UKC

Planning my first alpine trip early june, I’ll be spending two weeks in Chamonix and I’m aiming for at least 3 summits and finishing with the gouter route up Mont Blanc (if I have to go solo) 

my usual climbing partner has too many commitments to come and I don’t really know anyone else reliable enough to take. Just wondering if anyone can enlighten me on how easy it is to just meet people to climb with there? Thanks in advance 

If your under 26. I'd recommend  kicking your trip off like this. Arrive a couple of days before a Jonathan convile trust alpine 3 day course run by British mountain guides. Good value for money and allowing for fast alpine glacial travel etc . Have a couple of hikes on the valley sides to acimatise on the Balcons etc Then do the course as it's outstanding value. Go guided thereafter if your not confident or practice your skills  on some easier peaks. You will meet like indeed people and learn a lot of safety stuff. Then do a hut trip eg couvert me. Or venture towards higher mountains therafter. 

okay cheers

Honestly?  Not that easy to hook up.  Easier for rock routes.

The fundamental issues are:

- Most folk arrive with partners

- You're an unknown quantity to anyone else in an environment that most see as significantly more demanding than a day's cragging.

- Anyone experienced may see you as increased risk

The solutions are:

- Get some UK routes in with a partner beforehand to build trust

- Take a guide and/or do a course

- Join a club and go on club trips

I know it's rough when you want to get stuck in, but rocking up in Cham and hoping to find a well matched partner is a recipe for disappointment.

Actually I found the opposite. I climbed all summer with partners from the Chamonix partners page on facebook. I had more offers to go climbing than free days. Manage your aspirations, start small, get to know the person, and there's no reason why you can't have a good trip.

Well, the OP is a novice and you have a climbing CV that many would envy. The OP may very well be cooling his heels in Chamonix while you have several offers to choose from!

Maybe, but I remember doing the Conville course years ago, and there were plenty of folk around to climb with at similar level of experience. Speak to everyone, be honest about your skills, and I think you can get by.

My second-hand experience is similar to Luca's (though without the envious climbing CV!), though I've never actually had to go trawling for a partner in Chamonix in summer myself. There are nearly always people about looking for someone to partner up for objectives at all levels of experience. Hang around the campsite in Argentiere (used by most Conville Course attendees) and you're sure to find someone.

Of course, I also highly recommend the Conville Course itself if you can get a place. Worth every penny!

I've gone alone and I've gone with partners. Both time's I've planned to go alone I managed to find partners to line up between when I made travel arrangements and when I arrived in town. First time I went was like this and I was inexperienced (no alpine, but could lead easy rock competently and moderate ice, plus had basic self rescue skills), but the trip was still great.

It all comes down to how much you can afford to take the hit if it doesn't work out, but I'd say you probably have a good shot at making it work. If you can't get someone to commit ahead of time, book your tickets, put out the word among your friends that you're looking for a partner between X and Y dates, post up on climbing forums, find accommodations in Cham somewhere you're likely to cross paths with other climbers, and on your first day there go put your name down in the partner book at the OHM office.

Also, reconsider the Gouter route. On the one hand it has a nice 100m snow ridge just before the summit. On the other hand it also features a super mario style "dodge the nonstop boulder stream" spot down on the trail before reaching the hut. People talk about this, but I wrote it off as hyperbole. It was mind boggling to see in person. It's unbelievable that people run that gauntlet to hike up such an unremarkable route (we descended the Gouter at the end of a long ass day, never climbed up it).

I mean I’m competent leading and I’ve done plenty of multi pitch routes in haute province, a fair bit of winter scrambling in the uk under my belt. Also fitness wise I’m quite fit can comfortably run marathon distances round Derbyshire hills. But I agree it would be better to have someone to climb with before hand which is what I’ll try and do early next year. Anyone know of any clubs local to Sheffield area?

One more thing to add,

Most of the people I met up with in Cham were great. A minority were not. Not unsafe necessarily, just lacking experience compounded by a bad attitude. Think about what your plan will be for sussing them out.

I liked to take people up the Cosmiques Arete as a first try. It's fast, easy and non committing (not to mention fun), but still requires diverse skills so it gives you a good sense of your partner's strengths/weaknesses. You're in a much better position if you're comfortable and competent on these kinds of trial routes than if you're relying on your as-of-yet untested partner right off the bat.

As a choice for Mont Blanc the gouter was never my first choice it was more if I had to do it solo as from what I’ve read about the route it’s pretty simple and uninspiring like you said. 

 So with regard to this ohm office partner book, is it exactly what it says on the tin? People looking for a partner, feel daft asking haha

yup. The OHM keeps a couple of handwritten resources available for climbers. One is a kind of guide book that's a bit poorly organized but seems to include all the most obscure routes. Another is a beta book, where sometimes after returning from a route climbers will jot down info on the conditions they found. Finally there's a book where people put down their info if they're searching for partners. Typically the person will put down some basic info about their abilities/preferred style of climbing, routes they're eyeing, and a mobile number. You may find the beta book/partner book to be one and the same. I can't remember exactly.

Okay thanks for the info 

Except the Cosmiques is now inadvisable after the summer’s rockfall / collapse. 

The OHM partners book and partner posts on UKC are predominantly aimed at people looking to do easier routes, around PD. It’s not a bad way to find partners but beware of the very inexperienced who talk the talk but can barely walk (in crampons). A short rock route is a good idea to start with if you haven’t climbed with someone before.

Doing an Alpine skills course would stand you in good stead as well. 

I went after ADs and Ds with people from the partner find book. Also saw some people posting up for partners for TDs in the same place.

There will be more people climbing PDs than EDs on any given summer day in Chamonix. I thought the partner find book just reflected this reality.

Also, short rock routes are a poor way to learn whether or not someone knows how to walk in crampons. If you want to do rock routes with someone, suss them out on an easy rock route. If you want to do snow/ice/mixed routes with people, try an easy one of those instead. The only way to learn whether or not someone can walk in crampons is to see them walk in crampons.

I often travel alone and hang out to climb with people in campsites, hostels and notice boards. In Chamonix it is quite easy. I would recommend to learn glacier skills in advance. If it's two of you and you will end up inside your partner will expect you climb out with prusiks. It sounds easy, but try climbing  the rope for at least 7 meters at local overhanging crag, bridge or anything you can find. It takes some practice.

However begging of June will be quite early in seasson and you may not meet many alpine climbers. And hope you like hiking because lifts are generally open only in second part of June.

Cham climbing partners facebook page often gets you lots of offers to partner up in summer - but will depend on weather and is not guaranteed. Be wary of people talking up their ability though...