New Year’s Ski and Ice
Summit vista towards Trient Peaks…
On the last day of 2014 Dave, Lee, John and I went for a nice tour just over in Switzerland. 2 of these guys have an upcoming guides ski exam….so we had to turn a blind eye to all the amazing climbing conditions and look for a fun tour without too many rocks or crevasses…and a good view from the top to make it worthwhile…..
It gave us a good workout with 1400m of skinning to a nice peak just beyond the Pointe Rond peak and its route via a series of good snow holding bowls.
Heading up through the little bowls on the Voie des Combes…
The reverse was great skiing to the treeline, then a bit more early season lumps, bumps and tree stumps back to Col de Forclaz.
Dave dropping through the trees…
Things always look nicer through goggles…
Patri Droite…New Years day
2015 started with an early drive through to Cogne with another friend Ian. As suspected for the morning after party night it was relatively quiet and we hiked into the Valnontey in search of the classic Patri climbs. Good conditions had built in the previous week and we climbed some cruisey intro pitches to a little bowl where 2 finishing options arrive…left and right…we did both with the easy abseil options available. The righthand climb was great, steepish and featured ice on an eye catching pillar. A nice coffee from Bar Licone finished a classic Cogne ice visit…
These routes (and of course many others here) had their first ascent at the picks of Gian Carlo Grassi….if you’ve ever read guides for cascades and mountain ice on the south side of Mt Blanc then it’s clear he was an amazing Ghiaccatore!
Nick following his nose….
Next day Nick and I set off to the less popular Right Side of the Argentiere glacier. The approach was fairly lengthy and not without hazard, but the climbing was, as always, well worth it. Without a guidebook Nick fired up a great looking pillar on the left side of the Icelander wall and we finished via Desesperados….the line turned out to be possibly unclimbed according to the guidebook author and local ice guru, Francois Damilano….so we proposed it as “Out of Fashion” WI5+….
The return journey back to the valley was a character building experience…..wet snow, balling skis (!!!!), trees, boulders, rain, dark, etc…..type 2 fun….
