We have had great weather the last few days in Chamonix, perfect conditions for alpine rockclimbing. I and Barry have enjoyed two classics on Pointe Lachenal and the south face of Aiguille du Midi.

The first day we went down to Pointe Lachenal to climb Harold et Maud. It’s a 250m crack line that offers high quality climbing around 5+ with one pitch of 6a, one of the best routes in its grade in this area. Except for the cold wind the conditions could not have been better.

The second day we did Rebuffat on the south face of the Aiguille du Midi. This is the nr 1 classic in this area. In combination with the high quality climbing in moderate grades, easy access and that it tops out at the lift station makes it very popular. We arrived early, but not early enough. There was already a team on the route when we arrived. But they were kind enough to let us pass and after that we had the whole route to our self.

These two routes are superb and I can highly recommend them to everyone that comes to Chamonix for alpine rock climbing. Thanks Barry for two great days

The past week and a half I have been working for Monutain Spirit. Myself and Ricardo from Brazil have been out enjoying everything from multi pitch rock climbing in the valley to alpine rock climbing around the Envers hut.

Day 1
We started with a classic route from Plan de Aiguille called The Papillion Ridge. It’s a 250m long route following a ridge that offers nice good quality crack climbing. The weather was a bit rough and we had both strong wind and rain. Ricardo had his first hot-ache ever. Something he will remember for a long time to come :) The hot-ache is a very intense pain that you get when warm blood comes back in to a limb that as gone numb from the cold. The pain can be so overwhelming that it can cause people to vomit or in worst cases faint. Except for this new intense experience we had a great day out.

Day 2
Today Italy was the better weather choice so we went to Machaby close to Arnard in the Aosta valley for some slab climbing and good coffee. We did Diedro Jaccod. It’s a 250m long route with a couple of pitches of 6a+ and the rest is around 5. After that we had a great cappuccino in Arnard

Day 3
Rest day

Day 4
We got a good weather forecast for 3 days so I decided that we should go up to the Envers Hut. It’s about a 3.5 hours walk up along the mer de galce. First you have about 100 vertical meters on ladders to get down to the glacier and then about 100 vertical meters on ladders to get off the glacier and back on the track. But it is worth it. The hut is surrounded with endless possibilities of granite towers and walls. After the walk in we climbed on the slabs just below the hut and topped out and the balcony of the hut just before dinner time.

Day 5
This was the big day of the week. The objective was “Bienvenue au Georges V”. It’s a 350m long route on Pont the Natillons with a mix of slabs and cracks. The grade is sustained 6a/6a+ climbing. It’s the great classic of the Envers des Aiguilles. We had perfect conditions. No wind and blue sky all day.

Day 6
After the 12 pitches from the day before we decided on a smaller route for this day. We did Le Piege on Tour Vert. A 200m long crack climb that starts just behind the hut.

Day 7
Rest day

Day 8
We had very strong winds this day and decided to do something in the lower mountains. Barberine offers multi pitch climbing with great quality. We did La Sylvie Phobie. A 250m long route with obligatory of 6a. The climbing is a lot better than it looks!

Day 9
We were hoping to do a longer route in the Aiguille Rouge but the weather didn’t allow it. We sat 2 hours in the rain and waited for it to clear. But it never did. We practiced some rope technique and different types of anchors. But after 2 hours in the rain we had enough and went to the les Houches indoor gym and practiced technique and fall training. Most people hate practicing fall training but Ricardo was loving it. He just kept taking bigger and bigger falls with a big smile on his face.

Thanks Ricardo for a great week!