Chamonix beta and hazards

A buddy of mine is getting married in Chamonix this summer (last week of June/first week of July). I’m very excited about the climbing there— always been a dream destination.

However, my climbing partner has had friends discourage him from climbing there entirely during the height of summer due to increased objective hazards from climate change. He’s suggesting we go sport climbing instead. My questions are:

- What’s your experience or assessment of objective hazards (rockfall, excessive instability on glaciers, etc.) in Chamonix over the few past years?

- How do objective hazards compare to North American areas I’ve climbed in (High Sierra, Bugaboos, Cascade volcanoes)?

- Is it possible to mitigate overhead hazards by sticking to rock routes without snow and ice on them, or is there a lot of unpredictable rockfall all over during the summertime?

- How limited are alpine routes during end of June/beginning of July in recent years (heatwaves excepted)?

Thanks for your insight. For reference I'm most interested in granite climbing around the Mt Blanc massif up to 5.11 and mid grade alpine routes (Frendo spur is the dream route), but obviously willing to be flexible based on conditions.  

Hey Doug ,thats great ,yea in the the peak of summer its busy with other climbers and aswell with alpine climbs can be common with rock fall especially in July August. Honestly in June its fine if u want to climb serious mixed alpine routes with rock and ice definitely be very carful best was start very early in the morning its the best rock is cool and the ice is solid .

But if its just casual Trad climbs for the day same thing just do your homework looking at the weather a day before and research online or even ask local climbers the route u want to climb and ask what u need to ask how often there is rock fall ect , but its brilliant june and July but July avoid ice climb not safe ! 

Other than that its like anything check on the peak and route u want to climb find plenty info on them and will say what to expect and how safe they are great web is Comp to Comp .com 

My friend, there is so much to do their, there will always be somthing in shape. It actualy been late July to August that heat has affected some popular climbs like the Cosmique Arete. You defintly should go and plan to climb, and you should always check conditions before commiting to a route, as you would do anywhere.

And please make sure you visit Aig. Rouges opposite the Mount Blanc Massif. Tons of great alpine rock on established routes, good approaches, fewer crowds and little to know objective hazards.

Feel free to send me a PM if you have questions or need beta.

Agree there are years' worth of climbs accessible without touching the more tricky glacial bergschrund approaches with objective hazard, though plan for an early start to beat the crowds. 

Aiguille Rouges off the Brevent and Felgre lifts as mentioned are alpine lite with no glacial component. Papillons and a handful of routes of the Envers refuge are quite easy to access and scenic. Last year, we hoped to check out the Triolet area on the Courmayer side but were rained out.

For glacier approaches, there are options to avoid the garbage chutes, including the right/ closer side of the Midi (though local guides will simply rappel through you from the top) and Lachenal. 

The conditions are usually good in june and up to early July, but of course it depends on the heat and how much snow is left.

Check the routes on camptocamp and especially the reports, you can see the trend year by year when the route is usually climbed, for example the Frendo spur was ok up to mid july the last 2 years if you look at the reports at the bottom of the page : https://www.camptocamp.org/routes/54021/fr/aiguille-du-midi-eperon-frendo

Popular routes are translated on camptocamp you can change the language, but most of the time the French version has more details so check both.

There are plenty of multipitch rock routes with very low hazard if you prefer to go that way. Mixed climbing in July will always be more risky, and sometimes it's not the weather but the 6 people climbing above you throwing rocks and ice everywhere while a rude guide tries to overtake you lol

Interested in this thread because I'm looking to head out to Cham for a week mid July - 

I was under the impression that most of the dry rock routes would remain relatively safe from heat-related rockfall on-route. Is that not the case anymore? I understand that certain approaches may require moving across steep snowfields or chutes, which would present hazards.

Also, semi-off topic, but what layering systems do climbers typically use  in mid July on dry routes? What are temps at ~12k feet typically like mid day for instance? 

another vote for routes in the Aiguille Rouges.  much less committing and pretty fun rock

Doug Leonardwrote:

A buddy of mine is getting married in Chamonix this summer (last week of June/first week of July). I’m very excited about the climbing there— always been a dream destination.

However, my climbing partner has had friends discourage him from climbing there entirely during the height of summer due to increased objective hazards from climate change. He’s suggesting we go sport climbing instead. My questions are:

- What’s your experience or assessment of objective hazards (rockfall, excessive instability on glaciers, etc.) in Chamonix over the few past years?

- How do objective hazards compare to North American areas I’ve climbed in (High Sierra, Bugaboos, Cascade volcanoes)?

- Is it possible to mitigate overhead hazards by sticking to rock routes without snow and ice on them, or is there a lot of unpredictable rockfall all over during the summertime?

- How limited are alpine routes during end of June/beginning of July in recent years (heatwaves excepted)?

Thanks for your insight. For reference I'm most interested in granite climbing around the Mt Blanc massif up to 5.11 and mid grade alpine routes (Frendo spur is the dream route), but obviously willing to be flexible based on conditions.  

Ask these questions on UKC Climbing. British climbers are very active in Chamonix and will give you specific and detailed recommendations. Closer to home the American Alpine Club may provide information and insurance. Alpine rescue in France may be expensive.

Anyone have experience with gear rental in town? Trying to keep my bag under weight limits and I’m wondering how feasible it is to rent sleeping bag, tent, boots, technical ice tools. Thanks!

Doug Leonardwrote:

Anyone have experience with gear rental in town? Trying to keep my bag under weight limits and I’m wondering how feasible it is to rent sleeping bag, tent, boots, technical ice tools. Thanks!

You're better off paying the extra baggage fee. You can rent all of those things in town at places like Snell's, but the overall cost is going to be equivalent so better to just use your own gear. Especially for boots, since an ill-fitting pair will ruin your day.

You won't need a tent in Cham unless you plan on basecamping at the foot of a big route like the Jorasses, or plan on camping in the valley the whole time.

Mike Larsonwrote:

You're better off paying the extra baggage fee. You can rent all of those things in town at places like Snell's, but the overall cost is going to be equivalent so better to just use your own gear. Especially for boots, since an ill-fitting pair will ruin your day.

You won't need a tent in Cham unless you plan on basecamping at the foot of a big route like the Jorasses, or plan on camping in the valley the whole time.

Tentatively thinking of camping at the base of Blanc du Tacul to hit a number of routes over a few days there...any idea what July evening temps are "typically" like at that elevation on the glacier?

Cooper Stewartwrote:

Tentatively thinking of camping at the base of Blanc du Tacul to hit a number of routes over a few days there...any idea what July evening temps are "typically" like at that elevation on the glacier?

You'll be fine as long as you bring a sleeping bag that's solid for around freezing temperature or just under. But if you have the budget, sleeping in the Cosmiques refuge saves you a big loaded slog up the Midi ridge when you want to go down to Chamonix. 

As for conditions, June/July can go both ways. Be sure to walk into the Guide's Office and check camptocamp when planning routes.

I’m looking for partners June 16-22. Most interested in alpine rock mid 6s (5.10) and under on the Midi, Lachenal, Adolphe Rey etc. Also interested in  moderate alpine snow, ice, and mixed routes if they’re in reasonable condition. Send me a pm if you’re looking for a partner then!

Headed there in mid July and been reading about easy/moderate alpine routes.

Any recommended Aiguille Rouges routes in the AD-D range?

Was thinking about bringing a 60m triple rated rope and a 60m RAD line for longer raps. Been hearing lots of mixed info about rope choices...

Also can we leave the pickets at home? 

B Fwrote:

Headed there in mid July and been reading about easy/moderate alpine routes.

Any recommended Aiguille Rouges routes in the AD-D range?

Was thinking about bringing a 60m triple rated rope and a 60m RAD line for longer raps. Been hearing lots of mixed info about rope choices...

Also can we leave the pickets at home? 

AD : traversée des Perrons de Vallorcine

D- : Chapelle de la Glière : arête S

Plenty of other routes but I did those 2 last year and can recommend, both are classics in good rock

You won’t see many people carrying pickets in the Euro Alps, but one could make a case for them if desired. I wouldn’t bring them though. 

Thanks for those that gave advice. I had a fantastic trip but also left with a newfound respect for the Alps’ objective hazards. I climbed some amazing rock routes on the Midi, Lachenal, and Eperon de Cosmiques as well as some cragging at Brevent and the Frendo Spur on the north face of the Midi.

For other North Americans who might have the same questions that I did regarding objective hazards: 

The rock routes I climbed in these popular areas were generally very clean. The glacial approaches across flat glaciers were comparable to those you’d find in the Pacific Northwest or BC. However, the overall level of objective hazard definitely felt greater than what I’ve encountered in North American ranges. This is especially true because in the Alps there are is much more of a focus on real alpine climbing as opposed to North America where summer alpine climbing tends to be limited to alpine rock. While I managed to climb one classic alpine route, Frendo Spur, in acceptable conditions, two weeks later it was in really poor conditions. My impression is that the window for good conditions on many of traditional summer alpine routes is becoming very small, shifting before even the beginning of summer, or even disappearing entirely. Routes that were being climbed at the beginning of my trip (e.g., on Triangle du Tacul) were unclimbable with constant and large rockfall by the end. Additionally there is the unlikely but almost unmitigatible threat of massive permafrost melting induced instability and rockfall, even in some areas that don’t have much other objective hazard. The condition of the Alps this summer was very sobering, both in terms of objective hazards and the destruction being wrought by climate change.

Glad you were able to get somthing done especially the Frendo.

Yes we had multiple heatwaves earlier this year and the terrain has become very unstable sooner than usual in some areas, and snow was already lacking in north faces due to strong winds which adds to the instability :(

Glad you had a good trip, seems you ticked some classics ! 

"However, the overall level of objective hazard definitely felt greater than what I've encountered in North American ranges."

This is definitely true and always has been the case. While, as Loic says, conditions have become considerably worse in recent years due to the impacts of climate change, even decades ago the differences in 'dangers' between the Alps and North American ranges ( excluding Alaska and the Yukon) was very noticeable. The day I arrived in Chamonix on my first visit almost 60 years ago, the headline in the local paper was "Five People Dead in Alps" during the previous day. Back then there usually weren't that many climbing fatalities in all North American climbing areas during an entire season, so that headline was very sobering for a 'first timer'. While the easy accessibility of the Alps to a large population ( with a significantly higher percentage of climbers, or, at least, 'mountain goers', than was then the case in North America), was a contributory factor to the accident rate, the greater inherent dangers of true 'alpine terrain' was the primary reason. Today, with ever more people on the hills and far worse conditions, climbing in the high Alps has, unfortunately, become exponentially more risky.