In reply to UKC News: Ironic that neither of the two most recent parties on this route had a topo handy on the leftward traverse across the terrace! Following the nose leads into the gully and to the brèche.
One party hadn't planned this route at all and had being following the nose from the lower Allain terrace. "What's that? Looks amazing, let's do that!"
It follows the most incredible line of weakness for fourteen long pitches from terrace to terrace, cutting through steep compact granite. There's only one way to go here.
The stone is perfect, the protection is perfect, the angle is steep, the position is mind-blowing. I'm sure that it will be a modern mixed classic, as long as the Dru doesn't fall down...
It was the second week of December with one brand new head-torch packed in soon after Montenvers slowing things down. Traversing the terrace in the dark with one LED and no topo was only ever going to lead the easiest way, the "North Couloir Finish."
Too bad as this missed out what I should have proposed as a True Finish. That's the way you would go if you set out in winter to climb an independent line to the right of the North Couloir, with no knowledge of existing routes. All the climbing is on the Petit Dru so the natural summit would be the Petit Dru.
Following on from our UKC News report last week, now we have a short video from Jon Griffith about his ascent of the Lesueur (with variation exit).
