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adeptus
Jun 12, 2003, 6:34 PM
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Registered: Dec 17, 2002
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I´m spending three weeks in Cham for my first alpine season and would like to get some advise on easy routes to start on. Maybe easy (read safe) enough to solo.
Any F or PD routes without crevassed glaciers?
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leec
Jun 18, 2003, 11:25 PM
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Registered: Nov 13, 2001
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Cosmiques Arete is THE classic first route - buy the guide and take your pick from there. There's every mix you could want, from pure rock to pure ice - what you feel happiest on is your call.
Keep acclimatising and hydrated.
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adeptus
Jun 22, 2003, 11:51 AM
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Well, I just did Mont Blanc via les Grands Mulets, solo. Hows that for a first route :P
It was pretty awesome walking alone at night, without anybody else on the route. The book says it should take 7 hours, but I did it in 4 hours and 45 minuets.
I´m getting pretty hooked on this alpine climbing thing.
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dairyfarmer
Jun 22, 2003, 12:44 PM
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Registered: May 11, 2003
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Kris,
If you havn't locked in plans I would suggest you investigate crossing the border to Val de Aosta in Italy. The climbing is just as good, the expense is cheaper and NO crowds! Thre I would suggest the east ridge of Gran Paradiso. A forward route with little objective danger but still enough rock to make it interesting. Excellent for a solo climb to the summit of the highest Italian Alp.
Also many climbers stay on the italian side of the border and just cross over to do their oblicatory accent of mont blanc
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maohaihuang
Jun 25, 2003, 1:06 PM
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Registered: Sep 12, 2002
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In reply to: Val de Aosta in Italy
you'd better either speak Italian or French or do your homework
*really* well before you leave. There still will be crowds from Italy.
Not as maddening as the French side in high season, usually.
Bring a lot of water if you go up Rif. Torino.
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jefffski
Jun 30, 2003, 6:40 PM
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Registered: Dec 10, 2002
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there is no replacement for cham. if you don't want glaciers i would suggest the dolomites. partners are easy to find though.
petit aiguille vert
cosmique arete
plan de glacier traverse
dent de geant
stuff on the gliere side of the valley too!
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merman
Jul 20, 2003, 6:26 PM
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Registered: Jul 20, 2003
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I am an american living in Paris France 3 hrs from Grenoble by TGV then less than two hrs from the northern or southern alps would like to meet someone interested in climbing the eaiser routes in the alps could stay with me in Paris
Name John Merlo
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boesgaard
Jul 20, 2003, 8:07 PM
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Registered: Jul 4, 2002
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When you get to Chamonix, go to a bookstore and buy these books:
Mont Blanc Massif
Volume 1+2
Selected Climbs
Lindsay Griffin
and
Easy ascents in the Mont bland Range.
...should be easy to find - you can also buy them over the net at eg. needlesports.co.uk
Some easy projects could be:
Aguille Le Tour - Take the train to MontRoc, walk up to the city "Le Tour". From there you take both lifts up, and walk to the "Albert Premiere Hut". In the early morning you leave for Aguille le tour (find a map, and have somebody tell you way...or just follow the tracks and other people going there).
Le Grand Montets
Go to Argentiere. Take the lift up to Grand Montets (all the way up). Follow the stairs down from the liftstatation. When you get to the plateau, go left down a steep slope. Go acroos the bergschrund, and turn left. Follow the rock. You'll get to another bergschrund, cross it on the left side, and start the climb/walk up the steep snow-slope. When you get up, follow the rock until you get to a steel-wire. Follow the steelwire over the rock until you reach the top (upper platform).
Have a nice trip
...bring your rockgear and do the six-pitch route at Le Brevent - its good!
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coclimber26
Sep 2, 2003, 11:11 PM
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Registered: Sep 8, 2002
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Not to many F or PD without cravass danger. You can ride the Cosmiques up and cruise Valle Blanche. The Cosmiques arete is close by and isn't very difficult. If you take the Cosmiques up and want to summit something try Mont Blanc du Tacul by the normal route. There is a well beaten path but it still has cravass danger and is a PD I believe but du tacul is a 4000m peak.
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pielord
Sep 10, 2003, 2:40 PM
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Registered: Sep 9, 2003
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Ok, for all you Americans out there here are some recommendations for routes up to AD in chamonix which are actually good, unlike the cosmiques arete which is very crap indeed, unless you like queuing, dusty rock and cheesy short routes:
The Petite verte is also crap for much the same reasons, very short route, too many people, although the climbing is better than the cosmiques arete. If you must do either of these routes, do them in a snow storm, not an electrical storm unless you are stupid.
L'Index in the aigs rouges is good but get there before or after the last cable car or it will be mobbed.
S ridge of chappelle la gliere is a bit harder but excellent (AD+), also in the aigs rouges.
For decent alpine routes try the following:
Midi-Plan traverse, again start from a bivi in the midi station or the cosmiques hut if you have more money than sense. Absolute classic PD
Aig du Tour, Table du roc spur (PD) some crap rock but interesting routefinding and a very narrow arete after the table. Save it for after fresh snow to avoid the crowds but it can be AD then.
Normal route, Aig D'Argentiere; can be easy in early season, can get icy later (PD) also worth noting the Y couloir, a 45 degree snow gully with steep entry on the same peak.
Try any of the peaks around the conscrits hut in the tre la tete glacier basin, classic being the traverse of the domes du miage (not done this one though).
There are tonnes of great easier routes from the couvercle hut as well, scary ladders on the approach though. Try Pointe Isabella if there is lots of snow cover (early season generally).
Remember, the normal routes on mont blanc are also crap, save yourself the bother and don't climb it just coz it is the highest in europe. Also, if you go from the midi via the trois monts blanc that is a definite cheat as one is missing out much glaciated terrain on the ascent.
Definitel go to chamonix though, it is great!
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lucasignorelli
Oct 13, 2003, 6:05 PM
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Registered: Oct 10, 2003
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Just for the record - the ultimate guide to Mt. Blanc is Gino Buscaini's "Monte Bianco vol 1.", edited by the Italian Alpine Club in 1994 for the "Monti D'Italia" series. It covers every single route on the massif (vol. 1 does only Mt. Blanc proper and satellites. Vol.2, covering Grandes Jorasses, Triolet etc. will appear somewhere in the future).
It's complete, extremely well done and somewhat "authoritative" (i.e. almost everything put into the guide was basically verified on field, or double checked with the FA party, if available). It this way it does most of what the old Vallot guide did - being a sort of bible for the massif.
It's however unfortunately only in italian - I'll never understand why the british AC or the american AAC didn't translate it. However, all the routes have pictures details, and for the major rock routes (i.e., those on the Tacul area) you've detailed topos. So I think it's worth at least a look
This book is widely available on many Chamonix bookshops, and on the Buona Stampa bookshop in Courmayeur (btw - Buona Stampa has a copy of almost EVERY Mount Blanc book currently in print, check it out)
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