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Chamonix August High Mountain Report

After a very wet start to the summer conditions are mixed

featured in Activity reviews Author Charlie Boscoe, Guest Reporter Updated

If you had to sum up summer 2014 in one word it would be “wet”. The rain has seemed constant at times this year but we finally got 3 successive sunny days last week and there were climbers (and skiers - more of that later) out and about across the Mont Blanc Massif making the most of the blue skies.

Unsurprisingly after so much bad weather, route choice has been pretty tricky because many rock climbs above 3000m are plastered in snow, some of the lower ones are seeping with water and in the high mountains there is enough snow to make many routes tough and (in some cases) avalanche prone. This was a classic case of having to be careful, conservative and willing to see how things panned out before you did anything too rash. 

Resisting the temptation to go big, I teamed up with my friend Tom Moores and we climbed the Voie Caline and Voie Princesse on the slabs below the Montenvers train. Both routes are about 350m long but the climbing is straightforward on both so we could move quickly and get used to climbing again. There was some water on the lower angled sections but both routes were dry enough to be climbed.

If you’re ever desperate to get out regardless of the weather, they are also climbable in the rain but might feel a bit slippery on the low angled sections! 

The next day I went to check conditions in the Aiguilles Rouges, and rode the Flegere cable car then the Index charlift to 2300m, by which time I’d just about frozen solid! It’s worth remembering that sun doesn’t always equal warmth….

There is still a lot of snow in the Rouges (which are normally pretty much dry by this time of year as they are predominantly south facing) and the north side of the range is completely plastered so I suspect that peaks such as the Aiguille du Pouce will be out for the foreseeable future.

We quickly nipped over the Aiguilles Crochues and down to Lac Blanc, which was busy as ever but gave wonderful views of the Mont Blanc Massif. I have to say that whilst all the snow is a pain for climbers, the mountains looks Himalayan right now and the panorama from the Lac looks as stunning as I’ve ever seen it. 
Most of the major faces are white and the north face of the Grandes Jorasses is more snow covered than I can recall it having been for a long time. The Dru north face is white too but looked like it could possibly dry out if we got some sustained good weather. The Aiguille du Moine is also holding snow but the normal route and south ridge should be fine. The Chardonnet also looks snowy but if we get some good weather and the snow solidifies, I’d imagine that conditions on the mountain will be excellent - I hear reports that the Bettembourg route has been done and the Forbes Arete and Migot Spur will also be good bets after a few sunny days and cold nights.

Elsewhere, the Envers des Aiguilles looked snowy but the routes dry fast there and some of the shorter, 
lower routes above the refuge will be fine.

With one sunny day remaining and high winds forecast at altitude, I decided (randomly enough!) to go for a ski on the Le Tour glacier. The Aiguille du Midi is easier access but I couldn’t face the thought of an unacclimatised slog back up the famous snow arête! The walk up to the newly refurbished Albert Premier Hut was fine and from there we skinned up and then skied down some wonderful spring snow. With it being August, the Le Tour Glacier was more crevassed than when you normally ski it so we roped up for the skinning and chose a very conservative line on the way down. The rewards for our efforts were some fantastic views and excellent skiing. The only slight glitch came when we finished skiing and then couldn’t find the 2 pairs of trainers that we’d stashed for the walk down - always mark the rock you leave your trainers under….! 

The weather forecast looks quite promising for the coming week but I’ve been studying the synoptic weather charts and there is still no sign of a “proper” high pressure weather system so don’t go too crazy just yet – a surprise thunderstorm is by no means out of the question! Things are looking up though and after the summer we’ve had, there’s plenty to be excited about. 

Location

Map of the surrounding area