Mountaineering in Chamonix

Up until last year the high Alps have only ever been a bit of a dream for me. Ever since I was a kid I have only ever flirted with places like Grindelwald and the Eiger, Zermatt and the Matterhorn, Chamonix and Mont Blanc through images in climbing magazines or through the pages of books like the The White Spider or Mountains of the Mind.

My dad got me into hill walking when I was young which is something I will be forever grateful. Only ever the amateur, I got into more technical mountaineering back in my early 30s. Over the years I’ve done quite a bit of winter climbing up around Lochaber and had some seriously good days out with guides on routes like Green Gully and Comb Gully on Ben Nevis.

Italian Tom (green jacket) and Tom on Glacier de la Berangere

A few years back I was on my first trip out in Chamonix spending a week trail running in the mountains. It was while there, surrounded by these towering spires of shimmering white and vast deep glaciated valleys, that I decided I had to get myself back out there and swap the trail shoes for boots and crampons so I could experience some alpine mountaineering. Up high in remote places like Mt Buet or Col de la Terrasse you are surrounded by these endless mountains of snow, ice and rock. A wild and raw beauty that leaves you in no doubt about just how small we are in this vast landscape. Glaciers cling from the faces of mountains and flow down to the valleys below and sharp ridges of high peaks cut lines ever upwards towards the sky. Being in the heart of this kind of landscape, even for such a short period of time leaves an indelible mark and gives you a brief insight into why people have such a deep passion for this unique area.

“All week long we were surrounded by the magnificent raw beauty of an ever changing landscape. Walking across huge glaciers that were cracking and slowly moving under your feet and hearing not so distant rock fall makes you appreciate the power of the surroundings.”

— me

So, it was on, and after some planning me a a good friend of mine, Tom Thomas, spent a glorious week in August 2017 taking our first tentative steps into the high alps. We decided fairly early on that the only way we were going to make the most out of this experience would be to hire a guide. We needed someone who knew what they were doing and would be able to tailor the week to our experience while, at the same time, making sure that we came away having pushed our limits and gained a little more valuable mountain knowledge.

Tom, our guide was hired through ISM Guides. In his early 30s Tom was pretty much like all the guides I had been with over the years in Scotland - they give you the confidence that they know their craft back to front, while at the same time being personable, engaging and laid back.

As is always the way when you book a guide you have to keep an open mind as to what you are going to achieve over the time period you are together. There are so many dependencies that end up shaping the final itinerary such as the weather, the conditions, experience levels, fitness levels that if you go into a partnership like this with a very rigid view of what you want to achieve you will invariably end up being disappointed.

Our week ended up covering the following which was certainly enough to push our levels of experience.

Lift up to Aiguille du Midi on the Sunday afternoon
Then a scramble over the ridge line up to Cosmiques Refuge to spend the first night
Day 2 was the ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul and back down to the valley
Day 3 was a trek to Refuge des Conscrits from Les Contamines via Refuge de Tre-la-Tete
Day 4, up Glacier de la Berangere and a traverse of Domes de Miage
Day 5 was back down to Les Contamines, and onto Chamonix
Final day was a multi pitch route on Aiguille de l’Index

Apart from being a bit eager to do more of the high altitude mountaineering this was a great week in the alps. A real good taster that has opened up my eyes to the possibilities of what could be done on my next trips out to this region and beyond.

By far the most challenging element for me was the multi pitch route on the final day. Im no rock climber and certainly feel more comfortable with ice axe in hand and crampons on my boots. I look back on this final day as a real achievement and something that has given me the confidence and inspiration to take my rock climbing further.

All week long we were surrounded by the magnificent raw beauty of an ever changing landscape. Walking across huge glaciers that were cracking and slowly moving under your feet and hearing not so distant rock fall makes you appreciate the power of the surroundings.

We also witnessed what can happen when you don’t concentrate and when you don’t give this environment the respect it is due. Our group of 3 were literally feet away from 2 roped climbers when they slipped off the face descending du Tacul on the second day. They slid and tumbled around 200m down the steep slope narrowly missing a deep serac and coming to a stop just a couple of meters from a 30m sheer drop. Watching this unfold in front of your eyes is a very surreal feeling. At first you are wishing them to self arrest, and when they don’t you just feel the utter helplessness of not being able to do anything.

Our guide, Tom, did call the mountain rescue and, as we slowly descended to the two fallen climbers we watched the rescue unfold as the helicopter roared in and took the guys one by one off the mountain side. Watching all this first hand gives you a new found respect for mountain rescue teams the world over.

The week was by far one of the best mountain experiences I have had, and so for those kindred spirits who find sanctuary in the mountains and enjoy sharing these experiences with your pals, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Memories like these will be etched in your soul and will fill your heart for years to come…I can’t wait to get back out there.

We used ISM Guides.
I travelled with a fantastic transfer company called AlpyBus from Geneva airport to Chamonix.
When in the Chamonix valley we stayed at Vert Hotel which is a fantastic little place just outside Chamonix centre.