Looking for Partner: Chamonix June 5 - 14

I will be in France at the beginning of June and looking to do some of the classic lines with a preference on long ice/mixed routes. I have climbed several times in the range and I am familiar with the area and most logistics.

Previous routes that I have done include Frendo Spur (A. Midi in winter conditions), Goulotte Chere (Mt. Blanc Tacul), Goulotte Profit-Perroux (A. Midi), Arete Des Cosmiques (A. Midi), Mt. Blanc du Tacul (regular route).

This time around would like to climb in the Argentiere Glacier area including on Courtes, Droite and Verte, but open to other objectives (I have a long tick list...so whatever you want to do is likely to be on my list).

still looking for partners during the beginning of June

Early June should be a great time for alpine routes, but looks like I won't get back to France until mid-June. (Maybe I can talk Sharon into a week earlier?)

Anyway you're climbing at least one level beyond me. My hardest-difficulty alpine snow/ice route so far was yesterday climbing Aiguille d'Argentiere by Couloir en Y (AD, with about +450m / +1500 ft at 45 degrees with at least one 50d section). We then traversed the summit and skied down the Glacier du Milieu -- except that we were too early, so I put on crampons to get down the still-hard snow in the steep narrow section - (then below the rimaye the skiing was pretty fun, all the way down to the valley floor).

Special treat was near the bottom of Milieu we heard the sound of machinery. And up about 50 meters on the wonderful reddish-brownish granite wearing a bright-red jacket was Michel Piola, drilling a bolt for yet another new rock route. I own several of Piola's guidebooks, and he has created so many rock routes around the northern French Alps. One of his easier routes in the Aiguilles Rouges was one of my first high-mountain leads.

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Belledonne

Last month I was looking east across the valley to the Grand Pic de Belledonne and remembering your suggestion -- and thinking that I still haven't gotten to do the traverse of the ridges. My partner on Aig Argentiere (also on Mont Dolent on Monday) said the traverse of the Grand Pic is very special.

The occasion of that viewing was skiing the Dent de Crolles, which though pretty low by French standards, hangs remarkably over the Crolles fab. I've looked up at the South face of that "molar tooth" many times driving by on the interstate A41, so it was great to be able to ski down the Pas de l'Oeille in perfect corn-snow conditions.

In case you get the urge to do some fast+light easy alpine rock routes, he mentioned two more in the Belledonne. And I've got at least one I'd gladly repeat in the Aiguilles Rouges -- and another in A.R. highly recommended which I'd sort of like to do first with a partner before soloing it.

Ken

Ken,

It would be great if we could connect and do some climbing. grades are not so important to me as opposed to getting up some classic lines and exploring the Argientere sector a bit more.

I will be based out of Grenoble during my visit so I am also open to climbing in the Belledonne, doing a traverse of the Grand Pic across to Croix de Belledonne and down is something that is also on my long tick list.

Well turns out that it's starting to look like I might get to France a week earlier, so then we could overlap a few days. I'll send you my France contact info.

I'll be based around Chambery. So I'll be closer to you than Chamonix. And closer to Chamonix than you will.

Which raises another idea: Classic alpine routes in the Oisans + Pelvoux areas. Lsst October I did this traverse - (10 hours hut to hut, then we hiked down to the car instead of staying out a second night - never did so much with crampons on rock). I'm not ready to do that one again so soon (or the same way). But I'm ready to go back near the Barre des Ecrins again. I have English- and French-language guidebooks with other classic routes in those mountains.

Speaking of traverses, have have you considered doing the Arabesque des Aravis ?

Ken

Ken,

replied to your email before seeing your post here. I have not spent too much time on des Ecrins other that a snow slog up the Dome and a long ice route on the North Couloir of Pelvoux, which you can read about it here.

legrandbeau.blogspot.com/20…

I actually have not climbed the Barre, so I would not mind tagging that summit sometime. Regarding other objectives in the vicinity I am also open, including the Aravis traverse, which is a range that I did not get to visit during my tenure in France.

Closer to Chambery/Grenbole, I would like to do some of the classic rock lines on Dent du Crolles and next door on Roche Noire. Runout, polished limestone lines up to ten pitches!

Rui Ferreira wrote:... long ice route on the North Couloir of Pelvoux, which you can read about

So you've paid your dues in the Ecrins.
There are reasons why we revere the wildness of the Ecrins but spend more of our days around Chamonix.

Rui Ferreira wrote:I would like to do some of the classic rock lines on Dent du Crolles and next door on Roche Noire.

I notice that
la Ferriere
in the Belledonne mountains has a Roche Noire peak with a scrambling/hiking route.

And there's a well-regarded wall for multi-pitch climbing routes in the Chartreuse called the Rocher du Midi. Article in Grimper magazine in the last year -- some routes for special mention were:

• "la Grotte", by (American) Gary Hemming ("le beatnik des cimes"),
• "le Lion et la Coupé" / "La voie de la face est" (by Serge Coupé, who wrote the first major guidebook ),
• "Bille de Clown" (with several pitches at 7a),
• "De Charybde en Scylla" (with lots of 7a + 6c),
• "Jardiland" (more around 6b).

Still looking for other Chamonix partners for the first two weeks of June.

I just shot you an email about maybe meeting up.