Chamonix 3 (contamine-grisolle)

Contamine-Grisolle and Mont Blanc du Tacul:

We went back up the Aiguille du Midi with another couple of routes in mind. The afternoon was given over to resting in the sun and packing the bags up, making sure we didn't forget to bring crucial items such as a headtorch. Finney dissappeared off the get the tickets for the telecabine while I packed everything. We arrived with time to spare and enjoyed a quiet ride up with an English chap named Rob (and his guide) who'd been living in Chamonix for the past 12 years. He'd actually grown up in Cheadle and spent his youth bouldering at Churnet.

When marking out your dig, over estimate.

A completed circle of snow...

... which barely fits the tent!

Armed with a snow-shovel (that we brought together) setting up the tent was reasonably easy and we were soon snuggled down in bed trying to get some sleep. Anndy slept soundly all night, I didn't. I just couldn't settle for some reason and just lay there rolling occasionally when a part of my got sore waiting for the alarm to go off at 0144. When it finally did go off it was all action stations. We breakfasted, brewed up and got the tent down as quick as we could. We walked across the crisp snow of the glacier in a direct line to the snow bridge that signified the start of the Contamine-Grisolle.

porridge pant, nice

Finney tying on

The route itself was rather reasonable. We moved together up the first 150 metres (or so, I couldn't tell as it was pitch black and climbing via headtorch) till I hit the first crux pitch of the route. This pitch itself was fantastic to climb through! The start was a thin ice runnel, at the back of a wide open crack. I could still only just reach with my tools and gingerly stepping up on little ledges with my crampons. Surmounting this I was greated with a beautiful scene in front of me. The sun still wasn't up, but it was close enough to provide that erie twilight and seems to bring out the white in the snow. The pitch ahead of me was monocromatic and I marvelled at it's beauty. I wasn't sure if we had enough rope for this but it made more sense to continue that to just stop and I carried on, smiling.

Finney, just finishing the mixed section

Finney setting off on lead

It really was a great pitch of mixed climbing but we were soon off moving together as soon as I brought Andy up to me. He shot off up the snow slopes and through the easier mixed terrain covering it quickly. We only had one more pitch of climbing after this, another excellent mixed pitch before we hit the ridge itself. We checked the time, congratulated ourselves on actually hitting the guidebook time and decided to rest for 10 minutes. By now the sun was coming up properly and I just sat there eating saucission trying to gain some warmth from it's rays.

Making the most of the morning sunshine

Me, with our very British guidebook cover

Th last of the mixed sections

The snow was in better condition that last time we'd descended from the top of the triangle face and we opted to carry on up the ridge to meet the Normal route up Mont Blanc du Tacul. This in itself was not without risk. Walking together roped up I watched as small slabs broke off with every other step and we walked the ridge. It was a risk, but it was worth it because instead of just carrying on down, once we met the normal route it just made sense to carried on heading up. Tacul was only half a km away as it was. I'm not really one for summits, I'd rather enjoy the journey as you climb, but there is a sense of a achievement it topping out. It almost feels like I've given the day a sense of purpose. Standing on top of Tacul definatley did that for me.

The photo a kind guide took of us. He made us get Mont Blanc in the background

Descent was quick. The normal route up Tacul is apparently a long plod up the snow, with a bergschrund to cross. I was fairly disappointed that I'd seen so many people trudging up it over the time I'd been there. It didn't really hold anything for me, other than a quick means of getting down. I don't doubt that there is immense value in the routes and I don't look down on people who do it. It's just not my cup of tea.

We did have one funny moment when both of us, only 500 metres from the tents punched through a snow bridge and into a small cravasse... each with our right leg at exactly the same time. Tired and dehyrdated all we could do was pull ourselves out and laugh at how lucky we could have been. It just goes to show that the climb is never over till you're back somewhere you can call safe.

Me melting even more snow, a seemingly never ending job

yep, he's fast asleep