The third and last post about cracks in Chamonix is about Aiguille de Blaitiere. Famous for its steep and sustained crack climbing, Aiguille Blaitiere with the pillars: the Pilier Rouge and Jaune, has surprises for most climbers. It's simply not a rock wall to under estimate although it seems "closer" and a little bit more accessible than the climbs at high altitude.
Aiguille de Blaitiere is one of the mighty summits that you see from Chamonix centre when looking up towards the impressive north walls above you. We had never got the chance to say hello and I had only heard about the great climbing found on "Pilier Rouge" and "Pilier Jaune".
I had convinced my partner that we would give the mythical route: Fidel Fiasco (6c+) a go. Confidently, not knowing our destiny, we hiked up towards the Blaitiere from the mid-station of Aiguille du Midi in the early morning.
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| Hiking up towards the Blaitiere in front |
It's always a bit tricky to find the best approach the first time. We wandered around the boulders until we eventually found a good trail leading up to the snowfield under the Pilier Rouge. As we gained the big ledge, a huge snow field came into sight. Fidel Fiasco would start somewhere above that snow, or ice...it was a hard and intimidating steep slope, leading down to the doom. This was not what we had expected in the mid July!
"We didn't bring gear for that kind of obstacle, did we ay?"
" No...What about choosing another route Johanna?"
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| Gorm on the first pitch of Majorette Tatcher |
We had to reconsider the Fiasco... Instead we climbed the fantastic 5 pitch crack called "Majorette Tatcher". A little perplexed by the grading from the Piola guidebook, it felt more like a 6c route than 6a! But the climbing itself was simply stunning! All the way up to the forth pitch.
A young guide named Julien passed me on his rappel down the wall:
- By the way, I hope you have a big cam!... Julien said as he gave me a tricky smile...
-What?! I looked at my gear and up the wall...
- Hey, do I really need it badly, 'cause I don't have one...
- Well, you can always squeeze your ass in a bit harder! Julien shouted from below.
Great... I big fat Off-width is waiting to eat me alive... I felt the awe coming.
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| Yes, the start of the "devils off width" pitch at Majorette revealed no threat for the yet happy girl... |
As I hung on the wall belaying Gorm and feeling pity of my self, I suddenly got new hope.
From my stand I saw another guy on his way rappelling down. I could see a shiny big camelot hanging on his harness. Ok, this is my chance, I thought. The camalot came closer and closer...
"Hello, please, can I borrow your camalot, please please?" I really felt like begging...
I was lucky and the guy generously handed over the equipment.
It turned out to be the greatest gift of the day and it really saved my bum. Thank you so much guys!
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| Here it is, the off width on p4. Maciek who came up under us had a good time |
With Majorette Tatcher in the box, we went down to the valley just before the thunderstorms in the afternoon. It had been a good day after all.
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| Sliding down from Pillier Rouge just before that afternoon session of thunder |
Already the next day, Gorm and I went back to Blaitiere. This time to climb "Eau rance de l'arabie 6b". That first 6b slab is a killer for shorties like myself. I really struggled, we were cold and decided to bail.
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| A new beautiful morning mist on the way to Blaitiere |
I admit I was in an poor mode, I really don't like bailing. Gorm suggested we'd climb the neighbor route Nabot Leon 5+, another well worth climb. The rock was nice and we moved in a good pace. I happily gave away the runout pitch to my partner. Some days you just don't have that extra boost of energy needed to climb far between the pro. The climbing was not demanding but you gotta have the head with you in the mountains no matter the difficulty. I had left mine back in the bed that morning.
I was reminded how important it is to feel rested if you want to push on and feel comfy. It was time to get that well needed rest.
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| Gorm soon at the top of Nabot Leon, Pillier Rouge beautiful granite wall!!! |
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| The view from the valley, from Charmoz (left) to Aig. du Midi (Right) |
After a month of intense mountain and climbing experiences, the body and mind called for my attention: you can't push yourself endlessly. To progress, you need rest and recover too. We were approaching the return back to Norway and the last day in Chamonix was spent by the pool at La Piscine, looking up at the beautiful mountains above.
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| Time to relax and recover |
To sum up. There are enough crack climbs in the Chamonix Massif for a life time, but here is a good selection of routes if you want to get a nice intro:
Aiguille de Blaitiere:
Majorette Tatcher, 6C in Super cracks/6a by the old Piola book, 5 pitches (and bring a no 4 cam...)
Nabot Leon 5C, 7 pitches
Crampons and an axe are often needed on the approach to Aig Blaitiere in early summer
Aig du Midi S face:
Rebuffat-Bequet route, 6a, 9 pitches
Glacier equipment/competence needed
Pointe Lachenal S face:
Les Contamines, 6b, 9 pitches
Glacier equipment/competence needed
Count in some extra time to make sure you don't miss the last cabin down. The walk back up is strenuous if you're not acclimatized.
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| Gorm coming up the S-crack on Aig. du Midi's Rebuffat |
What gear do you happily bring?
Bring a full piece of rack on the routes and you often like to double up some sizes. If you are uncertain, look in the Super Cracks guidebook to get an idea of what gear to expect, but don't blindly rely on that info. It is not as accurate as we sould wish on all routes.
And always always bring some extra meters of cordelette rope to enforce old belays. There are plenty of old slings around, you only have one chance and one life so don't rapp off old debris.
I hope that you will enjoy your next crack climb in Chamonix!
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| Chamonix seen from Aig. Blaitiere, Pillier rouge |
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| I really like to approach the climbs on my skis, even in summer! |
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| Gorm coming down the Midi ridge, summer style with skis |
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| Ulrika doing some nice telemark turns down the glacier in July |
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| Gorm on S face of Aig du Midi... |
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| ....taking the lead on the next pitch |
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| Hangout, friends, ambiance |
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| A well worth ice cream |
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| I'm enjoying every single meter on Pointe Lachenal S face |
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| That's the feeling, high above the snow |
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| Pretty strange to think about skiing when you're in the valley... |
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| ...but 2000 m up, you're ready to go! |
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| Gorm topping out the Rebuffat route with the Helbronner cabin right under |
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| A lot of hiking/approaching/descending/sweating to get to the candy |
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| Ulrika and I on a stance somewhere |
Note: The very first picture comes from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lokko/
take a look at this site for many inspiring images. A talented photographer!
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