Yes, that’s what I’ve got from the boys (because I don’t hang around, just ‘get it done’) after their first alpine trip. Gary and John downed tools for a while and joined me (now known as ‘mad dog Smiler’) for my 9-day Beginners’ course, including the ascent of Mont Blanc, 23rd to 31st July 2011.
The two builders hit Argentiere on 22nd July, a day later than arranged because of Easyjet flight cancelation problems and also lost luggage, but after a night in Edinburgh, all turned out OK and the boys arrived in Geneva. Due to the delays, Cham Van had to be re-contacted and only by 18.30 were they on their way to The Office Bar for a beer with Smiler.
Checking in to the Hotel Couronne asap they made their way across to the bar. Not used yet to alpine weather, they were surprised how chilly and wet it was. I reassured them the forecast for the next few days was better, but that the rain would probably continue tomorrow, and it would be putting plenty of snow down even in the Aiguille Rouges, our target for day 2 of their 9-day Mont Blanc course.
Sure enough, Sunday dawned wet, but after showing the boys around the hotspots of Chamonix, it was down to donning waterproofs and off to the Guides crag, for the crevasse rescue and ropework training. The weather did improve and in the mid-afternoon the rock had flash dried, allowing us to do some great rock routes together.
The rain had stopped but some damaage had been done. On a clear monday morning, everywhere on the mountains was
No, not Scotland, just going for the Aiguille Crochures traverse in July
white. Ensuring we all had crampons and axes, we made our way through quite deep snow from the top of the Index cable car station to the Col du Crochures. There were fresh tracks which helped a lot and, topping out onto the ridge, a very wintry scene emerged. The entry gully onto the ridge proper was decidedly Scottish
1st pitch of Aiguille Crochures traverse
3, mandatory crampons on very smooth rock. All went OK thanks to some good training we three had had together in the Highlands last winter.
Once on the ridge we picked up speed and soon caught up with Rob, a colleague of mine with his two clients. I figured they had put the tracks in but, no, another French guide had been through earlier. It was a jovial time on the summit of the Aiguille Crochures, eating
John and Gary on Aiguille Crochures summit
snacks, taking photos, before continuing down and along the flat sections of this great training route. Already reaching 2800 metres the lads were doing fine.
Dropping down towards Lac Blanc was a different story. The
John and Gary on Aiguille Crochures Traverse
snow must have blown in over the ridges and collected on that descent, as it was knee deep for quite a while. We got down to the refuge and the coffee was good for Gary and me. John’s tea wasn’t so nice, he thought the milk might have been off?
We dropped back to the middle station and I felt this course was going to be very successful, the guys being fit, keen and competant. A good starting trip completed.
Next morning, with the weather forecast being much better, we made our way over to the Grande Montet and up to the top station. It was quite cold on the col and there were many parties ahead of us by now. We trekked up the good path behind a young British ccouple who, on the col while we were roping up, had asked several questions like..”is that black cloud threatening” and “what time do you think it will
John & Gary Petite Verte
storm”? Attempting to stay non-committal I think I was a litttle tough on the lad, because gradually thrroughout the course of the climb, we all came to appreciate Joanathon’s keenness even though he was on one of his first outing here. I changed my view of this ‘Brit’ more and more as we climbed virtually alongside each other. There were masses of climbers up to the summit blocks and
Higher on Petite Verte
I knew from past experience we three would have to do some dodging and weaving to get up and especially down in a reasonable time. I’ve known people stuck on the descent for hours.
Gary, John and I topped out, with Jonathon and his lady quite close behind. After a half-hour on the summit, not out of lesiure, more so that we couldn’t move down for other people, I explained my dodging and weaving tactics to my team and Jonathon.
At that moment, several of my colleagues with their clients appeared on the summit, and with a nod and some conversation, we all knew it was time to go.
“Follow us, Jonathon” I indicated, and started my well-used practice on crowded routes, of moving through teams.
“Be firm but fair” I told my team, and Gary and John responded nicely. Never being too aggressive or bad mannered, we sped down through hordes off climbers, who perhaps were a little unused to an often crowded and technical route at their early climbing career stage.
Unfortunately, the Petite Verte has the reputation of being short and easy, although when it gets crowded, and storms are in the air, I try to ensure my team will get off and back to the Grande Montet station as soon as possible. I was delighted to see not only Gary and John picking up the reins, but Jonathon and his partner as well.
We reached the col almost together, and looked back in amazement at the ants on the ridge, all seemingly stationary. One further look at the on-coming bad weather and we were off. Well done, firm but fair.
With the Aiguille du Tour for our next objective, I wanted a drier day to walk up to the Albert Premier Hut. It is difficult to dry clothes out after a wet walk up from the Col du Balme. We were fortunate. The weather was on the turn and improving, and the two hours trek proved fun and dry.
My team had plenty of ice climbing and rock eperience, so in case some darker clouds (now it was 2pm) caused a downpour, I didn’t venture as I usual do, down onto the glacier. Out came the books and the newspapers and we relaxed for the afternoon, after getting our beds prepared in the bunkrooms.
I had already decided, even after the Aiguille Crochures Traverse, my team were more than capable of doing the Tete Blanche as well as the Aiguille du Tour and we set off
Albert Premier Hut - packing to go
just before 6am for the Col superior du Tour, the morning fine and cool, the weather good and the track excellent. In under two hours we had caught up with some teams starting from the hut after their breakfast at 4am and slotted into a small queue of around half a dozen leading climbers. Under a hour from the base of the Col
John & Gary - Aiguille du Tour Summit
Superior du Tour, we were exchanging congratulations on the Aiguille du Tour summit. A brief time is all that was needed on this fine summit, and we
Aiguille du Tour summit
were off for stage 2 of our day.
I decided to follow the track back to the col and then continue on the Trient Hut track, but then join up with the track from that hut to to the Col du Tour where it passes the Fenetre de Saliena. However, there was no track adjoining the two ‘main drags’ so I had to break trail for the next hour or so, pausing only for water stops and conversation. It was hard work in the fresh, untracked and quite deep snow. Slowly we emerged onto the Trient Hut track and it all became easier. Turning up towards the Col du Tour I realised it must have been fourty-odd years since I had been this way. I hoped it hadn’t changed much?
First came the delightful Petite Forche, with its snow climb approach
John & Gary Tete Blanche summit
and the fun summit ridge, with some easy rock scrambling. After descending back to the col it was less than fifteen minute across to the summit of the Tete Blanche. In no time at all, the descent down to the base of the Col Superior du Tour was accomplished, and an easy hour or so later, we were drrinking a cool beer back at the hut.
The tables outside the hut weren’t full, suggesting a few less climbers were coming up today. Maybe a bad forecast? It did look a little dark.
The heavens opened on our descent to the cable car station at the Col du Balme, but luckily the rain eased for our ride down on the chair lift and once in the Charmillion bubbles, our worries were over.
Having the car at Le Tour was the final blessing and soon we were celebrating in the Office Bar. Three peaks in five hours, hut to the final peak. Not bad at all. Well done, Gary and John. It looked good for Mt Blanc later in the course. If only the weather improved and held?
That weather did continue to be poor for the next couple of days in the high mountains, so one day after our great trip around the Le Tour peaks, the lads assisted me with some shopping at Carrefour in Sallanches, followed by some steep rock routes at Servoz.
We had three days left. The Cosmiques Hut was booked for Saturday 3oth with the intention of the traverse of Mont Blanc (I was hoping someone would have put a track in by the time we went, as there wasn’t one to date). A call in the evening of the 28th to Arnud, the gardien of the hut, had disturbing news about metres of snow on the Tacul. and no track after the shoulder of that peak.
We spent the 29th driving down to better weather, to Annecy, and the objective being the impresive and real fun Via Ferrata at Thones. I called in at Annecy le Vieux to see my good friend Bernard, to ask if there were any secret and local clues to a sneaky but great rock climb
On steep ground
which might be possible as well as the Via Ferata. Bernard knows them all but told us the rocks would be wet or at least damp that day 
and wouldn’t be dry enough for quite a while yet. So we concentrated on the super ‘Iron Way’, hanging/towering 100s of metres directly about the bustling little town of Thones.
For the boys, their first experience of a Via Ferrata, and together with
- Did we do that?
John & Gary on the wire bridge
the outrageously overhanging top section, we had an amazing and fun day, all in bright, warm sunshine. I believe the boys adored the day.
Meal time in the Cosmiques Hut
It was now SHOWTIME. Mont Blanc by the Three Peaks Traverse. Of course, the route doesn’t (usually) top out on all three summits. The normal way crosses the shoulders just below (around 30-40 minutes) Mont Blanc du Tacul’s summit, and well below a difficult stretch of mixed ground below the summit of Mont Maudit. No matter. The trek across the shoulders and on to Col Brenva is hard enough, especially if there were only footsteps, not a distinctive track after dropping into Col Maudit.
My colleague, Sandy and his two ladies, passed us as we stopped and chatted to more Brits who had turned back through reasons of deep fresh snow (i.e. no track?), dodgy crevasses and other deflating reasons for their retreat.
Watching Sandy out of one eye, I listened to the reasons for not
Mont Blanc du Tacul
going on, then gathered the ropes, stretched them out and walked on towards Mont Blanc. The weather was perfect and was forecast to remain so all day. We did have all day.
It was a great trek. Once onto the steep ground below Col Maudit, we were no more then three or four parties from the front. The traverse into the fixed rope slope on Col Maudit was a little serious, a gaping and fragile crevasse rim was followed rightwards to the base of the roped slope. That ground would be very dodgy later in the day, I thought. Once on the steep slope the snow became firmer and with the added protection of karabiners every so often on the fixed rope knots, we were able to move together and reach the easy ground of the col. Sandy and the ladies were only just there, so Gary and John were doing fine.
The amazing cornice on Col Brenva
We took a brief rest but it was still very cold, so a very short one before moving along the easier trail to Col Brenva, the track dropping down gradually towards the col, and finally it drops vertically over a small metre high bergshrund before continuing across to Col Brenva. I almost put my leg into the crevasse formed by this bergshrund and had to quickly jump out and onto safer ground. The boys were following me at this stage and handled the “watch me” quite smoothly. In turn they jumped down backwards at my directions.
We didn’t waste any time getting into the now, very sunny Col Brenva. Once there, food, drink, and the realisation that it was usually less than two hours to the summit.
Unfortunately, the track, having been put in by the two leading teams that morning, had gone virtually straight up to the summit i.e. no long zig-zags, so this proved a very tiring section for all three
of us. We did, however, do it all in around an hour, something we
Gary & John. Summit ridge, Mt Blanc
didn’t realise until checking the times on photographs later.
It’s always a great feeling to reach the summit of Mont Blanc. I was more than pleased with the boys, as we had taken less than six and a half hours from the hut.
Congratulations all round. John unfurled the Scottish flag and we held it as best we could in the breeze while Gary took the shots.
I’d long since decided the area around and above Col Maudit would be serious when the heat grew, and decided to go down to the Gouter Hut instead. All of us being quite weary after our ascent, it was time to put the cameras away and concentrate on getting down.
The descent was tedious, very tiring but at least the snow in the Grand Coulior had made it safer from rockfall (one large stone did flash down as we crossed, showing us never to be complacent when anywhere near that dangerous place).
We reached the Nid d’Aigle around 5pm and Sandy, sitting comfortably on a bench with his mountain boots off, told us we’d be on the 5.50pm to Bellevue. That was super so we joined Sandy on the benches and seats and knew it was virtually all over.
A superb effort by Gary and John, and an effort which reminds me I’m not that young any more. Give me a rock route any day, but for Gary and John, a terrific achievment all round.
Gary and John Mt Blanc summit
The course finished outside the Office bar (where else?) in the warm sunshine next morning, with beer and pizza to finish off one of the most enjoyable courses I’ve led. More to come with these two great guys? I hope so.
