Smiler Cuthbertson – Mountain Guide

Richard was again back with me, this year on an extended visit. He had realised, as Pete had, if one wants to do the bigger routes, one has to spend longer in the Alps, getting fit, strong and acclimatised.
Unfortunately it was wet on his first day, but we did do the Les Peclerey walk, this time in a very rapid two hours and twenty minutes.
The following day was damp but improving. To further acclimatise Richard, we did the Crochues Traverse followed by a walk back up to the Aiguille du Index. No point in missing an opportunity, we slipped this route in, before descending and walking all the way back to Argentiere. Another good preparation and training day.
Moving up to the Albert Premier refuge with our bivouac gear, we were going for the Forbes Arête on the Chardonnet. To give us a head start for the cold temperatures, we bivied on Point Signal Reilly, and we moved off for our route at twenty past twelve in the morning.

This great AD route was climbed in six hrs from our bivouac site. It then took us just three hours to get down and across to collect our bivy gear site. A tough but very satisfying day.
A rest day followed and then in damp conditions, we went to the Guides Crag, which fortunately dried out in the afternoon and some good rock routes were done.
With the weather still uncertain, the opportunity for Richard to improve his rock climb leading was taken with a day at Servoz. I snatched the lead on one powerful 6b rock climb. We stopped by the Guides Crag on our way home for one more rock route, which Richard led comfortably.
With the weather improving now, we climbed on Vallorcine in the morning before our plan of the Midi Plan Traverse. Vallorcine was still a little wet so it was not too successful. Taking a three pm to the Midi we bivied in the cable car station, ready for the climb.
Leaving the Midi station at quarter to four in the morning we climbed an traverse which was more  snowy than usual. The ridge and abseils leading to the final snow hike to the summit were tricky in the snowed-up condition and we encountered a seriously loose area of rock in the abseil line. This had to be re-ascended to return to the Midi. We were slightly held up by other parties most of the way but we got back to the Midi station at circa one pm, Four hours there and five back! The weather was pretty good all day.
Nearing the end of Richard’s fortnight with me, we took the midi cable car and descended to the Cosmiques Hut for an overnight stay, ready for the Left Edge Route on the Triangle du Tacul
The Left Edge was efficiently despatched in less than two hours to the easier ground on the ridge, and rather than traversing across to the normal route descent, we continued to the summit of Mt Blanc du Tacul in another hour or so. We were back at the cable car station around ten am. An excellent end to Richard’s alpine climbing, and I look forward to more adventures with him.

June slipped unnoticed into July.
Pete arrived full of beans and ambitions. To acclimatise, we did the traverse of the Aiguille Crochures in a good and rapid time, Pete making lots of decisions, as if he were taking a beginner or pal along the ridge.
Moving up a grade or two was Pete’s hope this season. I was ready to help him.
Taking the first Midi cable car we traversed the twin peaks of the Pointe Lachanel and returned to the Cosmiques Hut. We had intended to stay the night at the refuge and do something harder the next day, after resting and acclimatising in the afternoon. There was a very bad storm in the early evening, blizzards making our plans a little doubtful.
Despite the improvement in the weather, we decided against the proposed Chere Couloir, partly because Pete was not fully acclimatised yet and had had a poor night’s sleep. We escaped via the Cosmiques Ridge, taking a mere two hours to the summit.
Next day was a very wet morning. It continued very wet all day and through the night. There was no chance of going to the Albert Premier hut as we had planned. Rain continued through most of the night and it was damp and overcast at seven am. We decided some good cragging days would have to finish Pete’s trip. La Fayet and Servoz were visited, with Pete doing all the leading.
It was a good forecast for Pete’s last day, so we did the Chappelle de la Gliere in four hours round trip, cable car to cable car. Pete had a great climbing day to finish his trip and felt good about his improvement this season. Who knows, maybe that Ama Dablam trip will come off one day