A rather ridiculous route in the Aigulles Rouges, involving multiple abseils, a lassoed tyrolean traverse and a few pitches of climbing thrown in between. All climbed in French Alpine Style (avec baguette).
Owen was very keen to climb Mont Blanc. I'd never climbed it and was quite interested to join him. With a perfect three day weather window, we joined the hoards on the Goûter Route for the long hike to the top.
We hadn't yet been high this trip, so we took a rather slow approach to our acclimatisation which included time for two spagbols en route. Our plans paid off as we summited just in time for a beautiful sunrise bathing the Matterhorn on the horizon in golden light.
Wet weather in Chamonix? You could do much worse than Via Corda Alpina - 600m of easy slabs up the rising ridgeline above the Arveyron Gorge. We made a leisurely afternoon ascent in big boots on small smears.
After a very wet first day in Chamonix, Owen and I took a chance on there being good weather above the clouds and caught the early lift up the Brevent. It was an atmospheric day in the craggy mists, with long easy pitches punctuated by some short scrambling and abseils (Owen's first!). We finished the day with the first half of Hotel California, before the rain and last lift loomed.
I'd want to do some self-rescue training for a long time, so Clay sorted us out with a guide for day to run through the fundamentals of escaping the system and rescuing hapless seconds. All Will needs to do now is learn to climb again!
Great weather and calm seas for my first trip down onto Wen Slab with Clay. Clay lead the long, delicate first pitch of Concrete Chimney, both handing over to me for the 3D extravaganza of the second.
Low tide was at early afternoon, so we had just enough time to abb all the way down to the base ledges of Britomartis, before Clay watched my weak little arms haul my body up the steep moves to the "smelly cave" above.
