UKC

Thinking about a continental ice-trip to the Garvarnie area, as a change from Cogne or the Ecrins. I have been there once before but a long time ago, so would be grateful for news about recent experiences, acomodation info, guide books etc.

I have seen one guidebook that seems to be purely about the cirque, what others are there for the area? Also, the cirque seems to start at pretty high grades (typically 4+, V), are there areas around that have 3+ or 4 type routes for more sure things?

Would also be interested in knowing more about higher mountain routes that are practical in a shortish trip.

Thanks

In reply to Simon4:
I was there about 12 years ago. Everything in the cirque hard. Well you need to be able to climb grade WI4-5. Long pitches lots of screws needed. Also the routes do not form all the time so be prepaired to go skiing instead. One last thing. The slopes above the routes are at the perfect angle for avalances so but prepaired to abseil off the routes rather than walking off.

In reply to Simon4:
Hi Simon - if you are looking for an alternative destination with a range of grades and lengths of climbs, have you considered the Dolomites? We're literally in the process of opening a climbers and skiers lodge just down the road from Sottoguda which has lots of roadside and very reliable ice as well as routes with longer walk ins/ski ins. The website isn't live yet - we're hopig to put it up over the next few days, but the place is just being fully renovated so should be a pretty comfy place to stay. Message me if you're interested. Sorry to the mods for the overt commercial plug but we will approaching you soon for a proper profile etc...

Take a look and see what you think...

In reply to Simon4:

THe Cirque du Gavarnie is the deep end of the pool. It's big and very scary when there's lots of snow around.

The Cirque du Troumousse isn't far away and that a lot more benign

Neither of them are roadside. Troumousse is a far easier walk and there is a winter refuge there. Gavarnie - a good idea to ski or hire snow shoes in the town if there's fresh snow. When you get to the hotel, think again if there's lots of snow.

Troumousse is a long drive along a single track, uncleared road. However, the guy who runs the auberge at the bottom has a tractor with a snow plough and does it himself. You may have to wait for him to decide it's time for a drive, or cross his palm with silver if you need to catch a flight and it snows while you're up the hill.

In reply to all:

Thanks.

Good points about the avalanche risk from the slopes above, always a point to bear in mind in Winter. Is it in any case possible to walk off, even in good conditions, from the Cirque routes? Good points confirming the pretty full on nature of the routes in the Cirque as well. Normally we can both climb 4, sometimes 4+ when going well, so the circque roots certainly seem pretty full-on.

To : nnif - what guides might the Cirque du Troumousse be in? Or websites, if you can excuse my blatant laziness in not searching for myself!

To : Mike Kann - I hadn't considered the Dolomites, but they would definitely be an option. I was mostly thinking about going somewhere different (not that there is anything wrong with Cogne, nor the Ecrins), also had a good trip there quite a long time ago, partly because at Christmas the days are that much longer that far South.

In reply to Simon4:

Abseil off - you may be able to walk through the Breche du Roland from the second terrace and into Spain (that's a poor joke BTW). Each tier of Gavarnie is about 1,000 feet - there are three tiers and two terraces. All the way to the top is a very, very big day out.

There's a photo-diagram of Gavarnie - frankly you don't need much more - it has the abseil tracks marked, the belays and the pitch grades - I think there's a guide to Troumousse (there are a few other cirques around too). I'll have a rummage in the cupboard and see what I can find - it will be a couple of days before I can let you know though.

In reply to nniff:

Much appreciated.

Last time we did actually go up to the Breche de Roland and stay in a hut there, before doing a mountain route to the crest of the Pyrenees. Good outing, but bloody cold overnight!

In reply to Simon4:

If you like I can send you details once it's up - just waiting for the domain name to come over from another host, so once that's done I can contact you to let you know a bit more. The climbing in Sottoguda is fantastic and super regular as it's a 150m deep slash in the bottom of a valley that doesn't get sun from December to February! There are also big alpine routes to be had like the Gran Vernal gullies o the Marmolada North Face and huge water ice in Langental (bit of a drive but worth it if 450m WI4/5 is you bag)...

In reply to mike kann:

I've not had a chance for a rummage yet - but tere is this

http://www.cordee.co.uk/Gavarnie-det-15-96-282-9008.html

In reply to nniff:

Cheers mate, I will try to look at a copy of that.

I tried searching google using "cascades de glace autour de Garvarnie", now need to see how useful the results are.

In reply to Simon4:
Theres also this in French or Spanish
http://int.barrabes.com/ed-desnivel-gavarnie-cascadas-hielo/p-4068?idVaried...

A bit further south than Gavarnie but fairly easy to get to from Barcalona
http://int.barrabes.com/ayto-bielsa-escalada-hielo-valle-bielsa/p-15001?idV...

http://int.barrabes.com/ed-pirisur-hielo-mixto-nieve-chistau-benasque/p-286...

For mountain routes theres some in this (also available in French) - Can lend you Spanish version if you want a browse
http://www.barrabes.com/ed.-desnivel-pirineos-ascensiones-mixto-nieve-hielo...

In reply to Simon4:

Hi Simon,
The only route I've been on there was Fluide Glacial http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/117395/fr/cirque-de-gavarnie-1er-etage-flu... There had been bad weather and quite a lot of fresh snow so we were aware that there could be avalanche danger. We dropped by to see the guru of Gavarnie ice climbing (this was mid-80s) Dominique Julien in Luz who assured us it'd be fine and that everything was in great nick. However as we waded in we could hear the roar of slides through the mist all around us but nevertheless continued having had the blessing of DJ. I led the first pitch and just before the first belay pulled off an enormous dinnerplate which in turn hit Hilary squarely in the middle of her back and rendered her incapable of lifting either of her arms. I abseiled off and we struggled out. A huge winter storm then hit France as we started driving north and closed all major roads and many of the smaller ones. My old VW bus's heater was non exisistent and so I drove sitting in my sleeping bag with my feet in double plastic boots sticking out of the bottom. Progress was at a snail's pace (and often stationary for hours) and it took us three days to get across France and another to get up to Plas y Brenin. The next day I emptied my sac out in the PyB drying room and still frozen ice cores from Gavarnie slid out of my ice screws!

Not much help I know, but I thought you might enjoy that...

In reply to jon:

In a similar vein, there had been a huge snow fall, and it was still snowing when we got there. We hired so snow shoes and went for a look. WE could see nothing through the mist but could hear the regular roar and crunch of avalanches all round. We got to the hotel (closed in winter) and decided that enough was enough. We dropped our sacs and went a little bit further, just to see if we could see anything at all. Then there was a big roar, that got louder and louder. We looked at each other and ran for the hotel as fast as we could in snow shoes and cowered behind its reassuring thick walls. Then there was an almight 'thwump!' and an inch of pulverised snow landed all in one go, covering absolutely everything. We looked like snowmen and our rucsacs had disappeared from view. We found them, put them on, fled and went skiing instead.

In reply to jon:
Greate story Jon, with some lovely touches - especially about the ice-screw cores still being there 4 days later! I must get Amanda to tell this Summer's story of the North West face of the Rimpfischhorn in a blizzard - after suitable censorship of course!

It is strange how when nature decides to hit you with one little trick, she acquires the taste for it, and decides you need thoroughly beating up. "When troubles come, they come not single spies, but in battalions".

The one time I did go to this area, the only place we could get any weather info was from the Gendamerie de Haute Montagne in Garvarnie village, where 2 gendarmes asked us about what we were intending. We told them the name of the high mountain route we were interested in, they solemnly assured us in great detail that this was unwise and not in condition, and why. We went to do it nonetheless and found it fine. Imagine our surprise when we got to the top and found the source of the obvious signs of passage on the route - the 2 gendarmes who had completed it just before us. Not being the slightest bit taken aback at being caught out in their little ruse to have the route to themselves, they brightly offered to take the summit souvenir picture.

In reply to L.A.:

I think my chance of understanding a French version is a lot greater than if it were Spanish!

The last time I went there, I was with a Spaniard (Basque actually), who was a fluent Spanish and French speaker. Quite handy, apart from when he got involved in a violent argument with the Gite owner who was also Basque and an ETA supporter, just when it was time to leave to go climbing.

In reply to mike kann:

Have emailed you.

I think my partner is more of a "roadside ice" type man than an "Alpine wall in Winter" dude. Last time (a long time ago), in the Garvarnie area, we did climb a mountain route and it was very good. I made the mistake of trying to ski in in mountain boots though, when I knew very little about ski-touring.

In reply to Simon4:

Likewise... YHM!

In reply to Simon4:

Just to say - the website is up and running now - www.casa-alfredino.co.uk

In reply to mike kann:

Thanks, I saw that and had a look at it.

Still talking it over with my partner, also trying to get some gen about ice climbing in the Dolomites from an Italian chap I climb with at a wall.