Refuge d'Argentière

Rose comparatively early at about 9.30 and started to accumulate the various equipment that would be required for a two night stay at Refuge d'Argentière (2771m), the plan being to ascend Aiguille d'Argentière (3902m, 1130m ascent, Normal Route (Glacier du Milieu) graded alpine PD-/PD in 1991 or PD+ in 2005) the first day and Tour Noir (3837m, 1066m ascent, Southeast Flank route graded PD), the second day, using the Refuge d'Argentière as our base.

After making some preparatory French phrases on a piece of paper, I phoned the Refuge and booked myself, Nick & Guy in for the prerequisite two night stay 'demi-pension' to include evening meal, bed, and breakfast.

We decided that we would need to leave the apartment by 2 p.m. to ensure we ascended to the Aiguilles des Grands Montets cable car station (3295m) via télépherique from Argentière (1950m, 1345m aided ascent) so headed into Chamonix town for a quick lunch and to pick up any last minute items. I had mentioned to Guy that myself and Nick had used two axes for our previous ascent, maybe 10 years previously and he went out on a mission for a secondary axe. I myself picked up a rope bag for future rock climbing expeditions and a couple of extenders to augment my growing rock climbing equipment inventory.


Making our way back to the apartment we packed and left at about 2.15 leaving the car at the cable car station and joining quite a group of parapenters with their huge backpacks filled with a large parachute, ready to jump off something high to float around for a few hours. Some of them seemed to in it for themselves while others would be 'along for the ride' by being paying customers and jumping with an experienced guide in a tandem jump.

Emerging from the top station we inspected our goals while the parapenters also roped up and made their own way down Southwest towards the Glacier des Grands Montets although I have no idea as to where they may have been going or, indeed, whether they would be jumping today or overnighting somewhere for an early jump tomorrow.

After a few photos I led the roped party down towards the Argentière glacier proper some 700m below us, with Guy in the middle and Nick following up the rear. The snow/ice walk down was routine after crossing the high bergschrund that always must be negotiated at the start of this descent. Looking across the glacier we could see that it looked very 'bare' with just the ice exposed and no fresh snow compacted down onto it. In many ways this is a lot safer for a glacier traverse as there are no hidden crevasses to fall into but these may be signs of the relative late stage in the season within which we are attempting this expedition. There is also the other, more sinister reason, that the glacier is retreating due to global warming or alterations in precipitation patterns; comparisons of glacier levels today compared with artistic impressions made 200 years ago do show a very different, and now much smaller extent of ice.


We were soon getting down to glacier level but realised that we'd have to cross a rock section before being able to finally reach the Argentière Glacier that we needed to cross to get to the Refuge d'Argentière (2771m), which would be a further 270m of ascent and a 2.5 - 3 km walk across. Since we had been able to walk on snow/ice when we had been before, and now this route was not available, on the assumption that the Glacier des Rognons had shrunk, the downward path was not terribly well defined and did not have a trail of cairns by which to follow. Thus, I placed a token few myself, to the comment, "Good job" from a French walker that had caught us up by this point. Who knows, maybe a few of my cairns could help form the default route onto the glacier in years to come!

Rocks traversed, we donned crampons and rope once more and made our way across two moraine lines and a bit far into the middle as the largeness of the crevasses showed. Nick saw a party, without ropes or crampons, probably meaning we were being over safe than them being foolhardy, a way to the right hand edge from our perspective, so we adjusted our route and eventually crossed at a higher level to reach the moraine with the refuge well in view.

Not knowing what to expect at this hut that we had been to a couple of times but never actually been inside, we dumped our stuff, donned our sabots, that we now know to be procedure, and a look around, high and low, to locate the 'guardian' or warden but to no avail. I walked right through the dim and gloomily lit hut and out to the other side without finding either any sign of a reception, dining area or anything else. I walked back around the building and asked someone where I could find the guardian and he explained there were some stairs inside. I went back in and felt my way in the dark until I found a stairwell which I ascended, to further feel around until I found a door handle that opened to the kitchen and dining area. This was very strange as this room was active, occupied by mountaineers chatting, reading climbing guides and reading maps, along with the smell of cooking. This really was a haven inside this dark container, itself an odd refuge from the mountains. I am not sure whether this was a refuge or a holding tank but its purpose is plain enough; somewhere to base yourself for an early mountain start without having to carry the extra weight of bivouac gear, stoves and food, and related equipment. This extra weight is not really that much of an issue for this type of route in summer, with the ascendant cable car station relatively close and bivvying not too uncomfortable in this season.

Inside the dining area are these large upward sloping windows easily 2 - 3m high, nice and wide and a bank of maybe 3 or 4 of them, totalling some 10m wide, providing an impressive spectacle of the () somehow making them seem a little bit surreal; here we were in this extreme location regarding these immense, and very dangerous, mountains but looking at them from this comfortable and safe (don't consider that it really is) location. It was as if they were too big to look at on this seemingly huge television; the mountains weren't 2 km away across the glacier but painted on the glass, and in full 3D.

I made myself known to the guardian, a presentable petite blonde-haired lady of about 35 that one could easily imagine has healthy mountain experience and is proficient off piste skier and alpiniste. We were booked in for our requested two nights and she showed me to our dorm room Number 3, 'Le Triolet' in three consecutive bunks, although it wasn't certain as to exactly how full the room was or if we could spread out.

Eventually it was dinner time and after a brief misunderstanding of 1) sitting at the wrong table (tables are labelled with party names); 2) there not being a table for us at all, 3) being told we could sit where we liked and 4) becoming doubtful that we had actually booked in for dinner, just a bunk, I doubly checked and it seems that they had forgotten to put our places out which was then promptly arranged and we were comfortable once more. We shared with an older couple from Paris, the lady serving us our soup ("Your plate!") who were content to converse with us in English over our dinner of vats of soup, bread, chicken on the bone and pasta. Sleeping time being of a concern, the late start of the planned 7 p.m. dinner served to shorten the proposed rest period until our planned breakfast time of 4 a.m.

As we discussed our routes, we approached the issue of the Tour Noir ascent and there seemed to be opinion that this may be a dangerous affair due to the issue of rock fall. We decided that we would enquire with the hut staff as to safety that route after dinner. After discussing the same with our table companions, the man said he would also ask as he and his companion had not finally decided on their route for reasons of safety; as his command of French was immeasurably better than ours we decided that we could find out from him what our options might be.

After discussions it seemed that the Tour Noir route we had proposed would be 'impossible' due to the very same danger of rock fall and decided that we would knock that on the head and spend just the one night at the refuge. As the convention is to pay for your stay after dinner for the last night that you will be staying, and we had missed the actual opportunity, I approached the guardian and she was happy to accept the €43 each for just the one night's stay.

Finally cramming into a bunk next to Nick, I saved a few items from my rucksack that was stowed with my boots in a cupboard in the 'refectory' area that was reserved for refuge residents that had opted to cook their own food rather than opt for the more expensive (but more convenient) provided fare.

Takin' i'r easy

Having to deal with our hangovers and the previous night's 'aftermath', Guy & Nick decided to go climbing for the afternoon in Argentière while I stayed at the apartment. I quite enjoyed using the time on my own to take it easy, doing some laundry, tidying the place up a bit and watching some episodes of Absolutely Fabulous, which I do find enjoyable but apparently not able to watch in-community, this being girls' viewing.

Eventually Ian came back from an acclimatisation exploit to Tête Rousse, Guy & Nick returning from Argentière, we strolled across to Le Courtepaille, a restaurant chain, where we had a nice evening meal (excellent steaks) and acceptable table wine.

This would be a brief rest period prior to considering our next day's start of adventure.

Dômes de Miage (3673m)

Rising comfortably at 3.40, we had our breakfast of bread & jam, coffee and tea. There was also cornflakes (to be eaten out of a cup!) and a pack of prunes (much to Guy's favour). Quite soon we assembled in the entrance area, with other climbers milling around with head torches on, getting ready for their trek up the glacier. The early morning darkness was wonderfully starlit with a bright half moon lighting the main and higher hanging glaciers and summits: Aiguille de Tré la Tête (3930m) and Aiguille des Glaciers (3816m). Thus, a headtorch was not necessary all of the time as we traversed the 500m or so to the glacier, some parties in front and some behind. I always think there is something magical about the tiny lights all around, grouped into little clusters. Head torches come in two basic forms, bulb, and LED. Bulbs are generally more yellow than LEDs and change in yellowness according to how charged the battery is. However, if a halogen bulb is used, a superior white-white far-reaching beam is the result. LEDs tend to have a vivid blue-white or white-white but have a more diffuse light than bulbs. The net effect for a party is a cluster of diamonds like a jewel box containing stones of mixed purity, glistening their own vivid character.

This effect, combined with the stars of the belt of Orion bolted firmly to the blanket of the cosmos just above the Aiguille de Tré la Tête served to provide a truly awe-inspiring spectacle.

Donning crampons and connecting to the rope, we attained our previously agreed rope positions with Guy leading, Nick in the middle and myself at the rear. By the time we were walking on the ice we were the last hut party walking with three other groups close in front, two parties of two and another of three, the three group being led by a guide.

We had chosen a particular ascent destination, namely the Col des Domes (3564m, 4.5 km horizontal, 1180m ascent), rather than the further Col des Infranchissables (3349m, 4 km horizontal, 750m ascent). This would mean that we would miss one of the Domes de Miages peaks (unnamed 3672 m) but still be able to pick up the rest of the ridge, working our way Southwest towards the Aiguille de la Berangère (3425m).

Looking around it began to get light as we walked with the at-first faint light of dawn appearing dead ahead as we walked due East. Also of note was the building cloud as the sun rose above a distant horizon although still hidden from our view. It was quite noticeable when this moment occurred with a sudden and significant increase in brightness and distant mountain tops becoming obviously lit by direct sunlight.

As the ascent continued, we continued a steady pace which I found to be a great chore, a combination of remnant fatigue from the previous day's walk in, and the ever decreasing atmospheric pressure as we ascended to a planned 'turn off' point at 3300m (700m of ascent from the hut, 2h 45m walking time), at which we would turn left and ascend the Col de Domes.

A brief rest, one Mars bar later, and still within range of two other parties, the guided party just behind, we were able to follow two further parties into the now thick mist that had formed. We now had just 300m further to ascend up to the col altitude of 3600m, just 50-100m or so below the summits of the main ridge itself. Finally reaching the col after what, for me, was an absolute slog, the length of rope between myself and Nick being taught for much of the time, we appreciated an increase in the wind speed and a decrease in the temperature. We battened down the hatches with some extra layers and followed the guided party Southwest to the summit of the unnamed 3633m peak, rather than, as another party had done, ascended Eastwards to a further unnamed 3673m summit.

By the time we had reached the top at about 9 a.m., a little over four hours from the hut, the weather had really closed in. This, however, did not abate my feelings of elation and joy at this achievement. There was hardly a view, however, but the briefest of glimpses of the valley far below made it all worthwhile.

I asked the guided party who summitted at the same time as us if they were continuing and they said that due to dangerous ice conditions, they would be retracing the ascent route. We decided to follow suit and after a brief photo opportunity, descended back down Col des Domes. It is amazing that we had started our ascent from La Cugnon some 18 hours previously, I was overjoyed and completely satisfied to spend just 10 minutes at the summit. (There would still be a further 5 and a half hours of descent time, so about 24 hours of ascent and descent for the brief summit visit demonstrates the effort being put in just to stand on the top - all completely worth it!)

Resting briefly at the base of Col des Domes, we quickly descended to our earlier kitting up point, and took off rope and crampons and made our way back to Refuge des Conscrits for a welcome 'bol de thé' (bowl of tea). After this welcome rest we quickly decided to make our descent, judging that we could be back at the car within two and a half hours. I split the route into four 'sections' in my mind: 1) hut to glacier (also including the chain-assisted descent); 2) glacier descent over the moonscape of loose rocks to which I added my very own cairn; 3) the section between the glacier and Hotel Tré la Tête (so named 'le Mauvais Pas' - 'the not bad'!), and 4) the descent through the forest back to the car. The forest descent seemed to become the most protracted as we just wanted to get back to the car. Also, as I had elected to carry the rope, I did experience some back pain that I obviously needed to alleviate, so the urge to descend was exacerbated.

When we returned we decided that we would have a reward 'night out' and frequented the 'Queen Vic Pub' (predictably patronised and staffed by Brits), the 'Bar Moulin' and the infamous Le Choucas which became a heaving mass of dancing bodies by the time we left after 2 a.m. Not being able to get a taxi we were faced with a 4 km walk back to Taconnaz in the rain, something Nick preferred not to do so called Ian out to give us a lift, a not unwelcome development.

Les Conscrits

We had decided the night before that Domes de Miage (PD) would be a suitable ascent, given the weather forecast. This would involve staying at a mountain hut, Refuge des Conscrits (2602m), a five hour, 8 km, walk in from La Cugnon (1200m) near to the village of Les Contamines Montjoie. This would involve about 1400m of ascent to the hut, also walking some 2 km along the Tré la Tête glacier, via another hut, the Hotel Tré la Tête (1970m). I broke ahead of Nick & Guy, walking through the l'Envers du Cugnon forest on this sweltering day. I soon reached the hotel Tré la Tête in about 1 hour 20 minutes, which is situated in a prominent position on the ridge, also a corner to the 'entrance' of the curved glacial valley into which we would be entering.

The glacier was visible, with a torrent of water carved through a deep rocky channel at its base, the snout being maybe 20m thick, with deep caves visible, the ice being white to a deep cyan in colour.

Scrambling over some 'whaleback' glacially eroded rocks and down to the glacier with lots of 'Bonjour's, many people passed, leaving the glacier, a mixture of what looked like climbers, day trippers and maybe some parties that may have stayed at the Conscrits hut for the night.


Onto the rock-covered glacier, some 500m wide the ice being occasionally visible, I followed various differently arranged rock cairns that depicted a rough path. Gradually ascending further up the glacier proper and towards the huge wall of broken and crevassed ice named the Seracs de Tré la Grande, I looked back and could see Guy & Nick following on behind, gradually catching up. I had noticed that I was slowing down, the rarity of the atmosphere beginning to take an effect. I waited just before the seracs so that we could discuss the remainder of the route, having seen a roped party moving up the seracs, considering that we too must rope up for a similar ascent. However, knowledge from the guide book suggested that we must now leave the glacier and ascend onto the hill side, a blue mark and arrow being visible on the huge rock face at the glacier's left side. Had it not been marked or suggested that this was the route, I certainly would never have suspected that and ascent via this face would even be possible but, moving our way up via a succession of previously placed chains, Nick & Guy soon forged ahead, with my pace slowing right down for this last 500m of ascent to the hut.

Keeping going, realising the benefit of walking poles, a combination of physical assistance and psychological rhythm-keeping, the hut became visible, a great psychological boost, even though probably still the best part of an hour away.


The hut finally 'arrived' and I heard someone saying 'Steeeve' in a familiar way; it was Nick and I could see a face and a hand poking out of a partially opened window. He indicated that we had secured Room 5, somewhat of a surprise as I had expected more of a dormitory-style accommodation rather than individual rooms. The hut was quite large, built around a central circular core containing a staircase accessing three floors, including kitchens, dining area, separate area for self-catering residents, a terrace and dormitories, also with very clean & tidy toilet facilities with showers! Quite salubrious, actually. In fact, it even had it's own cat! I understand that the hut can sleep 80 with a further 20 or so places for bivouacking.

I was very tired when I arrived and after swapping my plastic mountaineering boots for the clogs you have to wear inside huts, I made my way up to Room 5, where a welcome can of Coke was waiting, Nick already resting on one of the four bunks. Guy was off on a reconnaissance mission for the next day's early morning activities; we would need to rise in time for breakfast as 4 a.m. I also took to a bunk, to snooze for an hour before dinner at 7 p.m., where we regrouped and were joined by about four or five other parties who were likely to be doing the same or similar routes.

Dinner consisted of a great tasting broth with croutons and cheese followed by couscous and massive sausages, all very filling, to be further augmented by fruit yoghurt. Dinner can sometimes be difficult in these situations as there are often quite a few different languages being spoken around the table, never being quite sure who can speak which language and to what extent. Also, meal traditions and etiquette can be a challenge as there'll often be a communal plate or bowl per two or three parties.

All eaten, there were some impressive sunset views from the terrace which were captured by many a memory card prior to setting two alarms for 3.40 and 3.50 a.m. and retiring for the night. It had seemed cold in the room before dinner but a good supply of blankets and dinner ('eat to heat') ensured we had a comfortable night, maybe even a little too warm for the outside 6 degrees, dropping to 2 degrees by the morning.

Petite Aiguille Verte (3512m)

Rising at 8.30, we made our way to Argentière as planned and got the cable car, changing at Lognans, a halfway point between the valley and the top station.

It was cold (4 degrees) and windy ("moderate to strong"). We "descended the metal steps" and kitted up, using crampons for the first time this trip. I opted for the middle of the rope with Nick decided to lead with Guy happy to be at the back.

What became immediately obvious was that the route looked a lot bigger than I previously remembered from when we had been up here some years before. Also the conditions were quite different; there was more snow and it was not a hot & sunny day.

Also apparent was the 'naked' bare ice nature of the Argentière glacier and, looking over to the Aiguille d'Argentière we could see how much more rocky the route had become in recent years since Nick and my ascent up an albeit steep (up to 50 degrees at the top) but straightforward snow slope maybe some 12-13 years previously. How the Alps are changing.

Making our way up the Petite Aiguille Verte snow slope (20 - 25 degrees), we met our first obstacle, a bergschrund which had one point of closure, a steep wall of solid ice probably 8m or so high.

Soon over this we started our way up the route. What was always in the back of my mind was the very steep snow slope to the left, now at about 40 degrees and running down some 50-70 vertical, probably not the best place I wanted to go; care, attention and mountaineering skill would be the order of the day. We would have to ensure that we were slick, skilful, quick and professional.

Quickly the route became steeper and 'mixed' (snow, ice and rock, all interspersed randomly), involving some rock scrambling, on 70 a degree slope (although not sustained), using climbing techniques with crampons skitting around finding desperate purchase on, at times, a single crampon point. In many ways this is actually of benefit as stability can often be found where otherwise there would be none.

As we were probably one of the later parties on this ascent, and also that the descent route is just a reverse of the ascent, we were often in log-jams with other parties, often in narrow and exposed positions, lending itself to delay and confusion in communication.

The ascent continued apace with frequent placement of slings and using rock spikes to ensure we would always be protected in the event of one of us taking a fall. However, that is not to say that a fall would not have been uneventful; I am not sure what we would have done but the danger of falling all the way to the bottom is removed so reducing the risk of a significant fall must always be in our toolkit.

Eventually we reached the final summit block, with some vertical rock moves and a final traverse across an exposed step, an act that I had some trouble with; I do not think I have ever hyperventilated due to fear and it took me a couple of minutes to finally pluck up the wherewithal to traverse 3 metres or so to a point just prior to the summit; it would have taken a climb over, or traverse around, a final, considerably exposed block, an act that we chose to not follow through.

We still had the descent to consider and, with Guy leading this time, took all care in ensuring that we placed sling, spike and thread belays at every opportunity. The trick, being in the middle of the rope, is to be the middleman (funnily enough), swapping the protected person on each safety point as you reach it, also acting as communications point in the party. I don't think I realised this remit at the start but learned quickly.

The descent certainly was not the issue the ascent had been, I don't know why, the exposure, terrain and danger is strictly the same but maybe the fear of the unknown is removed, being replaced with that of familiarity. This is not to say that you can become complacent; the mountain can bite you at any time so it takes extra effort to make sure you adhere to all of your safety techniques as you did on the ascent.

Descending the solid ice of the bergschrund, we had reached our safe 'sanctuary', the snow walk back down to the télépherique station, whereby the weather really had started to come in with large fluffy snowflakes backed by a gloomy grey that we needed to descend away from.

A retreat to the télépherique 'boot cafe', an acceptable wooden sub-structure, we had some welcome coffees and a chat with a British climatology student about glaciers. A suitable topic considering there were a number visible out of the window, including the not-so-magnificent-these-days Mer de Glace.

We eventually left, maybe on the last but one cable car as they had closed later ones due to the increasing wind conditions. I had pointed out to Nick how the ascending car was slowly swaying in the wind. On our descent we were accompanied by some sort of fashion shoot team, complete with clothes rail and props. Not sure what they had been up to in the bad weather but I think they had certainly had the best of the day.

Aiguille de Belvédère (2965m)

Weather forecast not available for some odd reason but the day was gorgeous. Arose at 7.30 a.m. with Nick & Guy already up. I thought, "last up again", but then I am on holiday. We got to the cable car for about 9.15, then swapped to the télésiege arriving at l'Index soon after. The journey was mildly entertaining with myself and Nick sharing a chair lift, watching mountain guide types coming down the other side without the safety guard down, merrily chatting away just their bum friction saving them from slipping to certain doom.

We started our walk to Lac Blanc in the mist and went awry for a bit then eventually finding the path again, marked by big pink circles, reminiscent of the Think Pink clothing available in the 80s.

Soon arriving at Lac Blanc in about an hour, I was surprised at how small it seemed compared to the brochures. The view of the Mont Blanc massif was no less impressive, however, with the peaks heavy with all the recent snowfall, the glaciers looking fantastic.

We worked our way up to the start of the main rock route to the summit, comprising mostly loose rocks and a traverse of a high glacier. There were already a few parties around on the mountain so there was the ever-present risk of rock fall, requiring us to put on our helmets sooner rather than later.

After some debate on the start of the route we made our way onto the main ridge between the Aiguilles Crochues and La Belvedere some great views North to some of the lesser Alps.

Meeting a descending party, Nick asked how long to the top from that point, "quarante-cinq minutes, but for you, one hour". Not sure what we were supposed to make of that, we continued with our ascent.

I was very aware of the lessening atmospheric pressure, rendering me breathless from time to time with occasional giddiness. I've never been readily adapted to altitude and this ascent was proof enough of that.

Finding the route finally, along on the ridge, we climbed a tricky chimney. I was concerned that the difficulty would be sustained to the summit, us moving on a rope, placing slings over spikes from time to time, as protection. My feelings about the exposure were mixed but summarised on the side of comfortable. The ridge and route to the summit were somewhat reminiscent of routes on the Isle of Skye, so there was a certain degree of familiarity.

Also amazing to me were some of the geological features displaying much evidence of folding. The guide book says that Le Belvedere has a limestone "hat", a geological curiosity, but I am not sure what the curiosity actually is.

Atmospheric pressure at the summit: 711 Mb! And in 49 minutes from the previous time-check point.

The descent was received a lot more confidently and we were soon past the chimney that had caused me so much concern on the ascent, so much so that Guy and I thought it was still yet to come, an error that Nick soon corrected.

After de-roping we saw a helicopter flying back and forth but not sure of the reason. Looking down onto the glacier, we saw some fast moving objects, covering ground at great speed. The view was perplexing, how could anyone move across the glacier in 30 seconds when we had taken some few minutes? All was revealed soon enough as we identified either mountain deer or Ibex, that had soon made their way up onto the ridge in double-quick time, scared there by the aircraft.

After that excitement we made our own way across the glacier, de-helmeting and preparing for our descent to the l'Index télésiege via Lac Blanc.

Quite a fast descent we followed the cairns and path (including the red knickers event), diverting to the lower La Flégère télépherique and joining the tourists back down into the valley.

Stopping off in Chamonix for a couple of beers in a street café, we made our way back to the apartment, to plan our next day's adventure, which we decided would be an early cable car to Aiguilles des Grands Montets (3295m), for an ascent of Petite Aiguille Verte (3512m, 217m ascent), graded F/PD-. The reason for the early start was that the weather forecast indicated a 'band of rain' crossing the area later on in the afternoon.

La Joux

Spent an easy morning making our way up the road through Chamonix to La Joux and strolled up to the crag. This was replete with fully bolted routes which does take some of the uncertainty out of placed gear, probably a good thing, allowing some bolder moves than might otherwise be the case.

The character of the crag was one of small finger holds, footholds and smears, most of them around 15m or so high, with a bolted belay point at the top of each one, rather involving tying on with a sling, unroping, feeding the rope through the ring and re-roping. Unroping is a bit unnatural for a British climber but seems de rigeure in France. The key is keeping a knotted sling lark-foot attached to your belay loop with a karabiner at the other end, clipped out of the way during your climb, ready to clip in when you get to the top.

We started on a French Grade 4, which I found challenging, and I was pleased to progress onto some good Grade 5 routes by the end of the day, including a difficult Grade 5b where I took a fall but Nick's belay saved me from anything too serious. I restarted and made a successful ascent in the end.

Guy & Nick made some impressive ascents including some during the short periods of drizzle we had which served to make the rock quite slippery.

Six hours on the crag, we left satisfied after a good day's climbing, back to the apartment for a pasta dish served up by Nick; very good.

Plans for tomorrow: 8.30 cable car to La Flégère (1877m) from Les Praz, with a further télésiege (chairlift) to Col de l'Index (2385m) with an ascent of Aiguille du Belvédère (2965m, 580m ascent) via Lac Blanc (the one on all the postcards of Mont Blanc, 2352m). The route will involve a glacier traverse and some rock scrambling/climbing to French Grade 2/3 (English Diff/VDiff). We'll see how we get on.

This all depends on the weather forecast, though, which becomes available at 8.10 tomorrow morning.

Carrefour

Once again another rainy day. We took the opportunity to go to the Carrefour again to really stock up for the week, buying everything from Lardons (like little bits of bacon) to vin de table at €1.65 a bottle! Plus lots of nibbles, chocolate biscuits and stuff for our ascents, especially our favoured chocolate bars with nuts that we seem to have adopted as a summit tradition.

It seems as though the weather will clear tomorrow p.m. so have decided to take the Montenvers railway from Chamonix to just above the Mer de Glace (1913m) where we then take a télécabine to the Mer de Glace itself. It's then about a 7-8 km walk along the glacier to the Refuge de Requin hut (2516m, 600m ascent) where we shall overnight for an early start on Wednesday for our summit bid for Aiguille du Tacul (3444m, 930m ascent) via the Normal route, graded at PD-. I think we'll aim to summit for 7-9 a.m. as we've a long walk back down to the Montenvers top station (1510m descent), probably about 10-12 km. So, maybe rising at 4 a.m. would best suit us. This will also ensure that we get away from the main seracs as there has been a lot of precipitation falling as snow above about 2800m, increasing danger of avalanche! At least that means that below hut level the glacier ought to be free of any accumulated snow.

We'll probably be best advised to get to the train station by about midday to make sure we get to the hut in time for dinner (restaurant service) and some good sleep before the summit day.

In the end, Nick was elected (by me) to phone the hut as he has the best French out of the three of us. One phone call later and after words like "impossible" and "dangereux" Nick suggested that he'd "parle avec mes amis" and get back to them if necessary. It turns out likely that the first day after much rain (and snow at altitude) that risk of avalanche plus all the crevasses being covered, venturing up might not be a good idea.

So, Plan B would be some local rock climbing at La Joux, on the way to Argentière.

Point Break is quite a good film with lots of 'Woah's and 'Dude's but we came to the decision that this was probably as an idealised version of the surfing community as Vertical Limit was of the climbing community: complete rubbish. Lori Petty looked good anyway!

Les Chavants

Rose at about 11 a.m. and headed off to Les Houches and a small crag called Les Chavants which had a variety of Grade 3 to 5 routes. I climbed one route, a Grade 3, including an 'interesting' stance at the top involving me being left totally exposed! Important lessons learned I think. Nick & Guy opted for three further routes as the rain worsened and we headed back to Taconnaz for tea and sandwiches.

Spent the evening relaxing, having a few beers and relaxed reading, Nick & Guy opting for chess and draughts.

Weather forecast looks dodgy until Tuesday afternoon, at which point we may decide to go up to a hut for a summit early Wednesday morning, maybe Aiguille du Tacul, but we'll have to wait and see what the forecast decides to do.

Going on holiday

Got up at about 11 a.m. and booked a taxi for 1 p.m. in time for the flight to Geneva at a quarter to four. Met Nick and Guy in a bar airside and boarded easyJet flight 974. I decided to sit in a spare seat on the front row but had to put my hand luggage a few rows back. Talked to Matilde who was in the window seat and she said she was scared of flying so I tried my best to keep the conversation going. She explained that she was an English teacher and had been spending time in Canterbury on a course. I found her to be very interesting and gave her my email address.

Upon arrival in Geneva, we waited a while to get the Budget rental car and we were soon on our way and stopped off at the Carrefour supermarket on the way to Chamonix to stock up on a few supplies, including frozen pizzas, beer and coffee filter papers.

The weather had been forecast as "gloomy" and it certainly was!

We spent some time trying to find the apartment in Taconnaz and eventually found the key under the mat after a bit of team work. We held a lottery as to who could get which room and Nick got the ''master" bedroom while myself and Guy occupied the second room underneath the sloping roof which made standing difficult (more so for Guy, him being taller than me).

We eventually set ourselves up and got our heads down at about 4 a.m. after a few beers and watching Charlie's Angels Full Throttle (a wholly ridiculous film but the Angels are worth watching).

The apartment/house is very well equipped and makes an ideal base for two weeks.

What is average anyway?

Weighing in at an average of 10st 3lb (64.8kg) and a height of 5ft4in (162.5cm), Scottish females are the lightest in the UK.
The Independent

Height:	162.5cm
Weight:	64.8kg
Body Mass Index	24.5

Bristol Total Fitness

Climbing in Snowdonia

Photos

We (the Welsh) love Cadair Idris

Cadair Idris

Free lunch

Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch. This was free, yummee!


And there it was, gone!

Isn't she lovely

This is a photo taken of the Woman in White poster. She's very beautiful. In my opinion.

Scribblings on a toilet wall

The Foundry on Great Eastern Street EC2 is quite a bar; it's like a cross between a hippy commune and an opium den with an art gallery and writing all over the walls. Or as Max described it, "it's a pub crossed with an art gallery crossed with a student flat crossed with the contents of my mind!!"

Photos

Who wears the trousers?

I must admit I was startled to discover that the tag on my new trousers describes not only their size and color, but their “gender.”

Common Errors in English

Pleasant evening

I have just been for a lovely run along the Thames, from the Weir pub in Walton to Hampton Court bridge and back, about 10km. Got back feeling great and there was a lovely view out the back door with the sun sparkling through the leaves. Good to be alive right now!

Bridge on the River Kwai

"I hate the British
You're defeated but you have no shame
You are Stubborn but have no pride
You endure but you have no courage
I hate the British"

-- Col. Saito, character from "Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957)

...and I'm this old!

You Are 24 Years Old

24 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

I am this weird

You Are 70% Weird

You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

How Weird Are You?

Dalai Lama's Message at the millennium

Instructions for Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want can sometimes be a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation of your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the Earth.

16. Once a year, go somewhere you have never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Glasses or not?

Link