Col du Tour Noir

As as our last day in Chamonix dawned so too did more glorious sunshine. Sadly we were not all feeling so energetic, after a weeks skiing a few aches and pains were setting in so Jaime and Si decided to hit Les Gaillands for some sport climbing. Meanwhile Ant, Ollie and myself made an early start and joined the weekend queues at the Grand Montets telepherique, planning a day tour from the Argentiere basin.

Ollie and Ant preparing to skin up the Glacier des Amethystes to the Col du Tour Noir

Our original intention had been to cross the Col du Passon and ski down the Glacier du Tour but scrutiny from the Grand Montets summit showed a plethora of wet snow avalanches from the gullies above this route. Therefore we opted for climbing to the Col du Tour Noir instead.
First of all we had to get down to the Glacier d'Argentiere. On the whole, this descent was a gentle traverse line down and across the Glacier de Rognons but it passed through some staggering and dangerous terrain whilst following a narrow, technical track between crevasses and seracs - really quite fun! :)

Glacier des Rognons descent. Ant and myself next to the big seracs on the right!

Ant and I starting the climb up the Glacier des Amethystes. Grand Montets ridge to the Aig. Verte provides a majestic backdrop. Photos by O Mentz.

After negotiating our way down through the crevasses the skin up the Glacier des Amethystes was a walk in the park although Ant on his big heavy resort ski's did start to feel the 'altitude' a little! Skiing back down from the col after our climb gave us more practice/pain on breakable crust snow although we started to get the hang of it by employing tiring jump turns. Ollie, having only skied for a week or two, struggled more with the snow but deserves congratulations for surviving at all! I did however manage to capture this shot of him looking very composed:

Ollie descending the Glacier des Amethystes with Y Couloir on the Aig. d'Argentiere behind

After completing most of the descent difficulties we stopped for a leisurely lunch break, although we did have to fight off a band of fearless Alpine Choughs who obviously thought our baguettes and sauscisson were fair payment for letting us ski through their glorious habitat.

Ollie and Ant at our lunch stop

Take off in front of the Aig. Verte

"Choughin' 'eck lad, eee's afta ar sarnies"

After lunch all that was left was another glorious run out along the Glacier d'Argentiere, watching the north face of the Droites, the Aig. Verte and the Aig. du Chardonnet all breeze past. We quickly dealt with a section of crevasses and then an exposed traverse above the Refuge de Lognan brought us suddenly back on the pistes above the Lognan telepherique station. A quick carving blast past the holiday makers and then it was skis off for the last time this season. A great day to finish on though!

Myself and Ant slightly in awe on the Glacier d'Argentiere dwarfed by 4000m peaks and enveloped in swirling ephemeral clouds. Photo O Mentz.

This was the last day of my ski touring trip to Chamonix and despite the initial poor weather it was a great week of contrast between joyful powder skiing fun and jaw dropping high mountain itineraries. Ski touring lets you travel quickly through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world and with some great fun descents as well it's got to be one of the best ways to enjoy the hills.

Valle Blanche Ski Traverse and Descent

Jaime overlooking the Mer de Glace. The Dru and Aig. Verte overlooking Jaime!

On Friday morning thanks to the wonders of pharmaceuticals I was raring to go and we all headed up the Aiguille du Midi telepherique to ski the world famous Valle Blanche. There are quite a few pics and a video in this post, I make no apologies for any loading times though, it was such an awesome day it has to be shared :)

To get our touring fix after a few days of lazy lift skiing we also decided to skin across the Geant Glacier to Helbronner on the Italian side of the range before skiing down under the Dent du Geant and following the right bank of the Valle Blanche descent to the Mer de Glace.

Ollie and Ant leaving the ice tunnel from the Aiguille du Midi

First of all we stumbled and slid our way out of the ice tunnel and down the infamous East ridge of the Midi. Whilst gazing over at the towering Mont Blanc du Tacul we popped on our ski's and then descended some steep cruddy snow before cruising over to the Col du Midi.

Looking over to Helbronner past Mont Blanc du Tacul. (Skier bottom right for scale)

Ant coming to a stop near the Col du Midi (Aig. du Midi in background)

From here we had to descend gentle slopes past Pointe Lachenal and the Gervasutti Couloir however we were soon faced with ski mountaineers nemesis: 'breakable crust' - imagine trying to ski on a giant Creme Brulee and you get some idea. The tough snow conditions delayed us a little but eventually we made it down and were putting on our climbing skins under the Aiguille du Diable and Pyramid du Tacul. With skins on we started the climb up to Helbronner past the Aiguille de Toule and Le Grand Flambeau.

Ollie and Jaime skinning past seracs, Les Capucins in the background

Fresh tracks descending from Helbronner

After a quick stop at Helbronner we started our descent and found perfect powder :)

Myself descending from Helbronner. Video L Friel.

Next we had to negotiate a steep pitch of powder and crust and I had to dodge a crevasse at the last minute (thanks guys...). This brought us above the Geant Seracs which we skied past and down onto the Mer de Glace for lunch in a magnificent spot on the moraine.

Myself skiing down past the Geant Seracs

Jaime celebrating at lunch on the Mer de Glace

Skiing down the Mer de Glace was remarkable; effortlessly gliding down miles of pristine glacier whilst rock and ice rose upwards for thousands of metres on either side of us was an unforgettable experience.

Myself, Ant, Lawrence, Jaime and Si on the Mer de Glace. Photo O Mentz.

Sadly it all had to end somewhere and at this time of the season it's impossible to ski all the way back to Chamonix so we rejoined the tourist hordes at Montenvers and caught the historic train down to the valley for tea and medals.

Chamonix Powder

Me making fresh tracks at La Flegere. Photo O Mentz.

I arrived in Chamonix with a group of old uni friends last Saturday evening. Craning our necks skywards to take in the magnificent view of the Chamonix Aiguilles reminded us just how big the mountains are out here. Those of Scotland seem like foothills in comparison. Sadly the view did not last long and there's been dark clouds, high winds and big dumps of snow across the whole Alps this week. The plan was to do some ski touring, possibly the Haute Route between Chamonix and Zermatt or otherwise a series of day tours around the Mont Blanc massif.
Weather conditions have been very poor though and the masses of new snow on the hard icy base has led to a high avalanche risk throughout the area. Consequently we have just been going powder skiing but that's no great hardship! As its the end of the season and visibility has been so poor the mountains have been deserted and we've got plenty of 'freshies' :)

Ant, Jaime, Lawrence and Myself at L'Index. Photo O Mentz.

Lawrence in the trees at Grand Montets

Myself enjoying some atmospheric tree skiing at Grand Montets

Today though the sun finally came out and the skiing was 'all time' lol! Sadly I've no photos of this because I stupidly went for a drop on the first run of the day, got some good air and splashed down into soft powder but as I skied away triumphantly I realised I'd pulled something in my back and was now suffering some muscle spasms which spelled the end of my day. Fingers crossed for a miraculous recovery otherwise I might be flying home on a stretcher!

Sun, Cider and Extreme Rock

A climbing trip to West Cornwall is a special occasion. Of course there are the sheltered sandy coves and clear turquoise seas but a little exploration soon yields the famous golden granite cliffs braced against violent Atlantic swells, always though within distance of a cosy pub or decadent cream tea. On top of the unique surroundings however is the feeling that you've strayed off the beaten track (despite the holiday crowds) and maybe even stepped back in time a little. A time where things move that little bit slower. Sort of like the Caribbean with but cider instead of rum and the Wurzels rather than Bob Marley! Last weekend was no exception:

Me seconding the traverse pitch of Suicide Wall E1 5c at Bosigran

Stuck in traffic near Gurnards Head

An early start Saturday morning and fast roads delivered Pete and I to Carn Barra near Porthgwarra on the south coast. We timed our arrival perfectly and the sun had just about dried off the remains of high tide. A quick abseil got us to the base of the routes and we climbed Axis VS 5a, Dialectic E1 5b (one move wonder) and Fourteen Fathoms E2 5b (tricky but fairly soft for E2).

Me leading Dialectic E1 5b at Carn Barra

The routes here were really good but in the back of my head I was always thinking of something else, that was the classic Bishop's Rib E1 5b at nearby Chair Ladder. I've wanted to test myself against this route for months now, so later in the afternoon as the sun started to wane, we moved over to Chair Ladder and descended to the wave washed ledges underneath one of Cornwall's most famous climbs.

My nerves were kept under control by the need for speed and efficiency in order to complete the route before dark, well, they were until I started the bold delicate traverse of pitch 1 and a hold ripped off in my hand! Eventually I scurried across the poor holds and made it too a rest and good protection. Next came the crux, a couple of hard moves up to a roof and then a strenuous yet balancy pull over it. It was certainly the hardest sequence I've ever led and felt even less secure due to the salty humid air which kept my sweaty hands struggling for grip. A wave of adrenalin and downright fear swept me over the forearm pump and the final few run out moves and suddenly I was at the belay! Relieved and utterly speechless.

Me getting in some much needed gear before the roof on Bishop's Rib E1 5b, Chair Ladder

Walking back through the fishing hamlet of Porthgwarra after climbing at Chair Ladder

Saturday was completed by a few celebratory pints of local 'apple juice' and a live band in the First and Last Inn near Lands End.

The rest of the weekend was spent around Bosigran on the north coast. We climbed Suicide Wall E1 5c which was definitely no easy tick and felt stiff at the grade. There's some classic climbing on it but in serious situations and it felt harder than the grades suggested. I had to resort to resting whilst seconding the hard pitches and battling with Pete's 'well seated' gear. We also did some shorter routes on the west face of Bosigran Ridge ('Commando' Ridge). The highlight of which was Galipolli E1 5c a highly technical but well protected slab route.

After all the hard granite action I'll be giving my fingers a rest and tomorrow I depart for Chamonix to do some ski touring :) Better get my snow legs back again.

Spectacular abseil decent from Bosigran Ridge

Granite Rash - Round 2

This afternoon I met up with Gwilym and we went hunting for the best weather in Devon. To my amazement this turned out to be on Dartmoor! We visited Hound Tor and Bonehill Rocks ticking a few good boulder problems and doing some easy traversing.

Gwilym eyeing up the reachy crux of Sharks Fin V1 5c

Me enjoying the classic Sharks Fin V1 5c after latching the top holds

The day was cut short by the steep Twin Cracks 5b at Bonehill whose sharp granite crystals cleanly sliced through Gwilym's hand! Hopefully the weekend will bring some more sunshine and quality trad routes.

Topping out Sharks Fin at Hound Tor

Cuckoo Rock Bouldering

Today I snatched a sunny afternoons bouldering on Dartmoor. I visited Combeshead Tor / Cuckoo Rock for the first time and found top quality problems in a beautiful and tranquil setting.

Sharp Arete V2 5c. A little intimidating once I got near the top and remembered I had no spotters!

Combeshead Tor is a 20 minute walk from Norsworthy Bridge and although not much by Scottish standards, this approach assures you peace and solitude in which to enjoy the climbing. A good opportunity to be 'at one' with the rock and nature!

Gnarled tree near Cuckoo Rock. Hanging Flake boulder in the far distance.

The walk in takes you through venerable old woods, and farmsteads long abandoned to moss and bracken. One of the first boulders you come across is the Cracked Boulder with a striking horizontal fault. This can be traversed at V2 5c or the middle of the face climbed direct at V2 6a. Both requiring some fine moves and faith in crystals.

Cracked Boulder

A little further on, past Cuckoo Rock is Hanging Flake boulder, home to the classic 'Hanging Flakes' V4 6b but also some easier problems including the superb Flake Crack 4c and great aretes and cracks at around 5b/c.

Flake Crack on the south face of the Hanging Flake boulder

There are many more highlights to the area including 'Sharp Arete' as seen in the first photo and of course the local wildlife below! As usual though with Dartmoor granite, the skin on my fingers wore thin long before the daylight failed and I retreated with raw hands but high spirits.

Dartmoor Pony

A good guide to the bouldering at Cuckoo Rock and other venues in the area can be found at Dave Hendersons website www.javu.co.uk

Rock, Rubber and Rays

Three things I sorely missed when in Scotland! We were gloriously reunited though on a sunny afternoon at Stanage Edge in the Peak District last weekend.
(Click the pictures for larger versions.)

Soloing on Duo Slab. High Neb Area, Stanage

I had the roads to myself and sunrise over Loch Lomond as I left the highlands at dawn on Friday morning. By lunchtime I'd made it to the Peak District but so had some pesky rain clouds so it was into Outside for a spot of retail therapy. Eventually a cold wet route did go: Paradise Arete VS at Stanage Plantation but the best part of the day was catching up with climbing buddies Mike and Nick over a few beers in Sheffield. On Saturday we headed to Millstone but the hailstorms quicky persuaded us to head back into town and some good indoor fun was had at the Foundry.

Stepping onto Overflow E1 in the shadow of the imposing roof route Quietus E2

Finally Sunday arrived. With it came the sunny calm weather we and most of the country had been waiting for! Sheffield was no exception and everyone was out to make the most of it. We went to the High Neb area of Stanage hoping for a bit of peace and quiet. It was a dream day, good weather, good routes and good company. The highlight for me was climbing Overflow E1 which followed the classic Inaccessible Crack route before making an exposed traverse on small holds and finishing up an arete - finishing rather boldly actually since I'd neglected to take the right gear!

If only the rest of the summer could be as good... fingers crossed.

Starting the traverse

A look of relief after reaching the arete