Combe Maudit….

On December 30, 2014 by Tim Neill

“Gregory ou Theophile” on Pointe Adolphe Rey

Arriving back in Chamonix around mid December to a distinct lack of winter snow allowed a little climbing up in the mountains…fortunately, as there seemed to be little or no cascade ice or reasonble skiing without travelling much further.

After a sociable, but stationary, weekend of meetings, courses and our AGM with the British Mountain Guides I made a break for the hills with Nick who’d just arrived for the winter season. From the Helbronner lift from La Palud we took a short ski tour around Combe Maudit to see what was going on, then climbed the splitter couloir in the photo above.

Nice ice with periodic spindrift showers…

A great line…for a relatively unknown route, it gives a lot better climbing than many more of its more famous neighbours…

Nick dispatched some brilliant mixed climbing above the good ice and we arrived at the breche to inspiring views accross the east face of the Tacul. A few abseils landed us back at our skis. Some spicy skinning roped up through a maze of huge crevasses got us back to the Torino hut and a restless night of bounding pulse rates and shortness of breath…oh to be permanently acclimatised!

Next time up high saw a little ski mission with James and Nick further into the back of Maudit to assess some ice routes. Then one of those enthusiastic, early season ski decisions that hurts more or less depending on how new your skis are..and your ability to turn through snow with a thick icy crust! The fun skiing at the top of the Toule glacier turned into a fairly agricultural excercise towards the bottom…

Skinning towards the Toule descent in a stiff tail wind…

Inspiring scenery and conditions…

Nick had his eye on a steep mixed line next on the west face of the Tour Ronde. After a couple of fun and quick mixed pitches to the start of the real climbing, Nick made a really impressive lead up a long vertical corner. After a lengthy belay I grovelled my way to join him only to lose all dignity at the point where I got my weight on my feet just below the stance and warmed blood made it back into my poor hands…nausea, tears, wailing etc…Nick did well not to fall of laughing…

Nick getting rid of some snow…

Anyway, the day was getting on and a strong wind sent us down. Meanwhile our friends Jon and Matt had finished a good looking new line over to our left…. http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=69390

The last trip before Christmas saw us arriving below the famous Fantasia Per a Ghiacciatore on Mt Maudit’s east side as the dawn arrived.

Perfect line and conditions..

Windy up high creating plenty of spindrift…

Every pitch was perfect and half of it was in the sun before the final 4 cold and windy pitches landed us on Col Maudit…pretty wild for the few minutes we were there….super windy and cold…we squinted our way to the top of a route called Fil d’Ariane and abseiled out of the maelstrom and down to the now familiar ski descent…

Summit bound..

East face of Maudit…Fantasia is the obvious pencil line on the Rhand buttress

The picture above shows the abundant ice conditions here just before Christmas….every line in perfect condition pre snowfall…

Then it snowed… as it really needed to do to get the skiing off to at least a start…this lasted for a couple of days. Ice is now building fast in the valleys…