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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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You need to be in good cardio condition to go fast, and not going fast is the A #1 way to get whacked. During my summer there, there was an average of one death per day, or something wild like that. The helo's were doing a fairly constant and brisk business. Their base was next to Snell's Field, so seeing them come down with a body in the litter was a fairly common occurrence. Cham was the only place where I met someone who ended up dying.
I have some great stories of coming _this_ close to being beheaded by a falling rock.
The funnest summer of my life. I highly recommend Chamonix to anyone.
I was 6 foot and 135 lbs. My resting pulse was 40 or thereabouts. Duane and I had been working on a seismic crew all winter and spring, living off of a can of tuna per day. We would hike up to the Midi rather than spend money that could have spent on gear. I threw everything away and came back with a pack full of gear, including wearing double boots on the plane.
In August...
We never got on the Eiger, and that was our goal. It had been a dry winter and a wet summer, so it was high rockfall on pretty much every route.
Pete: If you won't hike up to Half Dome to do those routes, you are never going to make it in Chamonix. Go buy those P90X workout videos and get honed.
Is the Bar Nash still there?
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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L'arête des Cosmiques à l'Aiguille du Midi
Watching that video. I have little alpine knowledge, so can someone tell what use it is to simul while tied into a 10-15 foot spread of rope w/o pro? Seems like if either slips or breaks into a crevase, both are going for the ride.
Edit: ok, after watching it again I see that the lead climber has a fair amount of coil in his hand for deployment. Still seems pretty worthless.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Watching that video. I have little alpine knowledge, so can someone tell what use it is to simul while tied into a 10-15 foot spread of rope w/o pro? Seems like if either slips or breaks into a crevase, both are going for the ride.
That is a common sight there, as this is the way guides whisk their clients along easy snowy, alpine terrain quickly. That video sure looks like a guided situation. Problem with that technique, as you point out is that it doesn't do much good in the event of a fall. Go look at the guides memorial in the Chamonix cemetery. The number of guides killed in action is jaw-dropping, and I would guess the short roping technique without anchorage accounts for a lot of the carnage.
At about 1:38 in that video is the exact place on the Cosmiques Arete where I nearly came to blows with a dickhead French guide about 15 years ago. He had his roped client weaving in and out between myself and my partner, both of us unroped. I was concerned that the client, not looking too solid might fall and take us with him. When I refused to let the client pass me, the guide started screaming at me. That's a great route, but the crowds on it are ridiculous.
Several days later, when climbing the Grand Capucin, I saw the reverse of that situation when Stevie Haston was screaming at a French guide. In that instant, Stevie became on of my heroes and I truly hoped he would kick the guy's ass, even though I had no idea why Stevie was so pissed.
Is anyone else thinking that mixed route on Point Lachenal looks awesome?
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Is anyone else thinking that mixed route on Point Lachenal looks awesome?
Way above my pay grade. Sweet video.
Agreed that the earlier vid looks like a guided climb.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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1) guiding specific! Only for protecting the client.
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There are several places in that vid where they are short roped in class 4 snow/ice terrain and the guide has no ice axe in hand. Guess it is just for psychological support for the Client, but if the Client slips they are both toast.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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A degree from the Sorbonne is not a prerequisite for joining Le Compagnie des Guides.
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Degaine
climber
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Short-roping is a common technique guiding or not guiding (at least in the Alps). Of course it's not fool proof and the leader can't fall, but on easy snow slopes (like in the vid) and with an axe in the snow, you can keep the second relatively safe. It does require tension on the rope.
The Arête des Cosmiques has a lot of spots where you can run the rope behind a horn or place a quick piece of gear, so one needs to be well versed in ridge climbing and mountaineering rope technique in order to be quick.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 4, 2013 - 02:32pm PT
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The Arete Des Cosmiques video is in fact a guided climb and the client is a celebrity, the great football (soccer) player Zidane. He is most famous for the head butt in the world cup final against Italy that got him ejected.
The head butt is so famous that there is a bronze statue of it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24747919
The route looks crowded, but still spectacular. One of those great Chamonix routes where the last move is onto the terrace of the gondola station.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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The route looks crowded, but still spectacular. One of those great Chamonix routes where the last move is onto the terrace of the gondola station.
I remember executing the last ladder moves on the Cosmiques, and within minutes having a chilly Heineken in my hand. A great way to end an alpine route.
And I also remember the manufactured hole in the rock section that was in a perfect spot for a front point, which made the rock move casual.
Bruce, do I recall seeing you in a picture in the Coast Range on a goulette snaking its way up perfect granite, maybe in a guide book? You are certainly right in saying there is something irresistable about a skinny line of ice going up through perfect granite. . in some ways the ultimate in climbing experiences.
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Dec 15, 2013 - 04:18pm PT
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Because of The Scottish Armada thread I remembered Tom Patey with the Glenmorangie single malt, which brought me to Chamonix and the Aiguille Sans Nom, Aiguille Verte, Voie Brown-Patey (Joe Brown and Tom Patey). Variantes Laurent-Herry dans le bas. Sortie par la Marsigny-Morh et la fin de l'Arête Sans Nom (Field Ravanel Demarchi Broadrick)
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 15, 2013 - 04:24pm PT
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"Ice is for pouring whiskey on" TP
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ruppell
climber
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Dec 15, 2013 - 06:05pm PT
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All I'm seeing in these youtube videos from marlow is:
"Chamonix The Land of Bolted Cracks"
That just made it number one on my euro destinations. lol
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perswig
climber
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Dec 15, 2013 - 06:16pm PT
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Nice pics, Bruce.
That view looking up the goulette had my fingers twitching.
Thanks for keeping this thread going, Marlow.
Dale
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 16, 2013 - 09:43am PT
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Thanks for posting the Patey Brown route/Aiguille Sans Nom video. The Dru Couloir is hard to get a photo of since it is in a cirque formed by the Aiguille Verte/Sans Nom and the video has a straight-on view of the couloir at 11:28.
Those TV Mountain videos have a refreshing style with no narration, few words, and just the sights and sounds of climbing the route. Really gives you a flavor for what the climbing is like.
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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The Chamonix region
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Climbing from the region on old postcards
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!