Hard Grandes Jorasses for Bracey and Helliker

by Jack Geldard & Matt Helliker Nov/2012
This news story has been read 5,875 times

On the 16th November British alpinists Matt Helliker and Jon Bracey made what is probably the 2nd ascent of Plein Sud (900m, VI, WI4+/5R, M6+) up the wild South Face of the Grandes Jorasses.

After a 7 hour approach through deep snow on the moraines, sketchy wet slabs and the very complex Pra Sec Glacier, the climbers bivouacked at the base of the route.

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+Matt Helliker involved in loose mixed high up in the fault line, 167 kb
Matt Helliker involved in loose mixed high up in the fault line
UKC News, Nov 2012
© Jon Bracey

+Jon Bracey working his way round the looseness!, 139 kb
Jon Bracey working his way round the looseness!
UKC News, Nov 2012
© Matt Helliker Temperatures had been high for the time of year and with short daylight hours Jon and Matt started climbing at 3.30am aiming to get to the shaded deep fault 650m up before the sun hit the face. The line, which rarely comes into condition, climbs narrow ice runnels, steep cascade ice and delicate/loose mixed ground up a deep fault line with vertical walls either side. The line controversially finishes about 60metres below the Tronchey ridge after the first ascent team found that the terrain above was un-climbable without the use of bolts. The amazing face and line is easily visible from Val Ferret in Italy.

Matt and Jon had planned to extend Plein Sud to the ridge then to the summit of the Grandes Jorasses, but soon realised why the first ascensionists made the decision to stop roughly a pitch below the ridge. They encountered sizable stacked loose blocks, and the risk of pulling rock off onto the belayer was not justifiable. Even by this point they had already trundled a significant volume of rocks. Disappointed at not being able to carry on to the summit of the Grandes Jorasses, they started abseiling at 2.30pm at which point they described the route below them as being "in total melt down", with streaming water completely stripping the line in places.

They reached their bivouac site at 5.30pm. "We were a little wet after playing in some waterfalls on the way down!" they commented.

Matt and Jon highly rated the climbing on this infrequently traveled face and said:

"This is one of those routes where conditions are rare and extending Plein Sud to the summit would take exceptional conditions, but the route as it stands still gives a fantastic outing and we would like to thank the first ascent team for providing such a great adventure in a beautiful setting – Sergio De Leo, Michel Coranotte, Marcello Sanguineti, Maro Appino."

Plein Sud was first climbed on the 22 May 2010, is 900m and Graded VI, WI4+/5R, M6+.

+Jon Bracey in the upper fault, pulling through after a hard mixed pitch, 190 kb
Jon Bracey in the upper fault, pulling through after a hard mixed pitch
UKC News, Nov 2012
© Matt Helliker

+The Pre Sac Glacier and the line of "Plein Sud" on the South Face of the Grandes Jorasses, 116 kb
The Pre Sac Glacier and the line of "Plein Sud" on the South Face of the Grandes Jorasses
UKC News, Nov 2012
© Jon Bracey


Matt and Jon are both IFMGA mountain guides and are based out of Chamonix, France where they run a private guiding company. Check out their blog over at vertigoguides.com

Matt Helliker is sponsored by: Patagonia Black Diamond, Osprey, Adidas Eyewear, Scarpa, The Climbing Academy, Maximuscle,

Jon Bracey is sponsored by: Patagonia Black Diamond, Osprey, Adidas Eyewear, Scarpa


* Forums ( Read More... | 11 comments, 22 Nov 2012 )
The topos topos for the Croux/Herron 1928 and the Gogna/Machetto 1972 are in the fourth colune of the Guide Vallot, which is long out of print but available to consult in Chamonix. The description of the...
Luca Signorelli - 22 Nov 2012

Luca, Been trying to find some information on the other 3 routes on the Tronchey wall, checked summit post to no avail. Any ideas where to find further info? Cheers. Must have been a wild place to climb out of never...
walts4 - 22 Nov 2012

Bit of (useless - but fun!) statistics: - Jon and Matt are respectively the 9th and 10th people to ever cross the Pra Sec glacier (who was completely untrodden until 1972!). They join a very restricted list including...
Luca Signorelli - 22 Nov 2012

Yeah, maybe the media got too excited or something...??!!!! The headline from the website 'Planet Mountain' (which is an Italian site..?) reads: On 22 May 2010 Sergio De Leo, Michel Coranotte, Marcello Sanguineti and...
Jon Bracey - 22 Nov 2012

Just for the record: despite what was reported somewhere Marcello Sanguineti & C in 2010 NEVER claimed the first ascent of the route (as the last pitch connecting the gully to the Tronchey ridge is obviously the key...
Luca Signorelli - 21 Nov 2012

VI is the roman numeral grade, I'd be 99% sure. The rock is already covered by the M6+ or whatever. "WI4+/5" R is how you should be reading it, not "5R" - implies WI 4+/5 climbing that is notably...
AJM - 21 Nov 2012

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