Mont Aiguille - The Oldest Climb in the World

 

South Face Mont Aiguille

This is such a wonderful and significant mountain that it should be on every aspiring and confirmed mountaineers tick list.  Perhaps luckily its not, otherwise it would be mobbed.  Instead even in high season  there were only a couple of parties.

I was joined by the father and son team of Alan and Conal from Dublin.  I had climbed many times with Alan over the last 10 years, but Conal was new to mountaineering.

We met up in Chamonix for some warm up climbing and on our 1st day we climbed the Via Cordia above La Flegere.  This is the perfect preparatory climb to do,  because it mimics the type of climbing found on Mont Aiguille, plus it has a couple of rappels too.

Conal followed by his Dad.

The next day we had an all inclusive family trip because Michel joined us to climb Les Evettes via Ferratta, again above La Flegere.

On our third day we were able to complete the via Ferratta at Le Buet, before driving down to Mont Aiguille in about three hours, arriving at the hotel for a beer on the sunny terrace.

The next morning after a good breakfast selection , we were away by 8hrs.  We took the 4X4 track, [a good 4x4 is highly recommended] which cuts about 30 minutes off the walk.  We started the approach to the climb by walking up through a dense broad leaf forest.  The shade was a welcome bonus.  We made it to the start of the climb in under two hours.  There were a couple of parties ahead of us, fortunately they were with Guides and they kept a good pace and we didnt' get slowed down by them.

We made steady progress weaving our way up the impressive rock architecture. 

Alan&Conal on the belay of 3rd pitch

Conal on one of the many dramatic traverses

'Seaton variation' used to overtake some slower party's

We passed a couple of non-guided groups, then climbed the exit chimney, which is long and in places quite strenuous, then we pulled out onto the breath-taking plateau.  We dumped the climbing gear and then had a leisurely stroll to the summit.

Conal & Alan Irvine on the summit

Now the ascent is relatively simple in terms of rock climbing standards.  However the descent is not.

There were a few other teams picnicing on the summit and I was keen to get ahead of them to avoid queues and the inevitable faffing while setting up the rappels.  So after some summit photos and a quick drink we headed back to the start of the descent [ which takes a completely different line to the ascent]

The plaque commemorating the 1st ascent in 1492.

The descent starts down a steep, loose gulley which has many false trails.  The trick is just to keep going down, which is not always obvious.  Then after about half an hour of down-climbing you arrive at the start of three rappels.  The first is straight forward.  The second is anything but.  It sends you into a deep dark chasm.  Figuring which way to go [at least the first time] is far from easy.  A 60 meter rope is, by a few centimetres just long enough.

Conal starting the committing rappel

There is a third rappel which is short .  Then its all over .  We rejoinned the path of ascent and were thankful to be swallowed up and shaded by the forest, where the path led us back to the car.  We scooped up Michel and then I drove us all back to Chamonix.

Mixed weather meant we had to take it day by day

 

Strange light on the Bossons glacier

Peter Little and I have been climbing together for over 30 years. In that time we have seen every sort of weather. This year was no different. The weather forecast changed every day which made planning a challenge, nevertheless we made the most of it. This is what we did over six days of climbing together.

On our first day we did a climb which did not even exist when Peter and I first started climbing together.

La Via Cordia , high above the middle station of La  Flegere.    It is a ideal first day climb which finishes at the top of the L'Index chairlift.  Plus because the weather was so unpredictable it is a good choice because there are plenty of escape opportunities. Thankfully, the weather held, and we were able to complete the route albeit in rather thick mist.

Final section of La Via Cordia

On our second day we awoke to rain. It was intermittent rain but still rain.  We headed back up this time to try the via ferratta les Evettes.

Final bridge.

On our third day, we again headed up La Flegere and attempt the multi pitch rock climb Athena on the Grand Floria cliff.  All was good and the weather was fine until it was not fine.  The rain came in and we were forced to escape and scuttle off  back to the valley floor.  We identified a gap in the weather, by studying the predictive weather radar.  This allowed us to sneak in the excellent Via Ferratta in Le Buet and stay dry.

The forth day we climbed the Bel Ouseaux which is a strange name for a mountain.  This is high above the Lac du Emossom.  We were accompained not by a guide dog but by a Guide's dog, our Golden Retriever Milo.

Peter & Milo just below the summit

looking towards Aiguille Verde

Post walk ice bath

The fifth day it chucked it down.  We made a futile attempt to out run the rain by visiting some beautiful crags in remote valleys in Switzerland, yet each time we thought we had a chance to start climbing, it started raining again.

Lunch in Switzerland

On our final day all was good.  We drove through the Mt Blanc Tunnel, rode the Skyway cable car and emereged on to the glacier with wonderful views.  Mind you it was cold with a biting wind. 

Thought I'd seen it all: Man drags rolly suitcase across the glacier

Mont Blanc from the summit of Aiguille Marbree

 Everywhere was plastered in a coating of fresh snow which made the scene even more beautiful.  It was also surprisingly quiet as we headed over to climb the Aiguille Marbree.  This would be our second ascent of the mountain.  Peter reliably informing me that our first ascent together was on 1st July 1997!

Never regret getting up early -especially when it comes to alpine climbing.

 Harvey took a job in London that actually ended up being in Paris.  Once he got over the intial shock it turned out to be a good thing.  What's more it's only three hours from Paris to Annecy on the TGV.  Then an hour to Chamonix.

This meant he could easily get his first taste of what alpine climbing is all about over a long weekend.

Our first day was spent on the Mer de Glace, which—despite its steady retreat—remains one of the finest places to learn essential mountaineering skills like using an ice axe and crampons for the first time. These fundamentals are not optional; without solid instruction from the outset, your mountaineering career could be cut short—or worse, built on shaky ground. Good crampon technique isn’t just useful—it’s mission critical.

On our second day we made the traverse of the Aiguille Crochue in the Aiguille Rouge.  This is a wonderful rocky ridge  traverse in a spectacular situation.  

Harvey on Aiguille du Crochue with Mt Blanc in the background

The weather was beautiful, but it was extremely hot and the walk back, after the climb was brutal.  I think I might have even got mild heat stroke.

On our third day we had an early start and we left the Chamonix valley at 5.30hrs so that we could meet our reservation on the Skyway cable car through the tunnel in Courmayeur.  

Although such an early start was not really needed, it was because the only reservation I could get was at that time.  Mind you once you finally step out onto the pristine glacier in the early morning light, you never ever regret getting up early.  We climbed the Aiguille Marbree and then continued along its south ridge. 

Harvey on the summit of the Aiguille Marbree.

 At the end we were meant to rappel from the ridge and down a gulley onto tthe glacier, yet there were parties of incompetents infront of us being slow and dangerous.  The prospect of them kickicking rocks on our heads, made me decide to reverse the ridge and climb down the way we had ascended. This worked well.

Back drop of Dent du Gent

It was then back across the glacier to the lift station.  The early start meant we were back just after mid day, which was a good thing because it was already getting uncomfortably hot.

Training the next generation

 I spent the last six days working on the highly rewarding Jonathan Conville Mountaineering Trust courses.  The details of the courses can be found here .https://www.jcmt.org.uk

The family of Jonathan Conville established the Trust after he died on the Matterhorn in the winter of 1979, aged 27.  

The core aim of the trust is to give young people between the ages of 18 to 30 years the foundation skills to start climbing in the alps independantly of professional Mountain Guides.

The courses are 3 days long. They are all based at Les Choselet campsite in Argentiere.  [This was the favourite place of Jonathan Conville.]

Me and my fellow Guides were Neil Johnson, Caroline Ogden,Casper McKeever, and Dave Ruskin.  We started by checking all  the participants gear and then we showed them what we carried in our rucksacks and what they might consider carrying in theirs .  Or rather what they might think of not carrying.

After which we went to Chamonix and rode the cable car to the top of Le Brevent where there is still a lot of snow, for some basic training plus lots of good rock ridges to introduce the concept of short roping.

The second day we climbed the south ridge of Les Glieres high above La Flegere, where we saw no one else.

South ridge of Les Glieres

On the final day we drove through the Mt Blanc tunnel and traversed the Aiguille du Toule by its mini north face which was in perfect condition.

North Face of Aiguille du Toule

moving towards the summit of Aiguille du Toule with the mighty Verte in the background.

The Last Corbett Party

 

This was a truely unique and wonderful experience: Along wife my wife Jane and seventy odd other guests  we were invited to climb John Young's last Corbett with him.  He had already climbed all the Munros with his late wife Elizabeth.

The background to the Corbetts is  described by John below:

"The Corbetts are second rank of Scottish mountains in height after the better known Monroes they are the 222 summits with the height of 2500 feet [762 m] or more but lower than 300 [914 m]

Unlike the 282 Munros, who is categorisation as separate mountains over 3000 feet is in entirely       judgemental the Corbetts are precisely defined as having a drop of at least 500 feet between the summit and any higher land.

This difference in approach derives from the different origins of the two list of mountains the Munros are named after a Scottish landowner who researched and produced his tables in the latter part of the 19th century with publish materials  limited by the  rudimentary ordnance survey mapping of the time he surveyed many of the summits personally during long and unsupported expeditions on foot through the highlands his list was first published in the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) in 1891.

It revolutionised contemporary understanding of the extent of Scotland's mountain country with many commentators having previously believed that they were as fewer than 30 mountains topping the 3000 feet. Approximately 8000 people have now climed all the Munro's.

 The Corbetts are named after John Roark Corbett who was born in 1876 in Handforth Cheshire after attending both the Manchester Grammar School and then St John's College Cambridge, he first worked in Manchester as a surveyor in a private practice before becoming a district valuer in the Inland Revenue valuation department initially in Manchester and subsequently in Bristol.

Although based in England he became a keen member of the SMC in the years between the two world wars.

Corbett was the first person to climb all the Munros concluding his round in 1930 and worked privately  in subsequent years to compile the first list of the peaks that were later named after him. He never published his list during his own life time but sister passed it to the SMC following his death in 1949. The list first appeared in the 1953 edition of Munros tables and has subsequently been maintained and when necessary updated by the SMC.  205 Corbits are on the mainland of the Scottish highlands seven are in the lowlands not far north of the English border, the remaining 10 on the Isles of Arran, Harris, Jura, Mull, Rum and Skye."

Now the remarakble thing is that; more people have climbed Everest than have completed all the Corbetts. It is also likely that the people who have completed the Corbetts have a better understanding about what it is to spend time in wild places than the vast majority of Everest summitters...

The Last Corbett walk.

John had asked us all to be at the car park for a 10.30am start.  We arrived early to be delighted to see my great friend and memtor Mountain Guide Alan Kimber was already there having camped the night. Gradually more cars arrived and at the perscribed time everyone set of along the track which traverseres the Loch with the aim of climbing Auchnafree Hill.  It is one of the southernmost Corbetts lying in extensive moorlands on the east side of Loch Turret.  At 2588ft (789m} it is the 176th highest of the 222 Corbetts.

The expedition had been a long time in the planning, but no amount of planning could guaranteed perfect stellar weather.  It was difficult to imagine what better weather could have looked like and the hills and views were breath taking.

At the head of Loch Turret everyone re grouped before making the ascent up the track towards the top..  Everyone stopped at a cairn about a 100 meters before summit so that John could actually reach the summit first.  Thus completeing all the 222 Corbetts.

John& Madeleine taking the final few steps.

John on the top.

John then pulled a bottle of Glen Turrets finest malt from his rucksack, which along with a bottle of Bollinger  he passed around.

Me & Alan Kimber the UK longest serving Mountain Guide.

After about half an hour we all started back down the track, intermingling and chatting to lots of differnt interesting people.  Back at the car park Jane and I made a detour to pick up a bottle of the Glen Turret that John had introducced us to, before heading to the Crieff Hydro for the evenings celebrations.

The evening commencenced with a 7 O'clock with a champagne reception followed by wonderful meal where I made a short speech and my wife and I presented John with a hand made engraved Ice Axe produced by the mythical blacksmith "Bhend of Grindlewald" Switzerland.

The dinner was concluded by a wonderful piper bringing a truely great experince to a finale.

Crazy when a Helicopter is cheaper than the train.

 

Doggles our Pilot.

The Jungfrau railway is the gateway to the mountains of the Oberland.  It is also, for its distance, the most expensive railway journey in the world.  From Grindlewald to the incorrectly named "Top of Europe" Station is currently a nice round €200 - one way.  [ I do concede there are deals which can make it less expensive.]

I had often thought there might be another way of getting to the mountains other than the train.  What I discovered is that if there is a party of 4 of you, then it is arguably cheaper and a lot faster to simply hire a helicopter.  

This is what we did:  Michael Ian and Paul and I left Chamonix at 8.00am. and drove to a field next to an insignificant industrial estate near the town of Gampel in the Valais. At first it wasn't exactly obvious where the field was.  At 9.45hrs the helicopter arrived.

some random field...

At 10.00hrs we took off.

11minutes later  we landed just below the summit Abni Flue.

Landing point.

Needless to say all this was very exciting and there was a fair amount of sensory overload, plus it was also very windy and bitterly cold.

Due to the wind we decided not to force ourway to the summit, but instead skied down the vast glacier, threading our way through the huge crevasse's all the way to the Konkordiaplatz.

We stopped to eat our sandwiches, which didn't take long because the wind had increased.  We skinned up to the bottom of the stair- case below the Konkordia Hutte and slowly [due to the wind] made our way the the Hutte.  

The stairs to Konkordia Hutte.

Chilling by the pool.

The Hutte was full to bursting, yet the staff were well organised and both dinner and breakfast were well organised.  Still the next morning we were pleased to find our selves all alone on the vast Aletschglacier as we made our way to Feischeralp.  

We left the glacier by a nice skin ascent to the tunnel, which entranced into the spectacular Feisch valley . We then skied over to Feischeralp and rode the gondola straight onto the station platform where we took the train back to the Gampel station.  Where waiting for us was an Air Glacier pick-up truck which took us back to the car.

Part Two of the Adventure

We then drove around to Les Diablerts where we had some unfinished business from last year, when we had been foiled in our attempt to climb the Aiguille Diablerets due to some violent winds.

With no plan of where we might stay the night - we really lucked out by turning up at an amazing hotel which was just brilliant .  The Hotel du Pillon.https://www.hoteldupillon.ch/en

I arrived down stairs for a pre dinner drink to find Paul making the drinks behind the bar.  The bar was run on a trust basis!  Dinner was excellent where we were all advised to have the Hotel's signature dish - a very elaborate cheese macaroni, washed down with some local vintage red wine.

Hotel du Pillon

View from bedroom window.

After a very comprehensive breakfast [where we were given a demonstration of various boiled egg crackers] we drove up to the Glacier 3000 lift station and headed up through the lift system and then on to the summit of Les Diablerets.

Yet as we got to the top we were enveloped in thick mist.  We hung around for a bout 10 minutes and the missed cleared and we were treated to impressive views.

Summit of Les Diablerts

On our fourth and final day we skied in Chamonix.  It was almost 10 years since Michael and Ian had completed the Haute Route with me. 32 years since Michael and I had climbed Mt Blanc together!  During the Haute Route when we had skied over and onto the Argentiere glacier we had done so in thick mist.  [Plus there had also been the Grands Montets cable car.]. This time we had a cloudless day.

So we skinned up from the top of the Herse lift and then skied down onto the Argentiere glacier before making our way down the piste to lunch at the Cremerie d'Argentiere  my favourite restaurant in the Chamonix valley.

Michael & Ian

Glacier des Rognans