Finally catching up with a host of photos from 9th and 10th September. After being reduced by poor weather on Monte Rosa, we moved over to Chamonix at the start of a good spell of weather. The previous week had given us good acclimatisation, which is always a bonus when catching a cable car straight to 3,800m and spending a night in the Cosmiques Hut. A leisurely afternoon start on the Cosmiques Arete after dropping our kit at the hut was supposed to avoid any crowds! Unfortunately we were in a bit of a ‘confusion’ of ropes, especially at the wall pitch close to the finish.
Various techniques were on display from prussiking up a fixed rope to cleanly by-passing the whole ‘guddle’ on the left or right. Interestingly the teams who showed a clean pair of heels were all British and fast. Leaving crampons on for this section (see photos), can provide added purchase on the smooth granite, as a number of conveniently slotted drill holes are placed just perfect for front points. Strange that! A night back at the hut plus an 0500 start placed us on the summit of Mt Blanc du Tacul all by ourselves on a very fine morning, with views all around. At the time of our ascent the approach face and seracs were all silent and well frozen. This area is notorious for serac fall and avalanche, so be warned in poor weather. Seracs are a law unto themselves and it’s wise to be swift when climbing below them in case gravity takes over!
At the time of our visit the conditions were very good and quite a number of teams were out on the Chere Couloir and adjacent routes. Since arriving home in Scotland another dump of snow has arrived in Chamonix, so my alpine blog is now out of date and climbers are asked to find more recent reports. One noticeable concern that will remain, was the amount of loose rock and glacial melt-back on the lower rock apron of the Aiguille du Midi, south face. So much so, that a fence has been erected below obvious loose ares to encourage climbers to stay clear!
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A helicopter silhouetted against the Dru skyline. Possibly a rescue caused by rockfall as this massive granite tusk is in the process of self-destruction
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Easy uplift to the Aiguille du Midi
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The start of the ice arete on the Frendo Spur. A good spot to bivouac if you are planning on a two-day ascent
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The final rognan and ice slopes of the Frendo Spur
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A view down the final slopes of the Frendo Spur from the cable car. The route was being climbed. Be careful on the lower, rocky entrance pitches, which are very exposed to rock and ice fall
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Looking towards the profile of the Walker Spur on the Grande Jorasses, over the ice arete which has to be descended from the Aiguille du Midi to gain access to the Cosmiques Hut.
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The gearing up point for climbers and photo opportunities for tourists
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Descending the ice arete requires full concentration on footwork as it is very exposed on both sides with very few passing places
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A view across the south face of the Aiguille du Midi. The routes can be accessed from above by abseil, thus avoiding the need for crampons, boots and axe. The margins of this area are very loose so a helmet and caution are advised
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A marker fence has been put in place to outline the area of rockfall danger
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The Cosmiques Hut. The Cosmiques Arete moves up right from the hut on the skyline and is a fine route, if rather crowded at times
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Significant glacial melt-back from the foot of the midi south face is leading to dangerous loose areas of rock. The grey rock has recently been exposed
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Mt Blanc du Tacul from the foot of the Cosmiques Arete
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The initial pitches of the Cosmiques Arete. On this occasion no crampons required. The grade is around ‘Diff’
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Grande Jorasses
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Always mixed and interesting. Check out my blog for August 6th 2010 for more photos and comparisons of conditions
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Climbing cleanly at the wall pitch
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In the queue a time for more photos of the Grande Jorasses
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Fixed rop and prussik at the wall pitch
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Rather crowded at the wall pitch! Patience required.
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Back at the hut. In very crowded huts such as this one it’s wise to tie all of your gear together, rather than leave it lying loose. If nothing else this reminds other hut users that this gear belongs to a larger group and should be left alone
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Kit scattered all over the place can easily go missing
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A gentle climb through the seracs on Mt Blanc du Tacul on a fine still morning
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The view back towards the Aiguille du Midi
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No place to linger.
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Hi Joe. Great North Run next week. Great training
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Looking towards Mont Maudit and Mont Blanc from Mont blanc du Tacul. The classic ‘traverse’ to the summit of Mont Blanc takes around six hours and is always above 4000m and a problem to retreat from in poor weather
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The final few metres to the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul
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The final few metres to the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul, well done Mike and Joe
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Very happy and time to relax on the summit of Mont blanc du Tacul for some food and drink and enjoy the view
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Summit view towards Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn
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Monte Rosa massif where only two days ago we struggled in a white-out
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Aiguille Blanche. Maybe one day?
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Back up the ice arete on the Aiguille du Midi after two very good days of climbing
