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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 16, 2009 - 09:43pm PT
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Isn't Namby Pamby a mountain in Pakistan?
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goatboy smellz
climber
dirty south
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Jan 16, 2009 - 09:48pm PT
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Say it ain't so Rick, there can only be one valley.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 16, 2009 - 09:48pm PT
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No worries Walleye,
But for that sophomoric quip,
And while we wait for Ricky to scan some more real doin's ...
You get more postcards!
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2009 - 09:58pm PT
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Two from Ueli Steck's web site.
And from Alpinist:
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jan 16, 2009 - 10:04pm PT
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Walleye,
Actually the Plan is a well-trodden trade route, but eye-opening when climbing beneath the seracs shown.
Tar –What a classic climber’s abode in Les Houches!
North Face of Les Droites, 1977, photo Jack Roberts. British climbers Phil Burke, and another whose name I forget, were in front of us.
Blame Jack for the judicious tilt to this photo; it’s not that steep. I would never tilt a photo…that much.
Dane. Go! There is not a moment to lose.
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2009 - 10:28pm PT
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From the DMM website in the last few days:
"On the 12th Jan 2009, DMM climbing team members, Matt Helliker and Jon Bracey, stepped on to the first Grands Montets cable car of the day from Argentiere; with a light rack, skis and the intention of moving quickly!
Taking a high line to the base of the North Face of the Droites (4000m), they found good conditions. Crampons and axes out, the pair started up the Colton-Brooks route (ED1, IV/5 and mixed, 1,000m, 1977). Soloing for the first 600m to the headwall they were moving well. Deciding it was time to get the rope out, Matt and Jon continued moving together for the remaining 400m of the climb, arriving at the top after 4 hours 16 mins from the base. Matt Helliker commented: "Not bad going with touring boots and skis on our backs."
Abseiling the south face in 10 raps, they skied out back to Chamonix in a round trip of 11 hours 30 mins, summed up by Matt as: "A great day out!"
In ski boots AND hauling skiis, Bastards!
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schwortz
Social climber
davis, ca
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Jan 16, 2009 - 10:29pm PT
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i love cham...i've never been able to get there for more than a few days at a time....maybe 2 weeks in the summer of 2006...my best 'season' there so far...one of these days i'm going to spend a year there...
sure its a circus in town sometimes but so what...there is some good food if you can find it...i stay at a great little hostel spot called the ski station...its right next to the brevent telepherique station...owner is super nice - veronique - and the place is literally only a couple euro more than camping...plus a free bus pas...plus she lets us stash gear in the attic when we're up in the mountains...saves money...the bar/restaurant across the street is a good hang...especially popular among local hangliders....free pizza with pitcher of beer at a bar down next les gaillands one night a week...the weekly market is pretty good...and there are some good little spots to eat and hang outside of cham proper that are much cheaper....a good beer and a burger at the mbc isnt such a bad thing every once in a while either....
sometimes you can buy unused pherique passes off climbers or tourons leaving early...if you're there for a while buying a pass is expensive but the only way to go...
the ohm is still the place to get conditions/weather and route beta...or find a partner...or shoot the sh#t in the afternoon...theres free internet in a bunch of places now....much easier than it used to be...
but its never about any of that sh#t...its about the climbing....getting stuck in the valley sucks...but the valley cragging isnt actually that bad...still the bouldering is much better if you're stuck there...col des montets...great place to hike around...gneiss rock....gneiss views....but you dont go there to get stuck in town....
there are some fun easy warmups in the aiguilles rouges....good to get acclimatized...great for short days, or creepy weather, or 'rest' days....couple of good routes on the l'index and la gliere which are fun to blast up, simulclimb, or even solo....soooo close to the pherique you can really bang them out quick....and they're fantastic for their views of the massif....which is why you're really there...
i guess i havent really done many routes....and all of them have been trade routes...and nothing particularly hard....but man have all of them been awesome fun....
mont blanc is worth doing...we walked up the trois monts blanc....beautiful day
the summit on a regular tuesday morning in summer
i really had a great time climbing the dent du geant...great day out...dont have any real photos of the climb...but someday i'd like to summit the left bookend of that ridge...les grandes jorasses....
there are so many great routes....even the ridge heading down from the midi pherique station can be beautiful
more in a minute....
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schwortz
Social climber
davis, ca
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Jan 16, 2009 - 10:48pm PT
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its true that the choppers fly pretty often...
we did the ordinary route on the dent du geant the morning after a storm...no big surprise...but up over 3000m it dropped a bunch of snow and frozen stuff...coated the route in ice....not quite 'full' conditions in the summer the next day....nothing bad...but couldnt do the route in rock shoes like planned...it was boots, poons and one axe for a couple of pitches....boots and sometimes poons with gloves for the rest....
anyway the weather made most of the climbers crashing up in the torino refuge bail....we got up early and made the hike over there....we thought we started early...but a guided party had beat us out the door...we got to the salle a manger (dining hall - the shoulder below the dent) about 5 minutes after the guide and his clients to find him calling the chopper to pick up two delirious guys at the base of the climb...
these two knuckleheads had deciced to _START_ the climb sometime after 4pm the day before....got a couple pitches up and got slammed by the storm...in some babbling, broken up, hypothermic french they managed to mumble that the leader took a huge fall when he got blasted off the route by a lightning strike....they managed a retreat and then tried but failed to dig a snow cave....they were in pretty rough shape when we all showed up the next morning....
we hung out at the base with this crew until the chopper showed up....great pilot...f*#kin amazing...set down half of his skids and one guy just plucked these two off the snow....they were gone barely a minute after they'd landed....the chamonix guides and pghm are pros....sometimes obnoxious pros....but pros....
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schwortz
Social climber
davis, ca
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Jan 16, 2009 - 10:50pm PT
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here's my favorite cham poster art
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schwortz
Social climber
davis, ca
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Jan 16, 2009 - 10:59pm PT
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if you have some cash to burn chamonix is also one of the world's capitals of paragliding...
you get a decidedly different view of things...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 16, 2009 - 11:02pm PT
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'Love that last B&W...
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Jan 16, 2009 - 11:49pm PT
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last time in chamonix, the wife skied in the morning,with clouds and snow most of the day, I hit the aiguille de midi around 3:oo pm, got to the top in a clearing storm, did tele turns down the col de plan in 2ft of fresh, with no one around, one of the sweetest runs ever. I love france
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 16, 2009 - 11:50pm PT
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:18am PT
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Still....France, Shmance!!!
Nyah, nyah, Nyah......frick France!
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