalities died in an avalanche on Mont Maudit.

My thoughts go out to the friends and family of all those involved.  There has already been a considerable amount of coverage in the UK's national press, as well as a moving tribute to Roger Payne.

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/mont-maudit-avalanche
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/roger-payne-killed-on-mont-maudit-ed-douglas-looks-back-on-his-life
http://www.bmg.org.uk/index.php/eng/News/Roger-Payne-killed-on-Mont-Maudit

Le Roi de Siam...

On Wednesday we moved to Chamonix with the sole aim of climbing some granite (well Chris had to visit Au vieux campeur first!).

Heading up to the Torino Hut from Italy, we had an early start crossing the Vallee Blanche to Le Roi de Siam (3693m). This impressive granite pinnacle lies close to the Pointe Adolphe Rey as is well known for the quality of it's rock.  We opted to climb the classic line 'Le Lifting du Roi' D+ which was established in 2001.

The picture shows the start of the second pitch (thanks Chris) with the Tour Ronde behind, the North Face of which had multiple ascents on Thursday.

More images of this route appear on the James Thacker Mountaineering Facebook page...

Pierre du Moëllé...

Tuesday looked a little unsettled in Switzerland so Chris and I decided against heading to the Miroir d'Argentine, an area notorious in the even of rain or unsettled weather.

Instead Chris was keen to check out Pierre du Moëllé near his home.  This small collection of crags has been heavily developed to give some great single and multi pitch routes on great water worn limestone.  With grades from F3-F6a+/6b it would be easy to discount it as a beginners crag.

The reality is a great selection of routes of varying grade, with the opportunity to get some mileage in.  Chris is pictured on 'Salut Leo'...

Pierre Avoi...

The main aim of this week is to climb good quality bolt protected rock around Chris' new home in Ollon, Switzerland.

Well there is no shortage of rock here, and keen to make the most of it we decided to head to Pierre Avoi (2472m).  This fine tooth of rock is visible from most places in the Rhone Valley high up above Verbier.

Using the Savoleyres Lift, the climbing can easy be accessed with a short walk of around 45 minutes.  We opted to climb the classic line of the crag 'L'arête' at F5c+, which gave six great pitches with a level of exposure a notch or two above it's grade.  Chris is pictured high up on the route, with the ground dropping away steeply into the Rhone Valley below.

Fingers crossed for some more Schweiz Plaisir or "Swiss pleasure" tomorrow...

Italian High Level Route...

This week has all been about the journey!  A couple of years ago I joined the Irish Doc's in the Bernese Oberland with Alan Kimber and Mark Seaton.

The result of the week was an epic traverse of northern Switzerland involving miles of glacier, an ascent of the 'Finsteraarhorn', heavy rain, floods, landslides and a cow attack.  Joining the team again in Zermatt I was looking forward to completing the classic Italian High Level route known affectionately as "The Spaghetti Tour" by many.  With a challenging weather forecast the trip started with a slightly longer stay in the Gandegg Hutte than we anticipated, the Klein Matterhorn lift being shut down by high winds.

Following this false start we made it up to 'The Breithorn' 4164m the next morning enjoying a great view over to the main Valais peaks.  From here we made our way to the friendly Mezzalama Hut, descending into Italy the next day.  Keen to get back on schedule we perked ourself to a 4x4 taxi allowing us to reach Gressoney directly (rather than going all the way round via the Val d'Aosta).  Finally, after taxis, chairlifts, telecabines, and on foot we reached the Gnifetti Hut.

The next morning dawned clear but deteriorating rapidly.  Despite this we managed to make ascents of 'Piramide Vincent' at 4215m (pictured) and the 'Balmenhorn' 4167m before bailing to the valley.  We used the lift system from Cervina to traverse the frontier into Switzerland again this morning - what a journey...!