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Hi,
Wondering if anyone has info on the current conditions for either the Diable Ridge, or the Dent de Geant?
Are they currently climbable without crampons?
Thanks!
Anna
Wondering if anyone has info on the current conditions for either the Diable Ridge, or the Dent de Geant?
Are they currently climbable without crampons?
Thanks!
Anna
In reply to Anna_wells:
Hi Anna, I am in Sheffield at the moment rather than Chamonix but there was a good update on the OHM site on the 23rd http://www.ohm-chamonix.com/info-montagne-conditions-montagne-11100000.html...
Diable Ridge and Dent de Geant have both been done lots in recent days and I am sure the rock will be dry. It is due to get much warmer in the coming days so the snow will go to slush pretty quick. Feel free to email me through the site for a bit more beta.
Hi Anna, I am in Sheffield at the moment rather than Chamonix but there was a good update on the OHM site on the 23rd http://www.ohm-chamonix.com/info-montagne-conditions-montagne-11100000.html...
Diable Ridge and Dent de Geant have both been done lots in recent days and I am sure the rock will be dry. It is due to get much warmer in the coming days so the snow will go to slush pretty quick. Feel free to email me through the site for a bit more beta.
In reply to Anna_wells: You will always need crampons to reach the base of the Dent du Geant after that you climb without cranpons.
In reply to Anna_wells: Anna, approach to both require crampons. 3 days ago the geant looked pretty well snow free so I would expect crampons wouldn't be required.... The normal route is mainly hauling on a massive fixed rope anyway and find in big boots. If you are doing the aiguille s du diable, I would think crampons would be a good idea as I presume you would be descending by the tacul normal route to the col du midi?
Andy
Andy
In reply to Anna_wells: I can only think of one 4000er that doesn't require crampons for approach or descent. You really must do some homework on your project before contemplating a route like the Diables (in plural several of them) . And I hope your rope work is smart for the abseils etc if you don't want a bivvy in what is a very serious place.
In reply to Anna_wells:
of course crampons are needed for approach and descent...i was wondering about the rock climbing ridge section :S !!
Jon: we are having a really fun time! we have managed 34 peaks so far , including a few tricky ones- weisshorn, taschorn, matterhorn, but it has been a humbling experience!
of course crampons are needed for approach and descent...i was wondering about the rock climbing ridge section :S !!
Jon: we are having a really fun time! we have managed 34 peaks so far , including a few tricky ones- weisshorn, taschorn, matterhorn, but it has been a humbling experience!
In reply to Anna_wells: Wow! That's 15 years quicker than me! Well done.
In reply to Anna_wells: Taschhorn - I'm envious.
In reply to Anna_wells:
Thanks
we have been keeping a blog with some photos and stories! :
www.timandannaclimbing.blogspot.com
Anna
Thanks
we have been keeping a blog with some photos and stories! :
www.timandannaclimbing.blogspot.com
Anna
In reply to Anna_wells: photos look great! were heading out to zermatt on Wednesday. good luck with rest of the trip!
In reply to Anna_wells: Nice blog and picturs. I wish I had tried this at your age. If the weather holds you should do it!
In reply to Anna_wells: Great start, keep going
In reply to Anna_wells: Great blog! Keep going!
In reply to jon: You are quite right. Unfortunately I can't access her blog so don't know how many are on her 4000ers project. But whatever its a remarkable achievement and not just with the least of the major peaks. It was a pity her posting was poorly phrased in the light of last year's, and I was not the only one to read it as asking were crampons needed for these two climbs. But with this experience and altitude training behind her its full throttle open. All the best to the pair of you Anna.
In reply to jcw:
As I remember it was 82, so she's almost half way there. If she wanted to do the Blodigs then she's over half way. And not even August yet! I do hope she continues. It'd be so easy (and so tempting) to say 'stuff it, I'm too tired'! What an incredible coup it'd be. Maybe a week's rest is in order to re-charge...
As I remember it was 82, so she's almost half way there. If she wanted to do the Blodigs then she's over half way. And not even August yet! I do hope she continues. It'd be so easy (and so tempting) to say 'stuff it, I'm too tired'! What an incredible coup it'd be. Maybe a week's rest is in order to re-charge...
In reply to jon: It would truly be a coup! I would say nearly half way through in number but nowhere near in difficulty. Some big stoppers still to do but keep cracking through them guys and good luck.
In reply to jon:
Yes, a very impressive effort.
I'm not sure I could carry on doing peak after peak like that, though at the moment I certainly feel deprived of the Alps. Lets hope she has good luck in her efforts.
> .... It'd be so easy (and so tempting) to say 'stuff it, I'm too tired'!
Yes, a very impressive effort.
I'm not sure I could carry on doing peak after peak like that, though at the moment I certainly feel deprived of the Alps. Lets hope she has good luck in her efforts.
In reply to Anna_wells:
Now we've decided to go home :P Happy but tired! I guess its the "psychological burnout" that people mentioned. But when it stops feeling "fun" (and all the snow slopes feel the same!), i think the point of it dissapears as well! it seems more valuable to come back and build happy memories over the years than this feeling of "getting them done"!
but its been super! i think it was okay to come with such a big , maybe naive, ambition because it drove us to do so much. less than a year since my first time in the alps, its been quite an apprenticeship.
With a slow start in june and just 4 peaks, in july we managed a further 34, including the 10 highest, and most importantly, had a brilliant time.
Anna
Now we've decided to go home :P Happy but tired! I guess its the "psychological burnout" that people mentioned. But when it stops feeling "fun" (and all the snow slopes feel the same!), i think the point of it dissapears as well! it seems more valuable to come back and build happy memories over the years than this feeling of "getting them done"!
but its been super! i think it was okay to come with such a big , maybe naive, ambition because it drove us to do so much. less than a year since my first time in the alps, its been quite an apprenticeship.
With a slow start in june and just 4 peaks, in july we managed a further 34, including the 10 highest, and most importantly, had a brilliant time.
Anna
In reply to Anna_wells:
A lot of Munro baggers have the "getting them done" attitude and end up missing out on some gems of adjoining hills and tops.
Better to leave some for another time ,and have something to look forward to.
34 in a month is impressive.
don't think I could charge up little old 3000ft Ben More 34 times in a month.
A lot of Munro baggers have the "getting them done" attitude and end up missing out on some gems of adjoining hills and tops.
Better to leave some for another time ,and have something to look forward to.
34 in a month is impressive.
don't think I could charge up little old 3000ft Ben More 34 times in a month.
In reply to Anna_wells: A magnificent achievmeent. Congratulations, I admire your determination and resolve. Hats off to you!
In reply to Anna_wells: Great achievement! 34 peaks in one summer..
In reply to Anna_wells: Well done Anna, and don't worry about calling it a day. As the famous quote from Don Whillans has it :
"The mountains will still be there next year, the trick is to ensure that you are"
It is always possible to suffer from burn-out when on a route, then you often have no choice but to continue. But for an extended series, it is very dangerous to push on when either physically or mentally it does not feel right. Some of the remaining peaks would have put you into some very remote and serious terrain, and being half-committed would not have been good enough. Knowing when to "climb down gracefully" is one of the most important Alpine skills, I have very often retreated, mostly in good order, but sometimes not so much.
You will have some tremendous memories and greatly enhanced Alpine skills and awareness as a result of this Summer.
"The mountains will still be there next year, the trick is to ensure that you are"
It is always possible to suffer from burn-out when on a route, then you often have no choice but to continue. But for an extended series, it is very dangerous to push on when either physically or mentally it does not feel right. Some of the remaining peaks would have put you into some very remote and serious terrain, and being half-committed would not have been good enough. Knowing when to "climb down gracefully" is one of the most important Alpine skills, I have very often retreated, mostly in good order, but sometimes not so much.
You will have some tremendous memories and greatly enhanced Alpine skills and awareness as a result of this Summer.
In reply to Anna_wells: Great effort. You may well have accumulated the highest number of 4000m peaks in a second season ever.
In reply to MG: Incidentally, did you do the Dent de Geant and Diable ridge?
In reply to Anna_wells: That's a brilliant performance. It was never on to do them all but it spurred you into really showing what you could do, and a fantastic season. Out of interest can you tell us what the peaks were? Just a list.
In reply to Anna_wells:
Thank you to everyone for the really nice comments
We did not do either of the Diable ridge or Dent de Geant; when we went up to do Mont Blanc from augille di midi, there was a lot of fresh snow , maybe as much as 30cm. we got a good view of the ridge and it looked quite snowy so we decided to give it a miss. Apparently it has been recently re-equipped , and is now possible with a 50m rope.
The list of peaks we did are, in order, (spelling might be dodgy as im going from memory!)
Bishorn, Allalinhorn, Weissmiss, Lagginhorn, Dom de Neige, Barre de Ecrins, Grand Paradiso, Durihorn, Hohbarghorn, Stecknadelhorn, Nadelhorn, Breithorn x5 tops, Pollux, Castor, Liskam x2 tops, Pyramid Vincent, Punta Giordani, Corneo nero, ludwigshohe, parrotspitze, signalkuppe, lumsteinspitze, dufordspitze, nordend, dom, matterhorn, weisshorn, alphubel, taschorn, mont blanc, mont blanc de courmeyer, mont maudit, mont blanc de tacul
Thank you to everyone for the really nice comments
We did not do either of the Diable ridge or Dent de Geant; when we went up to do Mont Blanc from augille di midi, there was a lot of fresh snow , maybe as much as 30cm. we got a good view of the ridge and it looked quite snowy so we decided to give it a miss. Apparently it has been recently re-equipped , and is now possible with a 50m rope.
The list of peaks we did are, in order, (spelling might be dodgy as im going from memory!)
Bishorn, Allalinhorn, Weissmiss, Lagginhorn, Dom de Neige, Barre de Ecrins, Grand Paradiso, Durihorn, Hohbarghorn, Stecknadelhorn, Nadelhorn, Breithorn x5 tops, Pollux, Castor, Liskam x2 tops, Pyramid Vincent, Punta Giordani, Corneo nero, ludwigshohe, parrotspitze, signalkuppe, lumsteinspitze, dufordspitze, nordend, dom, matterhorn, weisshorn, alphubel, taschorn, mont blanc, mont blanc de courmeyer, mont maudit, mont blanc de tacul
In reply to Anna_wells:
We tried to get on the Diable this morning, but early snowfall and high winds made us (and three other parties) turn around at the shrund. We still saw some headlamps at the bottom of Pointe Médiane. Supposedly, it was in great condition yesterday.
We tried to get on the Diable this morning, but early snowfall and high winds made us (and three other parties) turn around at the shrund. We still saw some headlamps at the bottom of Pointe Médiane. Supposedly, it was in great condition yesterday.
In reply to Anna_wells:
The Diable Ridge was ok with one 50m rope in 2007. You'll need some intermediate belays and some shorter abseils but not too many times. On the positive side the risk of stuck ropes is less.
Few pics here:
http://www.patagonia.fi/diable
The Diable Ridge was ok with one 50m rope in 2007. You'll need some intermediate belays and some shorter abseils but not too many times. On the positive side the risk of stuck ropes is less.
Few pics here:
http://www.patagonia.fi/diable
In reply to adnix:
It has been re-equipped recently (summer '13): full bolted anchors designed for a single 50m rope.
It has been re-equipped recently (summer '13): full bolted anchors designed for a single 50m rope.
In reply to Alex Buisse: That is appalling. Why cannot a fully challenging route like that be left in its natural state?
(Or as close to it as is now possible)
(Or as close to it as is now possible)
In reply to Simon4:
Absolutely. Pathetic really.
But good effort Anna!
> (In reply to Alexandre Buisse) That is appalling. Why cannot a fully challenging route like that be left in its natural state?
Absolutely. Pathetic really.
But good effort Anna!
In reply to Alex Buisse: Disgusting behaviour. A local should chop them asap.
In reply to LakesWinter: Well done Anna though!
In reply to LakesWinter: it is a shame when a route is altered from its first ascent condition. But that is the way it goes in the alps - the cable cars, on-line weather forecasts, GPS, and the helicopter rescue service have all reduced the seriousness of our adventures. If you climbed the route without fixed gear, be grateful you had that experience - what has happened since leaves your achievement unaffected. There are still remote, committing ranges with routes waiting to be done that will remain unchanged in our lifetime - save by nature itself.
In reply to Simon4:
If it's only the abseil anchors, it's no big problem. It wasn't like they were that complicated.
There are bolts in the GJ traverse just before the Canzio hut, too.
If it's only the abseil anchors, it's no big problem. It wasn't like they were that complicated.
There are bolts in the GJ traverse just before the Canzio hut, too.
In reply to adnix:
And that is equally unnecessary and inexcusable. I find it sad that there are people on here accepting or justifying these sort of bolts.
> (In reply to Simon4)
> There are bolts in the GJ traverse just before the Canzio hut, too.
> There are bolts in the GJ traverse just before the Canzio hut, too.
And that is equally unnecessary and inexcusable. I find it sad that there are people on here accepting or justifying these sort of bolts.
In reply to Robert Durran:
In my opinion a tidy abseil line with bolts is much more acceptable than loads of tat here and there. There isn't much difference with tat anchors and bolt anchors. In both cases you'll leave a trace.
Usually the ones with tat have abandoned stuck ropes behind flakes, too.
In my opinion a tidy abseil line with bolts is much more acceptable than loads of tat here and there. There isn't much difference with tat anchors and bolt anchors. In both cases you'll leave a trace.
Usually the ones with tat have abandoned stuck ropes behind flakes, too.
In reply to adnix:
Tat can and shopld be tidied up.
Bolts do not exploit natural weaknesses in the rock. All other anchors do. The distinction and principle is obvious and crucial; a world of difference.
> (In reply to Robert Durran)
>
> In my opinion a tidy abseil line with bolts is much more acceptable than loads of tat here and there. There isn't much difference with tat anchors and bolt anchors.
>
> In my opinion a tidy abseil line with bolts is much more acceptable than loads of tat here and there. There isn't much difference with tat anchors and bolt anchors.
Tat can and shopld be tidied up.
Bolts do not exploit natural weaknesses in the rock. All other anchors do. The distinction and principle is obvious and crucial; a world of difference.
In reply to adnix:
Don't agree with that, on Alpine routes there certainly seems to be a "slippery slope" effect (even if the fixed gear is supposed to stop you slipping), some is already there, so why not add more "to improve it or make it safer". So it is never just abseil anchors, especially where guides are out to domesticate a route for their own convenience.
Presumably on the descent from the Rochefort arette. What on earth are they supposed to be needed for?
> If it's only the abseil anchors, it's no big problem. It wasn't like they were that complicated.
Don't agree with that, on Alpine routes there certainly seems to be a "slippery slope" effect (even if the fixed gear is supposed to stop you slipping), some is already there, so why not add more "to improve it or make it safer". So it is never just abseil anchors, especially where guides are out to domesticate a route for their own convenience.
> There are bolts in the GJ traverse just before the Canzio hut, too.
Presumably on the descent from the Rochefort arette. What on earth are they supposed to be needed for?
In reply to Alex Buisse:
Alexandre- Oops. It seems you accidentally sent this thread off topic!
Anna - I'd like to add my voice to the well dones! I am so impressed with what you have achieved. You must have experienced so much along the way - I look forward to reading about your adventures.
Alexandre- Oops. It seems you accidentally sent this thread off topic!
Anna - I'd like to add my voice to the well dones! I am so impressed with what you have achieved. You must have experienced so much along the way - I look forward to reading about your adventures.
In reply to Removed Userchamdog:
Posting a message saying "bolts" in a British forum is akin to throwing a cat in the middle of a pack of angry dogs: fun to watch, but you'd better get out quickly yourself!
Posting a message saying "bolts" in a British forum is akin to throwing a cat in the middle of a pack of angry dogs: fun to watch, but you'd better get out quickly yourself!
In reply to Alex Buisse: Retrobolters favour animal cruelty, you heard it here first!
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