Chamonix June High Mountain Report

There have been the odd glimpses of blue sky over the last week but they have been all too fleeting, meaning that although some keen types have managed to get the occasional good ski descent in, most mountaineers have been Valley bound, waiting for the sunshine to come.

Following all the precipitation last week – almost every evening saw a thunderstorm – it seemed likely that the mountains would be plastered in snow when the clouds parted but this doesn’t seem to be the case. There is still excellent snow cover at mid elevations (3000 – 4000m) but not the volume of fresh, soft snow that might have been expected following such a long spell of dodgy weather. This is great news for the snow based routes of the Mont Blanc area, most of which should be in good condition.

However, the large quantity of snow that has built up over the course of such a stormy spring period means that by late morning, walking across the glaciers and up some of the snowier ridges in the Massif can be pretty tough going as everything starts to soften up. If you’re heading for a snow route right now, conditions will probably be excellent but you’ll need an early start so as to be up and off by the time the sun does its thing and turns everything to mush. Other “issues” with snow are firstly that there have been incredibly high winds at higher altitudes (above 4000m) recently so there will definitely be some windslab higher up and there are some enormous cornices about! Secondly, lots of loose rocks are nicely glued in place by the snow and ice right now but as the temperatures rise and the sun shines, the snow will thin and soften so at some stage those same rocks will be coming down! Again, get an early start. Climbing snow-based routes at this time of year is fantastic, it just requires that you get your route done before the lovely snow that should be so nice to climb turns to slush and starts raining rocks onto you! This is alpinism after all, early starts are all part of the fun 

As far as rock climbs go, the quicker drying routes are ready to go and there have been plenty of teams out enjoying them. The Grand Capucin, Pointes Lachenal, Eperon des Cosmiques and Aiguille du Midi south face are all dry enough to climb (albeit with some snow still on the ledges) and have all seen some traffic over the weekend. Anything that isn’t facing south is still a long way from being dry but that still leaves plenty to go at.

For the mixed climbers out there, conditions will likely be pretty good once the snow begins to transform into ice. There were climbers on the Eugster Diagonal couloir of the Aiguille du Midi north face on Sunday and the Triangle du Tacul was also busy as ever. The Contamine-Mazeaud route on this face looked black and unpleasant but there was a group making good time on the Contamine – Grisolle and the ever-popular Chere couloir was being climbed too. The north face of the Tour Ronde was also busy with climbers, as well as having ski tracks down it.

Finally, it seems that there is still skiing to be had right now and the north face of Mont Blanc is quickly becoming a mogul field, such is the number of people skiing it right now. There is an excellent track to the summit from both the Cosmiques and Grand Mulets huts and the route down couldn’t be much clearer given all the tracks on it. There has also been plenty of activity on the Aiguille du Midi north face, with both the Mallory and the Col du Plan having been skied. However, the tracks on these routes look a few days old and we probably need a bit more snow if they are going to be skied again this year. For those who like things a bit mellower (me!) the traverse of the Vallee Blanche, between the Helbronner and the Aiguille du Midi, looked in superb ski condition and there are lots of people currently out there making the most of the spring snow. The NW face of Mont Blanc du Tacul also has numerous tracks down it and the snow looks excellent.

Overall, there is plenty to be going at right now, with the ski season hanging on for a few more days, plenty of dry rock climbs and a good covering of snow on routes that need it. Get yourself into the mountains!

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Charlie Boscoe grew up in North West England, but having finished University his passion for climbing and skiing took him around Europe and eventually to the Alps, where he has been ever since. After several years spent leading expeditions he is now working full time in Chamonix, in attempt to spend more time at home and less in a tent! He is sponsored by Black Crows Skis, Scarpa footwear and Plum bindings.

NB: Off piste skiing and mountaineering are dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional mountaineering training and/or the individual's own back country decision making.