Alpine Start

On July 1, 2013 by Tim Neill

So, we got back to the Alps at the start of June. I worked most of the first part of the month with a great bunch of budding Alpinists. They had all managed to get places on courses supported by the Jonathon Conville Memorial Trust. These 3 day courses set you up with the very basics of Alpine skills focussing mainly on glacial travel and moving together on ridges. Over a few weeks we did a few trips to the Mer de Glace to run our “Ecole de Glace”, we rode up the Aig du Midi telepherique and made a few of the varied , short day routes up there. We also traversed the Crochues in the Aig Rouges a few times as well some of the peaks above the Tour glacier from the Albert Premier hut. So all in all, great fun.

The best thing was meeting lots of these guys making the most of it after their courses. Tired and sunburnt happy faces having completed lots of classics between them……..North Face of the Tour Ronde and the Contamine/Grisole on Mt Blanc du Tacul being a couple of highlights.

On their recommendations I climbed the Contamine/Grisole, one of the classic snowy mixed climbs on the Tacul, and the great Chapelle de Glieres ridge in the Aig Rouges. This was a weekends guiding work for http://www.jamesthacker-mountaineering.co.uk/. Cheers Avi for a brill weekend up in the mountains!

Currently the mountains here are in great shape for classic ascents and really good snow cover on the glaciers….